[Qgis-user] Fwd: QGIS hardware recommendations?

[Alex Mandel]

On 10/21/2015 07:55 AM, Nicolas Cadieux wrote:
> Hi,
> I think this message never made it to the server.  Apologies if it did.
> 
> Nicolas Cadieux M.Sc.
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Nicolas Cadieux <nicolas.cadieux at archeotec.ca>
> Date: Oct 19, 2015 14:57
> Subject: QGIS hardware recommendations?
> To: Qgis Users List <qgis-user at lists.osgeo.org>
> Cc: 
> 
>> Hi,
>>
>> We are building new (Windows 10) computers for QGIS and I was wondering if there is any new hardware consideration to think of? I don't want a gamer style debate on Intel vs AMD or nvidia vs ATI but I am wondering if the QGIS CODE is evolving toward a better support of things like nvidia's Cuda support for calculations or rendering.
>>
Get an SSD for holding datasets and databases while working with them.

>> First off for CPU we are considering the latest i7 on the z170 or X99 chipsets. (We are not looking at zeon's for now. These are desktop and not workstations.) I know the differences between both chipsets so no comments are needed here.
>>
>> Any reason we should go with AMD (apart from the fact that they have more core (currently slower) which could help in muti-threaded  rendering).  Is there an advantage, code wise, to using amd64 cpu's?
>>
Nope, most GIS is still primarily single threaded so an i7 would perform
better.

>> Video cards: any nvidia Cuda support in the planning?  Has anything been optimized for AMD/ATI or NDVIA?  Should I be looking for a particular version of OpenGL or DirectX? (I guess QGIS uses OpenGL???) How about when we use GLobe or Qgis2threejs?  Any future consideration needed? 
>>

Not that I've seen actually come forward. Maybe for the 3D stuff there
might be something, look more into WebGL and 3js recommendations. I
don't think favoring a particular gpu would be helpful to the general
QGIS audience.

>> Memory wise, we will get as much as the budget allows...
>>

+1 , of course with the chipsets you're picking I think that maxes at 32 GB.

>> Thanks for any comments.  Again, I am looking for comments more from a QGIS CODE perspective and future orientations, not a gamer hardware perspective.
>>
>> Cheers!
>>
>> Nicolas
>>

-Alex