Filling the PC Desktop - Workstation Void.

[Nick Royer]

Hey guys - I've been away for a while not as business has been very busy for the last few years. I wanted to fill you all in on a project I've been working on for a while. Last year I realized I needed to upgrade computers to keep up with my demand, so I started looking at options on the market. I discovered that there was a void in the 2,500 to 4,000 range between consumer desktops and high-end workstations, so I partnered with my longtime friend and computer-engineer Stephen Hayes to build a workstation to fill that gap. Once we finished my personal editing computer, we realized we had a truly unique product, and decided to produce it commercially as an alternative to the offerings from the major manufacturers. We will be launching in a week or two, but I wanted to give forum members a heads-up and give you all a chance to comment on it.

Here are the specs:
- Intel Ivy Bridge 3.4 or 3.5Ghz Quad-Core i7
- 16GB or 32GB of 1600Mhz RAM
- 3TB HDD, Optional 128GB or 256GB SSD in Addition
- GeForce GTX 570 Classified or 580 Classified
- USB 3.0 ports, Optional Firewire Card, and ability to add Thunderbolt
- Memory Card Reader Option and 2.5" SSD Hot-Swap Bay Option

What This Means:
Even our base model fully supports hardware acceleration in CS6, and has enough RAM to handle After Effects and enough storage space to hold lots of footage.


Please feel free to share your opinions - we'd love to hear your feedback. Thanks!

[Bart Walczak]

That's almost the setup that I now have at work. You should also add an option for an internal RAID.

[Victor Nguyen]

and the cost?

[Nick Royer]

Will be priced between $2500-4000 depending on options. Cheaper than a (usable) server-grade workstation, yet a good step above consumer-based offerings. We call it a 'prosumer' workstation.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Instead of a quad-core Ivy, why not an 8-core sandy bridge CPU? CS6 makes use of all cores.

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Sareesh Sudhakaran

Instead of a quad-core Ivy, why not an 8-core sandy bridge CPU? CS6 makes use of all cores.

The problem with that is that the least expensive 8-core Intel CPU costs much more money than two quad-core Ivys. And those least expensive 8-core Sandys (priced at around $1,100 apiece) run at a not-so-desirable slow clock speed of only 2.1GHz. The 8-core Intel CPUs that run at anywhere near the same clock speed as a 6-core i7-3930K all cost well over $1,500 apiece, with the most "desirable" ones costing almost $2,000 apiece - that's more than the cost of six quad-core Ivys. Plus, the 8-core Sandys require workstation or server motherboards that cost hundreds of dollars more than many high-end enthusiast motherboards. This will force the OP to raise the total price of an 8-core system to more than $6,000 to $8,000 per system - an amount that few people want to even spend anywhere close to on any single system even if they could afford it.

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Good point, Randall. Thanks for sharing.

[Eric Lagerlof]

I've seen the VideoGuys DIY recommending the x79 Mobo's in response to some integration concerns with early Sandy Bridges. I'm looking at the IvyBridge too, along with the 3820 Sandy Bridge. The performance boost looks worth it for the bucks but I'm curious if there will be any 'early adopter' issues with the new chip.
Any thoughts?

[Nick Royer]

Originally Posted by Randall Leong

This will force the OP to raise the total price of an 8-core system to more than $6,000 to $8,000 per system - an amount that few people want to even spend anywhere close to on any single system even if they could afford it.

Exactly. We've found in our testing that the i7 chips provide the best bang for the buck, and provide a much better value per dollar than the Xeon offerings. In our benchmarks, we've found that our prototypes (about $3900 retail) are consistently outperforming workstation offerings from HP and Dell, ect that are easily twice the price. We're getting these results because of a system that is built specifically for video instead of as a general purpose workstation, so each component is ideal for its task.

[Phil Whickham]

Has anyone every heard of SolidBox? I just bought a setup complete with 2 badass monitors from them for $3400. I plugged it in, and it was ready to roll. Here's the link:

Indie – Desktop Bundle | SolidBox – Team Adobe

I did the same research about building my own comp, and I think it came out to be $200 difference or something like that, so I went with the place that set it up and offered killer support. I tried to talk them down in price with some industry-discount BS but it didn't work, but it's always worth a try! Just thought I'd offer my 2 cents about a good experience when so many times, it's mediocre at best.

[Jeff Pulera]

The system specs out at Dell for about $2700, unless you got the super-high-end displays.

Jeff