Would my company benefit from upgrading our workstation?

emilyconn · June 12, 2023, 11:25

My company currently runs our CFD workloads on this workstation: Intel Xeon e5-2687W v3 @ 3.10 GHz, 64 GB ram.

I was wondering whether we would see a significant speedup if we upgraded to a more modern workstation. If so how big of a speedup could we expect? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

Here is how we use CFD:

1. Which software do you intend to use?

Autodesk CFD

2. Are you limited by license constraints?
I.e. does your software license only allow you to run on N threads?

No license constraints

3. What type of simulations do you want to run? And what's the maximum cell count?

Layouts for HVAC equipment (on rooftops), designs of HVAC equipment (such as AHUs), designs of heat exchanger surfaces (such as fin-coil heat exchangers). 500k to 2M cell count typical for most simulations, occasionally up to 40M.

4. If there is a budget, how high is it?

Unsure at this point - $10k for sure, maybe up to $20k.

5. What kind of setting are you in? Hobbyist? Student? Academic research? Engineer?

Engineer

6. Where can you source your new computer? Buying a complete package from a large OEM? Assemble it yourself from parts? Are used parts an option?

Complete package preferred, but any of the above is okay.

7.Which part of the world are you from? It's cool if you don't want to tell, but since prices and availability vary depending on the region, this can sometimes be relevant. Particularly if it's not North America or Europe.

America

trampoCFD · July 4, 2023, 22:44

Hi
Autodesk is not used much for R&D-level CFD, which is the reason why you got no answer. What level of accuracy do you need in the answer to your question?

emilyconn · July 5, 2023, 11:28

Hi, I'm not quite sure I understand your question. Accuracy about what? If you mean accuracy about how much of a speed increase we could expect, we don't need a very precise answer. We just want to know if we would be able to notice a speed increase? Like would a more modern system be 10% faster, 50% faster, etc.?

Thank you for your help.

wkernkamp · July 5, 2023, 12:23

You could replace your CPU with an E5-2697A v4 and your memory with DDR4-2400. Your need at least four sticks per CPU (to use all four channels). You will speed up by a factor of 2400/2133 based on the higher memory bandwidth. The MHz and number of cores will also be higher. Cost is just a few hundred dollars.

trampoCFD · July 5, 2023, 17:03

Do you have access to auto desk cloud? If yes, on how many cores max can you run your simulations?

June 12, 2023, 11:25	Would my company benefit from upgrading our workstation?	#1
emilyconn New Member Join Date: Jun 2023 Posts: 4 Rep Power: 2	My company currently runs our CFD workloads on this workstation: Intel Xeon e5-2687W v3 @ 3.10 GHz, 64 GB ram. I was wondering whether we would see a significant speedup if we upgraded to a more modern workstation. If so how big of a speedup could we expect? Thank you in advance for any help you can provide! Here is how we use CFD: 1. Which software do you intend to use? Autodesk CFD 2. Are you limited by license constraints? I.e. does your software license only allow you to run on N threads? No license constraints 3. What type of simulations do you want to run? And what's the maximum cell count? Layouts for HVAC equipment (on rooftops), designs of HVAC equipment (such as AHUs), designs of heat exchanger surfaces (such as fin-coil heat exchangers). 500k to 2M cell count typical for most simulations, occasionally up to 40M. 4. If there is a budget, how high is it? Unsure at this point - $10k for sure, maybe up to $20k. 5. What kind of setting are you in? Hobbyist? Student? Academic research? Engineer? Engineer 6. Where can you source your new computer? Buying a complete package from a large OEM? Assemble it yourself from parts? Are used parts an option? Complete package preferred, but any of the above is okay. 7.Which part of the world are you from? It's cool if you don't want to tell, but since prices and availability vary depending on the region, this can sometimes be relevant. Particularly if it's not North America or Europe. America

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July 4, 2023, 22:44		#2
trampoCFD Member Guillaume Jolly Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 63 Rep Power: 10	Hi Autodesk is not used much for R&D-level CFD, which is the reason why you got no answer. What level of accuracy do you need in the answer to your question?

July 5, 2023, 11:28		#3
emilyconn New Member Join Date: Jun 2023 Posts: 4 Rep Power: 2	Hi, I'm not quite sure I understand your question. Accuracy about what? If you mean accuracy about how much of a speed increase we could expect, we don't need a very precise answer. We just want to know if we would be able to notice a speed increase? Like would a more modern system be 10% faster, 50% faster, etc.? Thank you for your help.

July 5, 2023, 12:23		#4
wkernkamp Senior Member Will Kernkamp Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 316 Rep Power: 12	You could replace your CPU with an E5-2697A v4 and your memory with DDR4-2400. Your need at least four sticks per CPU (to use all four channels). You will speed up by a factor of 2400/2133 based on the higher memory bandwidth. The MHz and number of cores will also be higher. Cost is just a few hundred dollars.

July 5, 2023, 17:03		#5
trampoCFD Member Guillaume Jolly Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 63 Rep Power: 10	Do you have access to auto desk cloud? If yes, on how many cores max can you run your simulations?