Multiple CPUs and GPUs

[JoelC]

Hi There, new to this forum and software, but working for a client who has asked us to build a 'beast' to run Photoscan. I've done some reading through the forums for GPU versus CPU versus RAM but can't find a definitive answer.

We're looking at a dual Xeon board with 128-256Gb of RAM and a single 12Gb GPU.

The question is whether RAM, CPU, or GPU is the most important resource for the software. If we just increase the specs of those three variables do we get better performance, or is there a better way of approaching it.

We can get three socket XEON boards, or multiple GPUs, or maybe more RAM, but is any of this going to significantly decrease processing time? What should we focus on?

Thanks in advance.

[Marcel]

What kind of scans will they be running (average number of photos, what Megapixel size)?

Some parts of Photoscan aren't threaded so well,  so multiple CPUs aren't necessarily useful (apart from getting over the 128GB memory limit if you need it). A single CPU system with  a high clock speed might be quicker than a dual CPU system.

If you are looking at a 12GB gpu then you probably mean the Quadro K6000? It's not much faster for processing than a consumer card like the AMD R290, but it will let you view meshes with an insane polygon count which is useful in some cases.

If 256GB is not strictly needed I would go for a single CPU system with 128GB and a fast consumer GPU.You can probably get two complete systems for the same price as a single system with a dual CPU  (fast Xeons with multi cpu support are very pricey).

[Oli63]

I agree. Good choice.