Workstation out of the box?

[Krion]

Hi guys,

This is the first time I start thinking about hardware. I have always used a MacBook to learn Houdini but now I need more.

Now I don’t want a Mac Pro because it’s very expensive right and I hear that Houdini would run faster on Linux.

Every post I read here seem to be about people building workstations themselves? What about pre-configured workstations?

What are the minimum/maximum price ranges if you want a really decent workstation for Houdini that’s not a Mac Pro?

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions,

cheers

 

[maulen]

22 minutes ago, Krion said:

Hi guys,

This is the first time I start thinking about hardware. I have always used a MacBook to learn Houdini but now I need more.

Now I don’t want a Mac Pro because it’s very expensive right and I hear that Houdini would run faster on Linux.

Every post I read here seem to be about people building workstations themselves? What about pre-configured workstations?

What are the minimum/maximum price ranges if you want a really decent workstation for Houdini that’s not a Mac Pro?

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions,

cheers

 

Hi, gather the power of your computer for games and workstations for the intermediate.

AMD RYZEN 3950X
128GB 3200MHZ CL16 (Crucial Ballistix Black)
MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI
RTX 3090 24GB
Corsair HX1000 80+ Platinum

[schwungsau]

oh no you ask the wrong question, there is a lot hate here around out-of-box workstation.
if you want a good workstation for good price. lenovo currently have 40-65% off promotion on workstations.

ok, now lets see now many post will appear here to talk you out of it, because you have build by yourself, because its the only way.

[Krion]

Haha yeah I suspected something like that.
Why is it the only way?

And will it take much time to read up on hardware-parts, their workings, workings together with other parts, the building process, etc?

If it’s the only way I might go with that but I hope all that does not have as steep a learning curve as Houdini did for me, :-)

[schwungsau]

i stick with out of the box workstation, i wasted too much time in past with crashes, fixing hardware etc...

i have a lenovo workstation, i got a 65% discount. hard to beat. lenovo has also the first pro threatripper workstations. you can buy used dell or HP workstation on amazon or ebay. it has every-running xeon's, you can get good machine for 800$+ then all you need is upgrade the ram and get modern GPU card.  

[schwungsau]

1 hour ago, Krion said:

Why is it the only way?

because some poeple don't believe in the benefit of a out-of-the-box system.

[flcc]

Depending on where you are there is an intermediate solution.
Find a reseller specialized in 3D production.
In France there is APY that I know. They mainly provide 3D production studios including "Illumination-MAcGuff" (despicable me).
They have an online store, but it's better to call them to customize your station. And when you talk to them on the phone, you can see right away that they know what they're talking about. And since they are in contact with the studios, they are aware of possible hardware compatibility problems,  especially for the big GPU configurations.
Their prices are fair.
They now have a branch in Canada (don't know them).

Not a build yourself, but better than out of the box solution IMO.

Edited November 2, 2020 by flcc

[stephenhalker]

Does anyone know of anything like APY that is in the USA?

  I'm in the same situation. I've been learning on a Mac Pro, but I'm looking to dabble with Unreal and Redshift.