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Graphics Work Station - Categories

• Generally can be divided into 3 categories:
• - Entry Level: Suitable for simple 2d work, such as drawing and drafting
• - Mid Range: Can perform a broad range of functions including 2d and 3d rendering, better hardware than entry level
• - High End: Supports complex modelling and 3d rendering. Best hardware - Most expensive.
• If a workstation meets a minimum recommendation for the software, it is only a guarantee it will run and its not a guarantee it will run well.
• Manufacturers may infact provide recommended specifications which is the hardware required for the software to run well.

Components needed to run

• To ensure a graphics work station will run well, it needs:
• - a high end GPU
• - a fast multicore CPU
• - Fast Memory
• - A large, fast harddrive

GPU

• - A GPU is a processor that can transform and render graphics, and provide lighting and shading effects at very high speed.
• - It takes over these graphical tasks from the CPU, allowing for much faster graphical processing, particular 3D & Video.
• - GPU maybe integrated into motherboard or CPU or included on a seperate graphics card.
• - Integrated GPU's are less powerful and cannot be upgraded.
• - Specifications can vary but generally a GPU for a 3D graphics workstation should offer a variety of standard resolutions in 32 bit colour. This includes full HD Resolution.
• - It should have atleast 1 GB of dedicated RAM (not shared) and support most up to date versions of graphics technologies such as OPENGL

GPU - Power Supply and Cooling

• A graphics card will have specific requirements in terms of cooling and power supply
• POWER
• - A PC with integrated graphics can be rated as low as 350W.
• - A powerful GPU is likely to require a 500w PSU with a dedicated power cable.
• - If you intend to include a second GPU at a later date much more power would be more suitable (maybe 700w)
• COOLING
• - GPUs provide much better performance than integrated systems but draw more power and as a result give of more heat.
• - To tackle this heat you need a dedicated cooling system such as fans or some other cooling technology (water).
• - Some dedicated GPU cards maybe large and so they need a lot of space to fit in the case and ensure there is enough room around it to keep it clean.

GPU Driver

• - You should always obtain and install the latest drivers for your GPU.
• - Latest Drivers normally fix any bug issues and can add extra features and provide better performance.
• - Be prepared to roll back to a video driver if the update causes any issues with your system.
• - You Should be prepared to configure GPU settings for the best possible performance.

Graphics Workstation - Fast Processor

• A graphics work station requires a fast processor.
• Increasingly applications support 64bit architecture and newer processor technologies such as multi-threading which improves processor speeds by using more than one core at a time.
• When choosing which processor to buy you should ask various questions:
• - Does the processor support the technologies my software recommends
• - What are the processors motherboard requirements?
• - How fast is the processor in relation to what I require??
• - Will it be possible and relatively inexpensive to upgrade the processor in the future?

Buying a Processor

• When choosing which processor to buy you should ask various questions:
• - Does the processor support the technologies my software recommends
• - What are the processors motherboard requirements?
• - How fast is the processor in relation to what I require??
• - Will it be possible and relatively inexpensive to upgrade the processor in the future?
• When choosing a processor for a graphics work station, you should focus on the combination of its features, instead of number of cores and speed.
• You'll get the best results by combing the optimum cache size, bus speed, multiple channel ram, and multiple core processors that run at a high clock speed.
• It is important to focus only on software requirements and your existing hardware.

RAM

• - RAM technologies that should be considered for a graphical workstation, include multiple channel RAM and RAM with a fast Front Side Bus or FSB.
• - You will also need a 64bit operating system if you are planning on using more than 4GB of RAM.
• - You should also ensure that the mother board has enough RAM speeds to esnure you can upgrade in the future.
• - The amount of RAM you will require will depend on the software you intend to use. Approximately 8-12GB is appropriate.

Hard Disk Drive.

• When choosing a Hard Disk Drive there are two things to be considered:
• - Speed of the HDD
• - Amount of storage on the HDD
• There are two main types of HDD.
• - Conventional Platter Drives: Commonly used today. They are comparatively slow but can offer a lot of memory. Typically got a read time of 100MB/s and a write time of 90 MB/s. Computers require large amounts of storage so typically one platter drive is installed in any PC build.
• - You can configure disks in a redundant array of independent disks. or RAID array. By mirroring data from one disk onto a second disk, RAID can prevent data loss if a disk fails. By simultaneously using both disks RAID can improve performance.
• - Solid State Drives: Much faster than platter drivess but cost significantly more. A read of about 240Mb/s and a write time of about 170 MB/s. Currently the cost per GB is 8x more when using SSD.