I'm putting together a Cerberus w/ dual GPU for 3D modeling/rendering. Looking for input!

FoskcoRS5

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Jan 31, 2017
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As I said, without modding the board he can’t use the config shown on the render.
Kwirek is totally right. Can't even slot in a card in that 1x slot. Going to have to move that second card up on slot, like this.



Please excuse the mess. This picture was taken as more of a proof of concept. I run the chassis with a single card that runs a little toasty instead.
 
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cjsff

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May 3, 2018
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Regarding the spacing of GPU's on the motherboard, it depends on the layout of the pci-express slots. In your example above you've put one gpu in the top x16 slot*, skipped the x8 slot and put it into the x1 slot at the bottom.
The 1080 shouldn't have any noticeable throttling in games down to a x4 slot, in modelling and rendering I don't have a clue. I expect the x1 slot would be a hindrance though for the second card.
EDIT: Not that you could really put it there without modifying the slot since MSI doesn't use open-ended slots to allow larger cards to fit than with an x1 connector. If you look at the ASrock board below you can see what they look like..

Thanks for explaining that

I think he plans to use MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC, which has two PCIEx16 slots (1st and 3rd ones) and they run at x8/x8.
Do not think he will use the 4th x1 slot.
His virtual build rendering diagram is just not showing the correct PCIe slot layout.

Correct, wasn't sure how to draw that up but I have a better idea now

Kwirek is totally right. Can't even slot in a card in that 1x slot. Going to have to move that second card up on slot, like this.

Please excuse the mess. This picture was taken as more of a proof of concept. I run the chassis with a single card that runs a little toasty instead.

Just poked through your Cerberus build thread - looks great! You have a pretty robust water cooling setup, would you recommend something bigger than a single 120mm radiator for my build?
 

FoskcoRS5

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Jan 31, 2017
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Thanks for explaining that



Correct, wasn't sure how to draw that up but I have a better idea now



Just poked through your Cerberus build thread - looks great! You have a pretty robust water cooling setup, would you recommend something bigger than a single 120mm radiator for my build?

I would suggest a 240mm radiator especially if your plan is to future proof. I have a 4770K OCed to 4.6GHZ and with the 240mm radiator it never goes over 69c. So with an 8700k, whether you OC or not, your CPU should stay nice and cool.

I'm currently running a single GTX 1070 for gaming at 1440p at 165Hz and the GPU doesn't thermal throttle, but since its airflow is restricted by the radiator / dust filter its runs pretty toasty.

I would consider is putting a fan on the bottom for intake.

*Edit* CPU-Z Results: 8700k with 240mm rad and custom fan curve for low noise and rad push / pull for exhaust. Multi core enhancement enabled with ASUS Z370F. Chassis is Corsair C70 with 3 120mm intake fans.
 
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cjsff

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May 3, 2018
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I would suggest a 240mm radiator especially if your plan is to future proof. I have a 4770K OCed to 4.6GHZ and with the 240mm radiator it never goes over 69c. So with an 8700k, whether you OC or not, your CPU should stay nice and cool.

I'm currently running a single GTX 1070 for gaming at 1440p at 165Hz and the GPU doesn't thermal throttle, but since its airflow is restricted by the radiator / dust filter its runs pretty toasty.

I would consider is putting a fan on the bottom for intake.

*Edit* CPU-Z Results: 8700k with 240mm rad and custom fan curve for low noise and rad push / pull for exhaust. Multi core enhancement enabled with ASUS Z370F. Chassis is Corsair C70 with 3 120mm intake fans.

Thanks for the feedback. What do you think about the Noctua NH-C14S?
 

cjsff

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I don't have any personal experience with the C14S but I checked out a couple reviews with the 8700k and the Noctua NH-C14S and it looks like it can handle the job.

For that added comfort there is a copper IHS for the 8700k as well.

Awesome, hadn't seen that before thanks. Delidding freaks me out a bit though.

@cjsff ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

Nvidia online store has founder edition cards for sale right now! You can get two for ~1100, hop on this quick!

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/products/10series/geforce-store/

I'd actually go for the 1070tis, since you are only missing on a few less cuda cores at $100 less.

I saw that and picked up 2x 1080 FE's!! Thanks for keeping an eye out. Seems like they're getting rid of old cards to make way for the new one later this year.

Yeah I had tunnel vision with the 1080's and didn't even realize the 1070tis would have worked fine at $200 less in total... whoops. Maybe it's not to late to cancel and reorder?
 
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gunpalcyril

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Awesome, hadn't seen that before thanks. Delidding freaks me out a bit though.



I saw that and picked up 2x 1080 FE's!! Thanks for keeping an eye out. Seems like they're getting rid of old cards to make way for the new one later this year.

Yeah I had tunnel vision with the 1080's and didn't even realize the 1070tis would have worked fine at $200 less in total... whoops. Maybe it's not to late to cancel and reorder?

Great, glad I could help out. I would get the 1070ti's actually, more bang for your buck. 4900 cuda cores is insane for rendering already, i'm sure you won't miss the extra 200 cuda cores from a 1080, for $200 dollars less. That pays for your Cerberus case already haha.
 
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cjsff

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Great, glad I could help out. I would get the 1070ti's actually, more bang for your buck. 4900 cuda cores is insane for rendering already, i'm sure you won't miss the extra 200 cuda cores from a 1080, for $200 dollars less. That pays for your Cerberus case already haha.

Just cancelled and redordered with 1070ti's! That worked out great, good catch.
 

gunpalcyril

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Just cancelled and redordered with 1070ti's! That worked out great, good catch.

Awesome. Looking forward to seeing your build.

I'm just starting to get really serious into 3D art and concept art, got any tips for someone trying to land that first 3d modeling job? I don't see any postings online for specific entry level 3d modeling positions, mostly senior art and management positions.
 

cjsff

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Awesome. Looking forward to seeing your build.

I'm just starting to get really serious into 3D art and concept art, got any tips for someone trying to land that first 3d modeling job? I don't see any postings online for specific entry level 3d modeling positions, mostly senior art and management positions.

Nice! Some of it depends on what field you're trying to break into, whether it's VFX, games, print, commercial, etc.

Regardless, getting a site up with your portfolio & reel is step #1 if you haven't done that already. You could also put together an Instagram and try to build up a following that way. Things get posted, re-posted, and some good exposure can come out of it. Just upload something small/experimental every other day or so.

In terms of freelancing, in order to get some experience I would advise collaborating with a friend or someone you know on a small project to get some "gigs" under your belt. Outside of that, the first couple of gigs you get in the real world aren't going to pay very well, and probably won't be too creatively enriching for you. But work is work, and experience helps fill out the CV to move you closer to a full-time job (or better freelancing/personal projects)

As for full-time, i'd kick the hustle into high gear. Put together a list of every company you'd want to work for, from small/indie studios to AAA stuff (like a prospective college list) and just cold email them to get a conversation going. Not even like "can I have a job", but "i'm interested in learning about your 3D pipeline" and "I'm available to help out with small stuff". Unless you already have experience and have been in it a while, landing a full-time job is pretty unlikely. However, getting involved in small ways with a company can build a relationship, and if you follow-through it can lead to employment opportunities down the line.

Ironically I'm just coming out of working full-time and getting mega burnt out from it. 3D artists tend to get treated as cogs, so make sure you end up in positions that respect you and the work you're doing. It's a highly crowded/competitive field, with not much reward. Be prepared to work very long hours. BUT 3D is an art of making dreams and visions magically real, and I'm a firm believer that anyone with a strong vision & drive can rise up to the big league. Hell, look at Neill Blomkamp - as a 3D art student he just kept pumping out his concepts and designs until people noticed, and eventually gave him feature length movie deals. That could be you! Just don't get burned out ;)
 

gunpalcyril

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@cjsff Thanks for the advice man, I know I don't want to do anything else, I just want create like Syd Mead and Vitaly Bulgarov. I'm only 8 months into taking digital art seriously, I'm fairly good in zbrush, blender3d, fusion 360, and substance painter, but my biggest obstacle is 2 things: trying to stop being a perfectionist in terms of casual projects, and increasing my speed and efficiency.

I'm located in silicon valley of California, so I'll definitely take your advice and research and reach out to local studios. I just wish there was some sort of directory or a forum of studios in California lol, but I know things are not that easy, even if I'm looking for an entry position.
 
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cjsff

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@gunpalcyril sounds like you have a passion for it, which probably the most important part. Do you have a site or anywhere I can check out your work?
 

cjsff

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@gunpalcyril oh and speaking for myself casual projects is where I most want to be a perfectionist - it's there that I have the time and flexibility to develop my ideas and get nitty gritty. Client work is where you need to be locked down, hitting deliverables and deadlines. It's a balance.

Speed and efficiency comes with time. Just make sure you're utilizing your software's workflow optimally. And shortcuts, shortcuts, shortcuts. It might be worth getting into procedural modeling/development workflows as well. Houdini is changing the game, and will continue to.

Beyond that, it's only a matter of time before AI and deeplearning render engines take over and everything we knew about 3D modeling/rendering will go right out the window and cease to matter. But that's a different story.
 

Phuncz

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I don't have any personal experience with the C14S but I checked out a couple reviews with the 8700k and the Noctua NH-C14S and it looks like it can handle the job.

For that added comfort there is a copper IHS for the 8700k as well.
To add to this: the aftermarket copper IHS on Intel (it's much less of a difference on AMD Ryzen) is going to to only improve temps in the single digits over the stock one, since the original IHS is also copper, nickel-plated. With Intel non-soldered CPUs it's mainly removing the silicone glue and reapplying the thermal interface material that are going to leverage the the most in the heat transfering ability.

Or: https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3238-custom-copper-ihs-tested-on-intel-i7-8700k-cpu-rockit-cool
 
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cjsff

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@cjsff Oh man, I'm not great in anyway, so if you have any harsh critique, feel free to let me have it haha. Remember this is just 8 months of just studying blender, zbrush, substance, and fusion 360 XD, so I have a lot more to practice.

https://www.artstation.com/cyrilpaoloz

Looks great! You've developed a lot of skill in just 8 months, and you have a good eye which helps.

One thing to keep in mind is topology, and getting the edges to flow with the shape of the model in a way that optimizes polys and UV mapping. Like your Walker Robot (really cool design), the wireframe shows a lot of unnecessary subdivision. Retopologizing after sculpting is an important step in creating a usable model. Granted low polycounts aren't as important as they used to be, it's still good practice.

Aside from that really nice work man, you're a lot better than I was at 8 months that's for sure lol.
 

gunpalcyril

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Looks great! You've developed a lot of skill in just 8 months, and you have a good eye which helps.

One thing to keep in mind is topology, and getting the edges to flow with the shape of the model in a way that optimizes polys and UV mapping. Like your Walker Robot (really cool design), the wireframe shows a lot of unnecessary subdivision. Retopologizing after sculpting is an important step in creating a usable model. Granted low polycounts aren't as important as they used to be, it's still good practice.

Aside from that really nice work man, you're a lot better than I was at 8 months that's for sure lol.

Thanks! Really appreciate the feedback, its nice to know I'm actually heading in the right direction, but I still gotta land that first job lol, its finding the entry level 3D job that I need to learn where they are, if there are any.

Ohh man, I know how to retopo, its just such a drag haha. I used the walker robot to practice hard surface modeling in zbrush (bad idea), I got the hang of things with it, but I plan on hard surface modeling the head with proper optimized in blender.

Sorry for thread jacking btw, when I saw your build it was literally what I want as my own personal build in the future for digital art, and I was itching to ask about career advice :cool:
 
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