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  4. Building a headless slave PC for VE3

  • Building a headless slave PC for VE3

    S
    S

    After reading numerous posts about the ultimate PC to run VE3 I have several questions before making the decision.

    I am planing to build a headless slave PC to run VE3 with FXT exclusivly.

    I'm not looking for the most recent top of the line components but just need to get what will be sufficient to run VE3. 

    I have a VI Cube, Appassionata and a Double Bass libraries and would like to be able to load a large orchestral template.

    So, hopefully 4 instances of VE3 fully loaded.

    1. RAM

    will 8 gb be enough to load that many samples or should I go with 16?

    How important is the speed of the RAM? SHould I go with 800, 1066 or 1333?

    Does it have to be a hi performance ram or a generic ram from a reputable brand will be fine?

    Has anyone tried "Super Talent" brand? It's fairly affordable comparing to other brands. 

    2. Vista 64 bit or XP 64 bit?

    Does it matter for VE3?

    Vista is a lot more expansive then XP, which makes sence.

    Are there any advantages of getting Vista for this machinne? 

    From what I read here the quad system is overkill for VE3. Is this info still current?

    Will Dual Core 2 Duo 8300 be good enough to this setup?

    What would be a good motherboard as of today?

    Is Asus P5B still a good choice?

    4. HD

    Besides the system drive I am planing to have 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750gb (perpendicular recording) drives holding VSL libraries.

    Will spreading the libraries between 3 such drives instead of 2 give any improvement in performance? 

    Another option is to have several Seagate Freeagent Pro external ESATA drives holding VSL.

    These drives are extremely quiet and I thought having less drives inside the pc will result in a quieter PC overall. 

    5. Low power/noise issue.

    This PC will be in close proximity from me thus it's low noise level is very important. 

    Besides getting quieter fans is it posible to choose the components keeping in mind the noise level?

    Does low power consumption meet lower noise? 

    6. KVM

    I have seen here someone using a software KVM through LAN but can't find the post.

    What is the best solition to work two PCs without a hardware KVM? 

    I appreciate your advises.

    Thank you. 

    sasha 
  • S
    S

     Are there any disadvantages of XP 64 bit vs Vusta 64 bit?

    Anybody knows?

    Thank you.

    sasha 
  • D
    D

    Lots of questions, most answers will only be opinion, so here is what I would do:

    Motherboard DP35DP

    Processor Q6600

    8GB RAM speed is not that important, so go for a cheap, middle option

    PSU can often be the noisiest component. Do a little research and be prepared to spend another £20, if necessary.

    XP64 (if you can still get it).

    Cat 5e cross-over cable, or Cat 5e cable connected to a managed switch, if you want to add more PCs to the network at some stage.

    Use Remote Desktop to connect your two computers.

    The above will cost around £400-£450. If you run out of RAM, build another PC and add it to your network.

    As soon as you start talking about more than 8GB RAM in one machine, the cost rockets.

    DG
  • D
    D

    One more thing. VE3 doesn't need FXT. Were you planning to run both on the same PC because of using non VSL samples as well as VSL? I haven't tried it, but there is no guarantee that they will work well side by side. I would check with support before you set your hearty on this route.

    DG
  • S
    S

    Thanks for the info, DG. 

    Do you think 8gb will alow me to have a full orrchestral template with basic articulations?



    Yes, I was hoping to maybe install GS3 as I have some cool libraries in that format.
    sasha
  • D
    D
    last edited
    last edited

    @sasha said:

    Thanks for the info, DG. 

    Do you think 8gb will alow me to have a full orrchestral template with basic articulations?



    Yes, I was hoping to maybe install GS3 as I have some cool libraries in that format.
    sasha

    My working template is currently 7.5GB. It is enough for most things, but I do occasionally run out of space and have to be a bit creative.

    I found GS3 and Vienna Instruments on the same machine to be a disaster. In any case, the amount of memory you could use with GS3 is severely limited. Are you intending to upgrade to GS4 or even use GVI?

    DG
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC

    the DP35DP and a QX6600 will give you a good midrange system, 4 proc allow some headroom, i'd use memory matching the FSB (1066)

     

    8 GB will take you reasonable far, though desire always comes with options ;-) to add a second slave in case really needed might be a good advice - just to add to the switch: it doesn't need to be managed (unmanaged but capable of layer2 switching is enough)

     

    important note regarding XP vs. VISTA ... with VISTA the TCP/IP network stack has changed, so the decision IMO depends only what your master computer will run. VISTA-to-VISTA and XP-to-XP gives better performance on the network than VISTA-to-XP or XP-to-VISTA

     

    also if deciding to XP make sure in advance all devices (including the onboard ones) have drivers for XP64 ... this can become an issue since XP is on its end of life ... basically XP is less hungry on ressources

    christian

    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • D
    D

    The main device to worry about drivers for is the video card. However, it may be possible to run it from the generic Windows driver, if there are no 64bit drivers for your proposed card, as you aren't actually having a monitor on this PC. However, it would be safer to check before you choose your card. I'm not sure what other drivers could cause problems for a VE3 slave. Christian, any thoughts?

    DG
  • S
    S

    GVI is a good idea. I wonder if it will work well along side with VE3.

    My main PC is VISTA, so I"ll stay with VISTA on the slave.

    DG, I thought the video card isue is irrelevant in the case where I'm accessing the PC through the Remote Desktop. Should I still be concerned about the video card?

    I will probably go the 16gb rout, trying to avoid getting the third PC.

    Any recommendations for the 16gb motherboards?

    I have seen JETWAY motherboard for as low as $39 on newegg.com

     Will two 750gb SATA Seagate Barracudas (no RAID) with perpendicular recording be sufficient enough to stream VSL?

    Thank you again.

    sasha 
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC

    a board holding 16 GB RAM for $39.-??? either impossible or absolute crap ...

     

    stay with intel, tyan, asus, supermicro, maybe gigabyte ... i think you won't find a socket 775 board for 16 GB, so you should look for a board with chipset family 5400 or at least 5000X

     

    it wouldn't do any harm if the grafic card has compatible drivers (some ATI 1950 or better?)

    2 seagate (or samsung) 750 for sample data would be sufficient ...

    hth, christian

    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • M
    M

    Sasha, I've been using GVI 3 with VE for a while and they seem to work really well together. Put it this, they aren't getting in each other's way. I just upgraded recently to VE3 and have been using that with GVI for a few weeks. GVI has been stellar. VE3 has been stellar. The only problem I'm having now is with Altiverb/Sonar.... there's just something not playing right twixt those two.....

    Mahlon
  • S
    S
    last edited
    last edited

    Thank you for your advises.

    I apologise for so many questions but I am almost ready to make a purchase and want to make sure I don't make a mistake.

    I came up with two options. 16 and 32 gb. Could you please let me know if all looks right, before I make a purchase?

    If my understanding is correct the 32gb option will be only about $75 more then the 16gb. (not counting the ram).

    I may get 16gb for now and later on, when the ram gets cheaper (probably tomorrow after lunch) I can upgrade to 32gb.

    Does it matter whether the ram is Quad Rank or Dual Rank?

    Will XEON 5110 CPU be sufficient to run VE3 slave? If not, what would be the optimal CPU for these boards?

    Probably a stupid question: Do I need to have two dual Xeons installed on the motherboard or the second socket could be empty?

    Option 1 (16gb)

    MOTHERBOARD: INTEL S5000VSA $350 http://www.intel.com/design/servers/boards/S5000VSA/index.htm

    CPU: Intel Xeon Woodcrest 5110 1.60GHz 4M 1066MHz LGA 771- QXRN CPU $150 http://www.stalliontek.com/product_p/hh80556kh0254m.htm

    RAM : A-DATA 4GB (2x2gb) 240-Pin DDR2 FB-DIMM ECC Fully Buffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $150 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211199&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3watch&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3watch-_-Memory+(Server+Memory)-_-A-DATA-_-20211199

    Option 2 (32gb)

    MOTHERBOARD: INTEL S5000PSL $435 http://www.intel.com/design/servers/boards/S5000PSL/index.htm

    (SAME) CPU: Intel Xeon Woodcrest 5110 1.60GHz 4M 1066MHz LGA 771- QXRN CPU $150 http://www.stalliontek.com/product_p/hh80556kh0254m.htm

    RAM: Micron Technology 4GB Fully Buffered 4GB (1 Stick of 4GB). 240-Pin DDR2 Fully Buffered ECC DDR2 667MHZ CL5 $160 http://www.upgrade-solution.com/detail.cfm?show=yes&PID=699&add=yes

    Please let me know if I'm smoking crack.

    sasha

  • S
    S

    Please, excuse my persistence. Just want to make sure I don't by the wrong components.

    Does this list make sence?

    Thanks for your time.

    sasha

  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC

    i would choose the INTEL  S5000PSL ... note: both boards don't have a PCIe-x16 slot (PEG slot) in cas you want to add a grafic card later ...

    the second processor socket can remain empty but needs to be terminated - such a part should come with the board.

    note: adding a second processor later needs exactly the same type, and: the 5110 is a little bit outdated ... no?

     

    also the 4GB sticks sound a little bit cheap to me ... quad or dual rank depends on what the chipset can access (number of rank per memory stick x number of memory sticks can exceed what the chipset can handle) - check compatibilty list of the motherboard (certified memory)

     

    32 GB RAM and 1 5110 appears to be a little bit unbalanced ...

    christian

    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • S
    S

    Christian. Thanks for the info.

    I'll go with the S5000PSL motherboard.

    I thought any 5100 CPU would do, but I guess I was wrong.

    So what CPU would be sufficient enough to support 3 instances of VE3 and 30gb of loaded samples?

    I'll cal Intel to make sure I get the compatible ram type for that particular board.

    Thank you, again.

    sasha 
  • M
    M

    These are the components I recommend for building a reliable slave PC for VE3 with 16GB RAM on XP64:

    CPU:        Intel Xeon 5140           

    Board:      S5000PSLSATAR

    Ram:        Kingston KVR667D2D4F5/2GI x8

    Hard Drives:    Seagate Barracuda 1x320GB

                         Seagate Barracuda 2x500GB

    DVD Drive:    LG Electronics DVD-ROM

    Case & PSU:    Intel SC5299DP

    Good luck with your build! 
  • M
    M

    Did you mean the 5410?

    Mahlon
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC

    5140 = dual core, 5410 = quad core, both 2,33 GHz, LGA 771, FSB 1333 (IIRC)

    christian

    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • S
    S

    Mon-art, thanks for your input.

    How loud is your machine in Intel SC5299DP case?

    I'm considering passive heatsinks, something like this: http://www.asimobile.com/nl_1U_2Uactive_heatsink.jpg

    I believe Herb tested two 5150s and 1560 without noticeable difference for his super PC.

    I wonder if two Xeons 5140s will be sufficient enough to support 30gb of loaded samples?

    Thank you again for all your tips.

    sasha 
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC

    there are 2 configurations, 2 x 5150 (2.6 GHz, FSB 1333) and 2 x 5160 (3.0 GHz, FSB 1333) - indeed the difference is almost not noticable., so i'd be more than confident 2 x 5140 (2.33 GHz, FSB 1333) would be sufficient.

    christian

    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.