AE & C4D Rig -- Dumping Mac and moving to PC

[AromaKat 1]

I think it landed around $2,200 without monitors, etc while salvaging my gtx680, a couple HDs, and an SSD from my old system

[chizmniz 0]

Just ran across this thread as I am considering upgrading my home machine. I am running a 4.5 yr old i7 right now that has been great. Did you build your on new machines Ed or did you have someone build them for you? Did you pick up your parts from newegg?

 

Awesome work Ed I would love to come down sometime and check them out if I ever get to visit with my wife when she goes to see her family!

[edrhine 0]

we built our own systems modeled off of a BOXX i7 setup. Any time you are around just swing on by

[anothername 0]

Should I go for i7 3770K or 3930K some people seem to say there isn't a real performance boost for the price. Also GTX 660 vs 680.

 

Looking to get the most out of AE, and C4D especially.

 

Thoughts?

[chizmniz 0]

Check this spread sheet I saw. I think posted today. They are bench testing renders through AE on several setups

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/oimgkey=0AuE_AZZfskx3dHotTzVGamhiUkIySTUteGlzeG9xMEE&oid=6&zx=4b87cbodocm

[AromaKat 1]

 

Check this spread sheet I saw. I think posted today. They are bench testing renders through AE on several setups

 

https://docs.google....&zx=4b87cbodocm

 

Interesting, but there are more factors that need to be considered for proper evaluation.

 

For example, were the renders pulling from cache, network drives, raid arrays, etc.

 

And exactly what they are rendering would be great to know as well.

 

* woah, wait - this appears to have been done all kinds of wrong. Listing the price of a full mac pro, but then only the price for a video card further down.

 

Where is this from? What are they rendering? Looks like this is purely a gpu rendering test. The MBP with a 650m isn't that much worse than others setups on there.

Edited April 24, 2013 by AromaKat

[chizmniz 0]

Only saw it post up on twitter (you know the only true news source). I believe they were testing the gpu abilities of the titan vs other cards. I just found it fascinating.

[palmer 0]

Early-2010 Mac Pro here.

Building out a pc (x 2) right now for near immediate deployment. I'm done waiting.

 

Considering a Hackintosh because I despise Windows.

Anyone running one?

Care to chime in?

I'm worried about stability... uhh, with deadlines and all...

 

 

Reference:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/344-building-customac-buyer-s-guide-april-2013.html#custo_pro

[ChrisC 2]

Considering a Hackintosh because I despise Windows.

Anyone running one?

 

We've got one here, bought in as an experiment really. Cheaper than a MacPro, and beefier - but I wouldn't want to rely on it as a workstation, we use if for straight rendering but it's flaky, and under performs for its spec.

[Grundly 0]

 

We've got one here, bought in as an experiment really. Cheaper than a MacPro, and beefier - but I wouldn't want to rely on it as a workstation, we use if for straight rendering but it's flaky, and under performs for its spec.

 

Yeah, a little flaky, mine sometimes take a few tries to boot up. I don't have any USB3 devices, so not sure if those are working. Overall, it hasn't been too bad, just not 100% solid. Although I'd rather have this setup for $2200 than anything you can buy from the apple store.

 

Edited April 26, 2013 by Grundly

[Srek 0]

Early-2010 Mac Pro here.

Building out a pc (x 2) right now for near immediate deployment. I'm done waiting.

 

Considering a Hackintosh because I despise Windows.

Anyone running one?

Care to chime in?

I'm worried about stability... uhh, with deadlines and all...

 

 

Reference:

http://www.tonymacx86.com/344-building-customac-buyer-s-guide-april-2013.html#custo_pro

 

The Maxon Crash databse is full of entries from instable running hackintosh systems. I can't recommend it at all, not if you rely on it for professional work.

Cheers

Björn

[palmer 0]

 

The Maxon Crash databse is full of entries from instable running hackintosh systems. I can't recommend it at all, not if you rely on it for professional work.

Cheers

Björn

 

Yeaaah. You're pretty much saying exactly what I know to be true.

I've been trying to convince myself that it's a good idea for the last week. Luckily haven't pulled the trigger on the build. My workload is pretty high volume and I need stability more than anything.

 

There is no time to fuck with machines.

[BoArlander 0]

There is no time to fuck with machines.

Seriously.

[davelimited 0]

For anyone wanting to avoid the sad surprise of OSX new improvements, I can heartily recommend Pathfinder. First thing I install on a new mac.

 

I just love the dual pane tabbed browsing with dual previews, saveable sidebar shortcuts. custom color bg's on my folders - and best of all, its ROCK solid.

 

It's a free download - http://www.cocoatech.com/pathfinder/

 

When I'm in the mac finder now, it feels like it used to using windows. :-)

 

Still love the lovely mac aluminium boxes mind. No one even comes close.

[SFBurning 0]

As a 5-year Hackintosh user who's jumped between three different builds, the only problems I've ever experienced have been hardware-centric. I've been using gigabyte motherboards running Intel chips and either ATi/AMD or nVidia GPU's.

 

My experience has been that initial set-up of these machines can take as much as 10 hours troubleshooting and optimization but once you've got a stable build going, it stays stable. I'm willing to deal with a few nonfunctional front-firing USB ports for the money saved, and have never experienced any software problems once the build is finished.

I'm also the kind of person who really likes putting together computers, though, so your mileage may vary.

[edrhine 0]

Still loving the PC setups and even Windows... AromoKat has a great thread on tweaking windows and after a few months, the only thing I miss on the OSX side of things are colored folders. Otherwise its a no-brainer and find my self not cursing at my machine everyday. (Although that still happens with my Macbook Pro).

[etown 0]

Built a massive PC rig this year as well. My issue is with PC cases and how they all look like they belong in your college dorm or a laser tag office. I've found Silverstone has a few nice models and they use some awesome thermal designs (don't know why everyone rotates the mobo since heat rises).

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163202

 

Comes in aluminum for all you MacPro lovers. If anyone else knows of some pretty minimal cases please let me know. I'm not looking for a cheap case.

[destro 0]

Built a massive PC rig this year as well. My issue is with PC cases and how they all look like they belong in your college dorm or a laser tag office. I've found Silverstone has a few nice models and they use some awesome thermal designs (don't know why everyone rotates the mobo since heat rises).

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163202

 

Comes in aluminum for all you MacPro lovers. If anyone else knows of some pretty minimal cases please let me know. I'm not looking for a cheap case.

 

My case at home is from these guys: http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product03.php?cl_index=1&sc_index=25

 

They make some really nice metal gear, but also some tacky stuff. It's the first case I spent a decent amount of money on, but it's very much worth it. Apart from the looks it's also super quiet and runs far cooler than all the cheap "disposable" plastic cases I've used in the past.

[anothername 0]

 

 

Still loving the PC setups and even Windows... AromoKat has a great thread on tweaking windows and after a few months, the only thing I miss on the OSX side of things are colored folders. Otherwise its a no-brainer and find my self not cursing at my machine everyday. (Although that still happens with my Macbook Pro).

 

 

This thread was super helpful finally gave me the confidence to take the plunge and get in a PC workstation. After a couple of days gotta say getting the PC up and running was just as easy as with a Mac and man does this thing scream with C4D compared to my macpro. Even stuff I thought was going to be complicated like setting up the overclocking was dead simple.

 

Before I was dreading having to make the switch now I can't wait to have the budget to swap out more of our Macs for PCs.

 

Can you link that thread for tweaking windows did a search but couldn't find it.

[BoArlander 0]

 

This thread was super helpful finally gave me the confidence to take the plunge and get in a PC workstation. After a couple of days gotta say getting the PC up and running was just as easy as with a Mac and man does this thing scream with C4D compared to my macpro. Even stuff I thought was going to be complicated like setting up the overclocking was dead simple.

 

Before I was dreading having to make the switch now I can't wait to have the budget to swap out more of our Macs for PCs.

 

Can you link that thread for tweaking windows did a search but couldn't find it.

But you won't be able to do work as good as on the mac. You need to spend another $5k to get the macxperience™. I hate PCs but I'll be the first to admit that my mac cult is dying.

 

I got a woodie when I saw this thread get bumped.

Man, anyone who buys a mac right now for anykind of solid 3D is pretty foolish IMHO.

 

Look at the bigger picture.

 

Thing is apple has overspent on the new ring campus2. $2billion over budget. And they are a year behind schedule. Byebye macpros... even if they do come out I'm not expecting much. Hope I get to eat these words. Apple is toast for now. Other than ipads and macbooks, imacs. Those kinds of solutions.

 

This is why they haven't put the macpros out yet in the first place. They know it'd be a laughable offering in today's PC market. Sucks but, adapting time once again.

[AromaKat 1]

 

This thread was super helpful finally gave me the confidence to take the plunge and get in a PC workstation. After a couple of days gotta say getting the PC up and running was just as easy as with a Mac and man does this thing scream with C4D compared to my macpro. Even stuff I thought was going to be complicated like setting up the overclocking was dead simple.

 

Before I was dreading having to make the switch now I can't wait to have the budget to swap out more of our Macs for PCs.

 

Can you link that thread for tweaking windows did a search but couldn't find it.

 

Sorry, I am just now seeing this. I am glad to hear the switch is going well!

 

What exactly are you trying to tweak? With macs, there isn't much to tweak outside of whats presented in OnyX or something similar. But now... The world is your oyster!

 

What are you looking to tweak? I don't know what exact thread edrhine is referring to (thanks edrhine, btw), but I am always up for helping in any way I can with such things.

 

Doing a search for "build" will probably yeild results with discussions on setting up new hardware. It basically always boils down to this though:

 

• Always choose core speed over number of cores for workstations
• Get a dedicated 6gbps / sata III SSD for your application cache
• Put your OS on a SSD
• Raid 1 your primary work drive (hardware level - not software) unless you have network storage
• Get a nice video card, but DO NOT waste your money on a Titan like I just did. At least wait until its a $500 card.
• Sandy bridges are nicer and faster, but Ivy bridges allow for thunderbolt. So it depends on if you need that for any reason (in a mac-heavy environment, or own a blackmagic cinema camera)
• Its super-handy to get a sata cradle in the front bay to hot swap in and out naked drives.

 

Tweaking the OS though... thats another story. Too many things to list. Get MacDrive though. Thats still a must, but macs are quickly dying out in our world and we are receiving less and less mac-formatted drives as time goes on.

Edited May 15, 2013 by AromaKat

[anothername 0]

 

 

Tweaking the OS though... thats another story. Too many things to list. Get MacDrive though. Thats still a must, but macs are quickly dying out in our world and we are receiving less and less mac-formatted drives as time goes on.

 

 

Yeah I meant tweaking the OS/UI/User experience. The only time I ever really used PCs was when freelancing so never messed with any settings. Guess I will just have to google and figure out what I want to do as I go.

[vozzz 2]

if someone can find the thread, i think it should be stickied. it covered alot of useful windows related tweaks.

 

I think ill make a video tutorial on this topic

[anothername 0]

I think ill make a video tutorial on this topic

 

That would be awesome!

[AromaKat 1]

ninite.com

 

 

first place to go after windows installs