AMD vs Intel with 3D Modelling
by Michael Cronin · in Artist Corner · 03/23/2001 (3:08 pm) · 10 replies
Hey everyone. Realizing that bringing up an AMD vs Intel topic is somewhat akin to playing with fireworks in an ammo dump, I'd like to delicately pose that very question to you all, but within the context of 3D modelling.
I currently have what I'd consider to be an 'aging' system: My Pentium II 400 (with 256MB RAM) and Matrox G200 can't really keep up with a lot of the things I ask it to do nowadays. Specifically, I'm finding myself doing a lot more work in 3D Studio Max 3 than I ever have in the past (in addition to playing a healthy about of games and doing web development).
I'm convinced (for the most part) that an AMD-based system would be right (FOR ME, not making generalizations), and that I shouldn't run into Earth shattering processor-induced instabilities -- FOR GAMES. But I don't want to find myself 13 hours into a 20 hour render with 3D Studio, and have it crash because I chose AMD over Intel.
Can any of you speak to this issue? I also realize that most people are very polarized on this topic, and that its difficult to find people who are not tremendously biased one way or another. However, speaking to this sort of issue specifically, can anyone offer some good advice?
Thanks for the time...
Mike
I currently have what I'd consider to be an 'aging' system: My Pentium II 400 (with 256MB RAM) and Matrox G200 can't really keep up with a lot of the things I ask it to do nowadays. Specifically, I'm finding myself doing a lot more work in 3D Studio Max 3 than I ever have in the past (in addition to playing a healthy about of games and doing web development).
I'm convinced (for the most part) that an AMD-based system would be right (FOR ME, not making generalizations), and that I shouldn't run into Earth shattering processor-induced instabilities -- FOR GAMES. But I don't want to find myself 13 hours into a 20 hour render with 3D Studio, and have it crash because I chose AMD over Intel.
Can any of you speak to this issue? I also realize that most people are very polarized on this topic, and that its difficult to find people who are not tremendously biased one way or another. However, speaking to this sort of issue specifically, can anyone offer some good advice?
Thanks for the time...
Mike
#2
Seriously, combined with an Abit KT7A-RAID mobo, you've got yourself one cheap powerhouse, no RDRAM needed.
E
03/24/2001 (4:36 am)
AMD had occasional glitches with their early K6 line but come on, that was years ago. They nailed it on the head with the Athlon and Duron CPU's. They're cheaper, they're faster and gosh darn it, people like them. =:)Seriously, combined with an Abit KT7A-RAID mobo, you've got yourself one cheap powerhouse, no RDRAM needed.
E
#3
http://www.highend3d.com/tests/maya/testcenter/
The tests are specifily about rendering a special scene in maya however it shows pretty much how you can expect you system to behave in max also.
To sum it up then it seems that if you do have the money then the best thing for rendering is the p3...dual settup is best ofcours. The very best thing seems to be to buy a finished workstation rather then building it yourself.
...ofcours the athlon still gives better price/preformance ratio so a normal mortal is probably better of with it. I use athlon myself for my render work and it works ok so far.
03/24/2001 (7:45 am)
This has been discussed freqvently on the highend3d.com forums up to the point they started up a benchmarking site.http://www.highend3d.com/tests/maya/testcenter/
The tests are specifily about rendering a special scene in maya however it shows pretty much how you can expect you system to behave in max also.
To sum it up then it seems that if you do have the money then the best thing for rendering is the p3...dual settup is best ofcours. The very best thing seems to be to buy a finished workstation rather then building it yourself.
...ofcours the athlon still gives better price/preformance ratio so a normal mortal is probably better of with it. I use athlon myself for my render work and it works ok so far.
#4
I'd like to know this too.
I have enough problems with my P3 as it is!
I am impartial, I really don't care which is better, I just want the better one.
I looked at the results, it seems AMD beats P3 slightly.
I wish I had a multi-CPU computer.
1266 MHZ athlon vs. 1.5GHZ P4, Athlon won, and it was running NT4.0 compared to WIN2K.
How much would you say a computer with two AMD athlon 1 GHZ processors costs?
I'd like to get a price range.
I hate my 600MHZ.
It is really bad for 3D rendering(just because it is slow for it compared to those, nothing wrong with Intel), which I should be doing more of with my company soon...
Since AMD is cheaper I think I will go with that, unless there is a good reason not to.
Pentium4 processors are supposed to have acceleration in many areas, I bet they are more for processing of graphics visually than rendering though. I wonder if AMD has anything like that....
04/25/2001 (1:15 am)
The next computer I buy will probably be AMD.I'd like to know this too.
I have enough problems with my P3 as it is!
I am impartial, I really don't care which is better, I just want the better one.
I looked at the results, it seems AMD beats P3 slightly.
I wish I had a multi-CPU computer.
1266 MHZ athlon vs. 1.5GHZ P4, Athlon won, and it was running NT4.0 compared to WIN2K.
How much would you say a computer with two AMD athlon 1 GHZ processors costs?
I'd like to get a price range.
I hate my 600MHZ.
It is really bad for 3D rendering(just because it is slow for it compared to those, nothing wrong with Intel), which I should be doing more of with my company soon...
Since AMD is cheaper I think I will go with that, unless there is a good reason not to.
Pentium4 processors are supposed to have acceleration in many areas, I bet they are more for processing of graphics visually than rendering though. I wonder if AMD has anything like that....
#5
atm u cant buy a dual athlon system
1. there is no chipset
2. there is no cpu
AMD will release its AMD 760 MP soon its build for Multi processors (MP)and amd will release the Palamino with MP capability and it hits the market for desktop cpus at 3 quarter of 2001
so you will need some time
3. the palamino will start with 1,5 gig
05/29/2001 (11:55 am)
Wellatm u cant buy a dual athlon system
1. there is no chipset
2. there is no cpu
AMD will release its AMD 760 MP soon its build for Multi processors (MP)and amd will release the Palamino with MP capability and it hits the market for desktop cpus at 3 quarter of 2001
so you will need some time
3. the palamino will start with 1,5 gig
#6
I own a 700mhz AMD I built... and love it!
06/11/2001 (11:20 pm)
Didn't I read somewhere that 3dsmax supports certain Intel commands that AMD doesnt have? Or am I hallucinating again?I own a 700mhz AMD I built... and love it!
#8
06/22/2001 (10:06 am)
yes, from what ive heard, discreet optimizes for intel technology and multithread processing, so as far as 3dsmax goes, intel has a 'dual' edge (sorry, couldnt resist), as amd doesnt have its multiprocessors out yet. and im not pro intel either, im actually pro amd, but truth is truth, eh?
#9
when renders are concered then you want the fastest you can get. I would suggest a duel athalon 1.2 if your after the beefy stuff :)
06/22/2001 (5:21 pm)
Really for games modelling you dont need a very fast machine, you can do low poly modelling on a pentium1.when renders are concered then you want the fastest you can get. I would suggest a duel athalon 1.2 if your after the beefy stuff :)
#10
For generic low poly modeling its really irrelivent which CPU that you have. They can all handle this type of work with little effort. In other graphical applications the CPUs are pretty much the same (except for the Dual CPUs which blow the other two systems away when I do very large computationaly intensive things to the images, but as a graphics person on a game you will probably not run into this).
Rendering is where the big difference comes into play. Obviously the single CPU P3 system is the slowest, the AMD system is roughly 2x faster than the single P3, and the dual P3s are roughly 1.5x faster than the AMD.
Obviously as other people have stated you will probably never see a difference between the CPU type you have (Intel P2/P3 compared to the AMD K7) so stop worrying.
Logan
06/28/2001 (5:26 pm)
I own two Pentium 3 systems (one with and one without dual cpus) and an AMD system and this is what I have found.For generic low poly modeling its really irrelivent which CPU that you have. They can all handle this type of work with little effort. In other graphical applications the CPUs are pretty much the same (except for the Dual CPUs which blow the other two systems away when I do very large computationaly intensive things to the images, but as a graphics person on a game you will probably not run into this).
Rendering is where the big difference comes into play. Obviously the single CPU P3 system is the slowest, the AMD system is roughly 2x faster than the single P3, and the dual P3s are roughly 1.5x faster than the AMD.
Obviously as other people have stated you will probably never see a difference between the CPU type you have (Intel P2/P3 compared to the AMD K7) so stop worrying.
Logan
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