Building your own workstation

[kultigin]

Hi all,

I want to build a workstation from the start for very fast(and also high quality) video editing(exporting) with Premiere Pro CS5.5. The workstation has to be as strong as a Mac Pro 12-core or a HP Z600/Z800 workstation, but has too cost way less than these two. My budget is between 1000-3000euro. Firstly, is it possible to put two cpu's inside a motherboard that supports dual cpu, and if yes, will the computer then work the same like a 2x6cores Mac Pro or a HP Z600/Z800(so it will not become a server pc but a workstation)? And will this self-build workstation work correctly and not have unfixable crashes or bugs?

Which hardware components do you recommend?

I want to build a workstation with these settings:
-a good motherboard(which does not get broken all the sudden)(not too expensive) on which you can upgrade components in the future
-two six-core processors
-24gb ram
-Quadro 2000 or 4000 graphics card
-1, 2 or 3 x ssd harddisk
-possible raid controller
-and more...

-Which motherboard(not too expensive) will work the best like a 2x6-core Mac Pro or a HP Z600/Z800?

-I am thinking about buying one(one pair) of these Intel Xeon Processors: X5690, X5675, X5660. Which one should be enough for fast exporting(and high quality) in Premiere Pro? And is it possible to use two I7 processors like a dual processor in a workstation? If yes, will the two I7 processors work as good as two Xeon processors? Is the best I7-processor as good as an Xeon processor?

-Which brand(and which speed) of RAM memory should i buy which works fastest for 24 gb(should i buy it 6x4gb or 3x8gb?)? Should 16gb of RAM also be enough for video editing?

-I dont want to spend too much money on a graphics card. Will there really be a big difference in performance(video encoding speed and video encoding output quality) between a Quadro 2000 or other high-end cards like Quadro 4000 or 5000?

-Will Premiere Pro work good with only one ssd harddisk(100-200gb) and without a raid controller? If not, do i really need multiple ssd harddisks(+raid controller) for faster video-editing? Which brand ssd harddisk should i buy?

-Which other hardware components should i buy? Will a 600watt powersupply be enough?

-Which shop has a reliable reputation with selling hardware(which are completely new and not used) components, and where can i find the actual lowest price of each component?

-Where/How can i get a warranty(guarantee) for the expensive processors(and the other expensive components), if something goes wrong during installation of the cpu's in the motherboard(or if the cpu's were broken before i even have opened them? Does Intel provide such a warranty(guarantee)?

[glc]

What country are you in?

[jdeb]

It appears Netherlands. 1000-3000 euro's? That is a huge gap... strange

[kultigin]

Yes, i am from Netherland. Do you have recommendations about how i should build this workstation? Which motherboards do support dual X5690 or X5675 processors?

[jdeb]

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Server & Workstation- ASUS Z8NA-D6C

24GB kit (8GBx3), 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 upgrades for ASUS Z8NA-D6 Motherboard, CT1489933 from Crucial.com

Intel® Xeon® Processor X5660 (12M Cache, 2.80 GHz, 6.40 GT/s Intel® QPI)

Intel® Solid-State Drive 320 Series

[glc]

I don't think your budget will allow a pair of X5660's or better - just one X5660 here in the US is over $1200 USD.

Below links are to components at newegg.com, simply for recommendations. They do not ship internationally so you would have to investigate vendors that service your country:

Motherboard: Newegg.com - ASUS Z8NA-D6C (MIO) Dual LGA 1366 Intel 5500 ATX Dual Intel Xeon 5500 and 5600 Series w/ MIO Sound card Server/Workstation Motherboard

CPU: (2) Newegg.com - Intel Xeon E5645 Westmere-EP 2.4GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 80W Six-Core Server Processor BX80614E5645

Memory: ECC is supported but not required, you can save considerably by using standard ram.
(2) Newegg.com - Crucial 12GB (3 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT3KIT51264BA1339

I would use one SSD for your OS/software and standard hard drives for your data. RAID is not necessary, but if you want to use it, the motherboard controller supports it.

Newegg.com - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Power supply is dependent on which graphics card you choose. The best card for the money for Premiere Pro is not a Quadro - it's a GeForce GTX 570. You would need around a 650 watt power supply, Seasonic is highly recommended.

All components are sold with a manufacturer's warranty, which varies in length. Intel retail products are generally 3 years. Different vendors have different initial return policies.

[kultigin]

Thanks for your answers. I have made a list of a new system:

Intel 520 Series 120GB(SSD) $240 x 2 = $480
Newegg.com - Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW120A3K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Crucial 24GB (3 x 8GB) $350
Newegg.com - Crucial 24GB (3 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT3KIT102464BA1339

Intel BXSTS100C fan $40 x 2 = $80
Newegg.com - Intel BXSTS100C Passive/active combination heat sink with removable fan

Intel Xeon X5690 $1660 x 2 = $3320(or 1443 x 2 = $2886)
Newegg.com - Intel Xeon X5690 Westmere-EP 3.46GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 139W Six-Core Server Processor BX80614X5690
Newegg.com - Intel Xeon X5675 Westmere-EP 3.06GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 95W Six-Core Server Processor BX80614X5675

Motherboard between $300-$600(average: $500)

Total: $4730 = €3560

Is the link Newegg.com - Intel Xeon X5690 Westmere-EP 3.46GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 139W Six-Core Server Processor BX80614X5690 really the product Intel Xeon X5690? Ive seen other online stores which offer other variants of the Intel Xeon X5690 where in the title is added this text: ".. processor upgrade ...". These variants are more expensive. So is the link Newegg.com - Intel Xeon X5690 Westmere-EP 3.46GHz 6 x 256KB L2 Cache 12MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 139W Six-Core Server Processor BX80614X5690 describing the correct Intel Xeon X5690 six-core processor?

What kind of motherboard is needed for these hardware components? Will this system work as a workstation with windows 7 - 64 bit OS(with Premiere Pro CS5.5 software)? And will the hardware of this system work as good as a Mac Pro or a HP Z800?

And can you recommend a very reliable(trustworthy) online store that ships internationally with the same prices like Newegg-and-Amazon? I have looked at the Computers - Reviews, Shop and Compare Computers Prices at PriceGrabber website and have found these websites with 5 stars rating:

-Provantage
-Techonweb
-Constcentral.com
-Ant online
-Pc connection express
-MacConnection

Are these online stores reliable(trustworthy) and do they offer a reliable warranty for the expensive processors? Where can i find reliable review websites about online stores who sell the Intel Xeon X5690 internationally?

[glc]

Warranties are from the manufacturer, not the vendor.

You would be best served by finding a vendor in your own country or elsewhere in the EU. This is for shipping, support, customs, and tax reasons.

The motherboard I linked supports X5675 but not X5690.

There is no point in getting a SATA III (6.0) SSD unless the motherboard has a SATA III controller, which that one does not.

[birddog_61]

If you can wait just a little while the new 2011 socket processors and the new asus Z9PE-D8-WS board are both due out by the end of quarter 1 2012. No idea on the pricing, but they should be extremely fast and might even come out cheaper than what your looking at.

[kultigin]

What is the difference between an overclocked Xeon E5645(overclock it from 2.4ghz to 3.06ghz) and a none overclocked X5675(3.06ghz)? Will the overclocked Xeon E5645 be as fast and stable as the X5675?
What is the limit of speed you can overclock an E5645? What happens to the Max Turbo Frequency when you overclock a cpu?
Which heatsink+motherboard combination must be chosen to eliminate the risks of damaging a dual cpu workstation(what other measures should be taken)?
Can you use a workstation with 2 overclocked cpu's 24/7 without causing a damage to the cpu's?

[flanzig1]

With a workstation, the idea is to be stable. With 2 CPUs running with an OC, I would think that would be inviting a CPU problem. The odds would be fairly high to get 2 CPUs to OC the same(one may only tolerate a few tenths of a gig OC while the other may be a wild OCer.

[kultigin]

What do you think about these two tutorials:

building a MONSTER computer / server / workstation 2012 - YouTube

EVGA SR-2 Classified w/ Xeon 5645 Overclocked 3.6 GHz - YouTube