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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

16 core/32 thread/64GB RAM Mac setup, but not fully working yet.

Joseph S. said:
I was finally able to get full res playback at 24 FPS. I have to wait for it to cache. But it loads a 60 second 5K R3D in RAM, and plays back and scrubs in realtime. I guess that's normal for anyone though, so nothing special.
Click to expand...

how long it take to cache it in RAM ?

thanks
g
 
24.5 is a really good score, but in my opinion is not enough for realtime full debayer with 4k redone footage... but you have a beast for after effects!.
 
Gabriele Turchi said:
how long it take to cache it in RAM ?

thanks
g
Click to expand...

5K, 4:1, 30 second clip took around 5 minutes to fully cache with a Samsung 830 SSD. RAM usage is 1GB per 1 second of footage (30 second clip is 30GB for RCX app). So I'm sure a 120 second clip would take up all the system's 128GB of RAM, and max out in full res.

Same footage, 1/2 res took around 2 minutes to load, but much less RAM of around 7GB. 1/4 res took about a minute.

It plays back that footage at 23.98 fps smooth as silk, and scrubs clean, as fast as you can move the mouse.

Since I've never used a Red Rocket, I have no clue what the norm is. Maybe someone can tell me.
 
RED Rocket can cache your frames at real-time, or even a bit faster depending on which R3D format. Where most people run into issues on playback and scrubbing is with their available RAM. RC-X seems to do some funny things when it comes to how it manages that cache. On playback it tends to run to the end of the cache and then begin cacheing more, so you can run into stuttering, even with the Rocket. But I think it's this way more so that you can continue to scrub back and forth and tweak your look rather than just playing back endless minutes of footage.

While I'm thinking of it, what RAM did you install for your 128GB Joseph? I'm still waiting on my motherboards, and therefore waiting until they arrive to order my RAM. Selection of proper RAM out there sucks. 1600MHz modules are hard to come by, near impossible for ECC memory. As of right now, I'm probably going to install 128GB via 16 x 8GB of G.Skill Ripjaw X modules. They're available as PC3-12800 (1600MHz) with 9-9-9-24 timings. Mushkin also has the same product in their Blackline series, but it's more expensive and harder to get ahold of. I've been having good luck with G.Skill lately in other systems. Mushkin too, I'm partial to them, they're located near me and I'm kinda biased. :)

There's also the Kingston HyperX 1600MHz ECC modules, but they're at CAS-11 and seem to perform rather poorly overall.
 
Since supermicro is really picky with RAM, especially with that much RAM, I bought the certified memory from the X9DAI drop down menu.

Samsung M393B1K70DH0-CK0 is the 8GB module. Works perfectly with 16 sticks. I think it's CAS 11 at 1600MHz.
 
Joseph S. said:
Since supermicro is really picky with RAM, especially with that much RAM, I bought the certified memory from the X9DAI drop down menu.

Samsung M393B1K70DH0-CK0 is the 8GB module. Works perfectly with 16 sticks. I think it's CAS 11 at 1600MHz.
Click to expand...

Cool. I'll take another look.... Ah they have more RAM listed there than the last time I checked.

Pulling the specs, both the Samsung and Micron models look nearly identical for the ECC 8GB modules. Samsung are CAS 11, Micron are CAS 10. I'm going to call my guy at Micron and see what he says. According to when I talked to him last week, they didn't have any modules with these specs...? But their site says it's in production and Supermicro has them on their approved list, I'll see what he says. I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere.
 
Very interested in setting something like this up. Can you post a list of components or direct to a site. Thanks.
 
@Paul, here are some parts below. Obviously the cpu, mem, drives, video cards are all your choice.

I'm still waiting for the EVGA SR-X as it might work better with MacOS, but it's still unknown.

Chassis/case:
http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/4U/7047/SYS-7047A-T.cfm

Board (installed/wired with case above):
http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X9DAi.cfm

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117261&Tpk=e5-2690

256GB SSD drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135&Tpk=MZ-7PC256D/AM

The EVGA SR-X has 12 memory slots, and not 16. So the max RAM using 8GB is 96GB.
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=270-SE-W888-KR&family=Motherboard Family

And the Asus board has 8 sticks, but it's not the C606 chipset.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/Z9PED8_WS/
 
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If you populate all the slots on the SR-X board, I believe it will drop the RAM to running in dual-channel mode. I'm still waiting for more info on the board... Can't say I'm too wild about the PCIe configuration either.


ASUS board looks alright for smaller configurations, but I haven't really looked at it.


I just ordered a bunch of RAM for my two incoming SuperMicro boards using the 8GB DDR-3 Registered ECC 1600MHz modules from Micron. They're kinda pricey and in short supply. Their part number is: MT36JSF1G72PZ-1G6M1 and is listed as being tested/approved on the Supermicro X9DAi product page. I ordered direct from Micron.
 
Joseph S. said:
@Paul, here are some parts below. Obviously the cpu, mem, drives, video cards are all your choice.

I'm still waiting for the EVGA SR-X as it might work better with MacOS, but it's still unknown.

Chassis/case:
http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/4U/7047/SYS-7047A-T.cfm

Board (installed/wired with case above):
http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X9DAi.cfm

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117261&Tpk=e5-2690

256GB SSD drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147135&Tpk=MZ-7PC256D%2fAM

The EVGA SR-X has 12 memory slots, and not 16. So the max RAM using 8GB is 96GB.
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=270-SE-W888-KR&family=Motherboard Family

And the Asus board has 8 sticks, but it's not the C606 chipset.
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_2011/Z9PED8_WS/
Click to expand...


Thanks sir.
 
Waiting for all my components is painful...

I could have my motherboards, etc.. here already if I had bought the 7047A-T barebones that Joseph listed above. Newegg has them in stock at a reasonable price, too! But I didn't... I'm going the liquid-cooled route and therefore ordered my motherboards on their own. ...waiting.

Several places, Newegg included, have the Supermicro X9DRF motherboard in stock and some people may be interested in it. They also have it bundled and pre-wired in a tower if that fits your needs too and it's in stock that way as well. The X9DRF is nearly identical to the X9DAI, but has a few differences with eSATA ports and does not have USB3 ports on-board. I went the X9DAi route because I can't afford to burn a slot to add USB3 ports.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
Cool. I'll take another look.... Ah they have more RAM listed there than the last time I checked.

Pulling the specs, both the Samsung and Micron models look nearly identical for the ECC 8GB modules. Samsung are CAS 11, Micron are CAS 10. I'm going to call my guy at Micron and see what he says. According to when I talked to him last week, they didn't have any modules with these specs...? But their site says it's in production and Supermicro has them on their approved list, I'll see what he says. I can't seem to find them for sale anywhere.
Click to expand...


Jeff, Joe
Is this exotic (?) RAM you guys are talking about useable by us regular 2010 MacPro Tower folks?? And if not, any suggestions? Fascinated/confused by this thread but would love some insight into what would make my Mac a bit punchier in RXC...?

thanks
Stu Aull
Alaska
 
The RAM is only exotic in the sense that 1600MHZ LRDIMM modules are just hitting the market now and are a bit scarce, especially in 8GB and larger module sizes. But 1333MHz modules are common components that can be bought everywhere. An 8GB module sells for about $80 to $100 in 1333MHz form, depending on brand, reseller, market volatility, etc..

As for the 2010 Mac Pro, it uses 1333MHz RAM. The ECC registered variant isn't necessary at capacities of 128GB and less. ECC is an Error Checking and Correction protocol using a parity arrangement. I guess it helps to make sure your bits don't get scrambled by errant cosmic rays or something. It makes for a more reliable system when operating with huge RAM capacities. But not something to concern yourself with here anyway and Apple actually has OSX locked to not use more than 96GB for some odd reason. But the Mac Pro does ship standard with ECC RAM and that's what the better vendors sell for use with it -- like OWC. The modules we're talking about here are just newer and presumably what the next version of the Mac Pro will use if/when it finally arrives.

As for making your system punchier, there may be some ways to help out, but we would need more information on what you're starting with. More RAM always helps, within reason anyway. And you need to make sure you have the proper RAM type and arrangement to optimize its performance. Faster storage in the form of a performance RAID helps too. RED Rocket, of course... Other than that, there's not much else you can do. The system can only run so fast and RC-X is just what it is... And it's not terribly effective at multithreading or using all your CPU cores, nor is it really capitalizing on any serious GPU acceleration -- RC-X is heavily optimized for the Rocket card at this time. There's also a lot going on under the hood of the software, more than a lot of people realize. Doubly so if using effects like HDRx blending and Alchemy.
 
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Ok you X9DAi guys, do you have these up and running nicely? I'm planning out nearly the same machine right now, and I'm curious how it performs (it will be win7 for me).

And where are you finding the ECC 1600 for that board? I'm coming up dry for the most part. Would like the fast stuff in there, as one of my main goals with the build is to eliminate bottlenecks everywhere I can.
 
Thank you, Joseph! I'll share details of my build with everyone once it's done.
 
joe,

that evga sr-x board is HUGE. i only found a few cases that fit it. one was a huge supermicro case. its factor is called HPTX which is 2 to 3 inches larger than e-atx. it really is a monster. good luck fitting it in a case :)
 
The RAM is hard to come by, especially now that people are buying the motherboards and trying to get RAM too. I ordered direct from Micron and still don't have it. It seems the only commonly available modules that are almost suitable are the Kingston HyperX PC3-12800 (1600MHz) ECC ones, but they're CAS-11 and still out of stock most places. In some ways, if you need the system up and running it almost makes sense to buy a smaller amount of RAM like 32GB and use commonly available 1333MHz modules until the faster ones are more commonplace.

You can run with non-ECC RAM up to 64GB I think and there may also be a limit to the number of non-ECC modules you can install. I don't know if Supermicro has certified anything there. One intriguing option for that is the G.Skill Ripjaws X modules at 1600MHz. They're reasonably priced and should work OK as long as you stay within limits. OTOH, Supermicro boards can be more temperamental about RAM choices than other boards from ASUS, Gigabyte, etc.. All depends on if you want to experiment or not and if non-ECC RAM limitations will ultimately still serve your needs.
 
Things are falling together a bit more here. So, I thought I'd list some numbers for comparison.

HP Z820 Inbound Configuration (adjusted)
90% Efficient 1125W PSU
Dual E5-2687W 3.1GHz 8-Core 20MB CPUs
HP Water Cooling
64GB RAM (8 x 8GB)
No Video Card
2TB 7200rpm HDD 1
HP Blu-Ray Writer
Standard Keyboard & Mouse
Windows 7 64bit recovery CD
Free shipping
Total after coupons / less tax: $8,549.60



Build for SuperMicro X9DAi workstation
Cooler Master HAF X RC-942 system case
Thermaltake 88% efficient 1275W Peak PSU
SuperMicro X9DAi motherboard
Dual E5-2687W 3.1GHz 8-Core 20MB CPUs
Cooler Master Water Cooling system for dual LGA 2011 & special tweak ;)
128GB RAM (Micron PC3-12800 1600MHz) ECC - 16 x 8GB
OCZ Vertex 4 512GB SSD
LG 14X Blu-Ray writer
Logitech MX wireless keyboard & mouse
Windows 7 64bit Pro
Total after Misc. shipping expenses and whatnot: $8,462.24


Not a direct like comparison as the in-house build has double the RAM and the SSD. If I were to equalize those components with the HP build, the self-build would come in at about $7033. Which means the HP system comes at about a $1500 premium but has a 3 year parts, labor and on-site warranty. Not to mention I don't have to spend a few hours assembling and 2 days of burn-in/ testing on it. The HP is not a bad deal here at all. Truth be told, I'm placing a Vertex 4 SSD in the HP too. As the system / apps drive and will be using the 2TB that I'm getting with it, along with others I'm adding, to make an internal array.

I didn't factor in video cards as I have a few here and will be doing some tests between the systems. Mostly trying dual GTX580's, a Quadro 6000 + GTX580 combo and also should have a GTX680 here soon too.
 
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