Buying new rig for iray rendering, input requested
gederix
Posts: 390
I am looking to buy a new computer and finally switch from reality to iray, which I currently know next to nothing about.
I want to be able to render scenes with many G8 (mainly) characters -- a dozen or more, so Ive been reading these forums trying to find out what at a minimum I should be looking at buying(my cap is $2,000).
Here's a sample of what I am considering based on what Ive read so far:
https://www.newegg.com/p/3D5-000E-001B5
https://www.newegg.com/msi-aegis-rs-11tg-222us/p/N82E16883152853?Item=9SIA57XGBB2164
any input is greatly appreciated!
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Comments
Minimum 64GB of RAM and minimum 12GB of VRAM on an Nvidia RTX GPU.
For 2 grand I cant get that, how limited am I going to be with 32g RAM and 8G VRAM?
VRAM over system RAM then is my suggestion. But no less than 16GB System.
While 8GB's of VRAM is still enough for many scenes (not enough for what you listed), the VRAM usage is going up fast and next year this time, I expect an 8GB card to be as useful as a 6GB card is today.
If you have a 2 grand budget, you need to start with a cheaper base system, I saw several i5 based systems with an included 12GB 3060 on that site at around 1400 USD before they gave me the sticker "No Europeans allowed", upgrading to 64GB's of RAM should not cost but a couple of hundred at most.
DS+IRAY is mostly about RAM and VRAM
Edit: Almost forgot... Minimum 750W PSU
Apparently they make a 12GB RTX 3060, might be a good starting point to build the rest of your box around.
...I definitely wouldn't go with anything less than 32 GB of system memory to start with. For a 12 GB GPU. 36 GB is optimal 48 preferable but given how memory and motherboards are configured these days, that would mean 64 GB..
The trouble with prebuilts is they don't list the motherboard type/brand or PSU rating. The motherboard could be any brand even an "off" brand or major brand knock off. The number of DIMM slots is important as well to see if you could start with 32 GB and later upgrade the to 64 (ideally you want 4 DIMM slots with only two populated by 16 GB sticks so you can just add another two later [,make sure it's the same speed and brand]). Some Ryzen boards also only have 2 DIMMs which would limit expansion and possibly maximum memory support.
The PSU si the heart of your system and if it goes, it could take a lot more with it (I was fortunate when it happened to my system it was only a capacitor that popped). I would take the recommended PSU for the card and go tat least the next step or two up (for example Nvidia recommends a 550 w PSU for the 12 GB 3060 I would go with a 650 or even 750 it you plan to do later expansion..
Now here is what I put together off of PC Part Picker
Total: $1,444 (1,853$ with the RTX 3060 - see below)
Now granted this site is for those who build their own systems (like myself) but it illustrates the "real cost" of the components. I used the (no price) entry for the 3060 as for a system build house, it would not have be getting it at the ludicrous prices being asked for on the open market (I just ordered one direct from EVGA a day ago for 409$ which is still a bit over the MSRP but not as extreme as is found at sites like Newegg, Amazon, and other sites when just shopping around for one.
Dropping teh GPU in at that price or even slightly higher would remain within the 2,000$ limit and you'd be ready for upgrading the system memory to 64 GB when you can afford to which would more than cover the 3060 for whatever scene you throw at it.(as long as it fits in VRAM) Keep in mind that the OS takes a bit of memory (around 1 GB or so) as well as system processes and anything else you may have running (like You Tube for watching tutorials, the Daz forums, other graphics programmes, or music streaming, etc).
I went with SSDs for both the Boot/Programme (M2) and Daz Content Library (SATA III SSD) drives for better performance, as well as added a storage HDD for stuff like backups of the DIM download files, rendered images and other files so you have maximum space on the Daz Library drive. I also went for what are considered known brand components. Again no "off" or "questionable" brands.
The trick with this is finding someone to put it all together if you are not into building a system yourself .A reputable tech shouldn't charge very much It also serves as an illustration how you can get more for your money rather than buying off the shelf (I actually had 64 GB of memory specified at first which added another 145$). 1,999$ for a system with only 16 GB and a 6 core 5000 series Ryzen is ridiculous.
The Core I7 10700K and ASUS Prime B560 Plus are also both Windows 11 compatible.
Be sure to watch YouTube channel "Linus Tech Tips" for the current qulity of pre-built systems.
Thanks for your help, new system is purchased!
I use 32gb system ram with a 24gb 3090. Daz chugs when you chuck a lot in the scene. Daz will crash when rendering if Windows memory cache ('committed memory') hits 128gb. [Just like I remember it doing at about 96gb? when I used to have 16gm system ram a few years back on an 8gb gfx card.]
I can fill out the 24gb of the 3090 without running out of system memory first in certain types of scenes. But any significant use of Dforce hair/clothing will see the 32gb (128 'committed') will see that run out first.
However I bought the 3090 to have something with a bit more umpf and a bit more memory than the 3060 I was using prior. The 3060 was actually fairly decent all round in Daz. Imo you don't need 64gb to pair with a 12gb vram buffer.
If you use more memory than what you have installed on the motherboard, you are using your storage media as an extension and that is very slow and makes the computer unresponsive.
404'd and then it double posted.
When using an 11gb 1080ti (horribly gimped memory wise when IRAY went RTX code only) and 12gb 3060 I don't feel didn't see it using the SSD that often in task manager.