Renderfarm - When to go the Blade route?

[Morne]

Hi all

I could get 4 new I7's with 12GB Ram each, but what about Blade etc? When is it time to go there? I mean the only factor for me at the moment is rendering speed and relative hardware cost. Space for the hardware is not an issue. So for the price of 4 I7's can I get some kind of blade system for the same price that will render quicker?

[davidr]

We have blades at work, but basically we specced the CPUs and memory and IT decided blades made sense for them, mostly from a space/management point of view. Most blades don't have a slot to add one (or more!) GPUs, so you'd be stuck when the new RT comes out. Other than that, if it was me, it would just come down to money.

[Morne]

I don't care about space/management. Just if I can for the same price get anything that renders faster. ie. a couple of I7's vs blade for same price.

[davidr]

I don't really understand your dilemma -blades aren't faster, just a different case format, so just look for the best bang for the buck, whether blade, PC, etc.