Hello everyone. I plan to purchase a new workstation to run 3ds Max 2012. Below is the configuration I was planning, but I am open to any suggestions, from manufacturer to RAM to video card. I would like the configuration to render large mental ray scenes quickly. I do not plan on doing any animation. Also, I am trying to keep cost below $3K.

Manufacturer: Dell
Workstation: T3500
Processor: Quad Core Xeon
RAM: 12 GB
NVIDIA Quadro 4000

Thanks in advance!

I haven’t used Dell, but right now I’m running with a Boxx 8550 and loving it.

I would definitely check out their system customizer on their website.

One thing I would change on your current configuration is the video card. Go for a higher-end GeForce that costs less and put that money into more CPU power.

I have the Quadro 4000 and have no complaints about the card itself, but it seems that the maxtreme drivers have been discontinued. Viewport performance is about the same with the Quadro as it is with a GeForce of lesser value. One key difference is operating temperature and fan noise. The Quadro is very quiet and doesn’t heat up as much when under full load.

Are you planning on servicing this system yourself if something goes wrong? Sometimes it can be difficult to get local support for Xeon processors or find ECC memory. Sometimes it can take a few days for PC service shops to order parts in.

A high-end Core i7 with 6 processing cores would be a boost over the quad core Xeon, especially if it has a higher clock speed.

Just some stuff to think about.

Max 4 -> 2012 + AP
Dual Xeon Hex-Core @ 3.33 GHz, 12 GB RAM
nVidia Quadro 4000, GTX 460 x 2
Win7 64

Get more cores...dual quad or six core chips would help.

3ds Max 9 thru 2013
Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit OS SP1
Dual Intel® Xeon® 6 core X5650 @ 2.67GHz CPU 36GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000
450GB HDD (x3) and 2TB HDD

3ds Max 2012 Certified Professional Models to Motion

Do they make motherboards that can handle two or more i7 chips?

Dean

Max Design 2012 SP2 / Win 7 Pro
NVidia Quadro FX 4800 x 2 (non sli)
HP Z800 - 2 Xeon X5680 @ 3.33 GHz; 36 GB ram

Get and SSD drive if you can swing it. The Intel drives are said to be the most reliable. Dell will probably charge a huge premium for an SSD. If you have some computer knowledge, you can purchase one online and install it after the fact. Just install windows on the SSD, and keep the hard drive that comes with the system as a data drive.

It may not have a huge impact on rendering specifically, but your overall system performance will benefit nicely. System and application load times are dramatically reduced. Photoshop and other programs which are disk intensive also show a nice performance gain from an SSD drive. Well worth the $500 in my opinion.

Hi - I have the same problem, i have to by the computer tomorrow.
After long and hard research i have two choices now

CPU:i7 3930K - 6 cores 3,2-3,9Ghz, and hope it will be overclocked to 4,6-4,8Ghz 24/7!!!
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100
MB: Gigabyte X79-UD5(s 2011 , X79 , DDR3)-
RAM: Corsair 16 GB kit 4*4GB 1600Mhz 4chanel
GPU: Palit GTX 580 3GB or PNY Quadro 4000 2GB
HDD: Corsair Force GT 120 gb Sata III - for win 7, 3DsMax, Maya… etc + working files
+
Western Digital 1TB Sata III 7200RPM - for storage
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos S 1100

OR

CPU: i7 2600K - 4 cores - overclocked to 4,6-5,0Ghz 24/7
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100
MB: Gigabyte Z68X-UD4-B3
RAM: Corsair 16 GB kit 4*4GB 1600Mhz dual chanel
GPU: PNY Quadro 4000 2GB or Palit GTX 580 3GB
HDD: Corsair Force GT 120 gb Sata III - for win 7, 3DsMax, Maya… etc + working files
+
Western Digital 1TB Sata III 7200RPM - for storage
PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro 1000W
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos S 1100

They both are the same price - if they are with highlighted GPU, and they are << $3K

I think the first is way more good than your configuration, and cheaper ;) I am in Bulgaria - so my prices are not your`s - here they are higher :(
I am confused now for GPU - GTX 580 3GB or Quadro 4000 2GB - I`m working with more than 10m polygons… hope GTX 580 will have nice viewport performance with 50m+ polygons…

Sorry for my English - and hope this help you for best choice :)