We don’t have to call it a Gaming Card when Nvidia and the rest of the world do that for us. 
Kind of interesting that Autodek seem to be the only professional M&E software company that seems to specify this.
Foundry, Blackmagic, Adobe, Side Fx, Maxon, SideFX don’t specify this. Mainly just specify the RAM or GL compute level.
Can’t say when I have rendered on a GeForce card that I’ve ever noticed any issues or noticeable differences but need to trust the dev team.
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Oh yeah, one other reason to use pro cards. Power consumption. The pro cards use around half as much power as they are more efficient. Won’t mean much if you’re talking only one or two systems but when you have a few it adds up.
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i think baselight was using 1080tis at some point 
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I can neither confirm nor deny…
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I went with the A5000.
Nice! I will then use from now “Enthusiast-class Graphics”.
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Yes, we qualify systems based on supported configurations from HP, Dell, Lenovo so at the end you do not have to worry since we ensure your setup will behave as expected. Not everybody do that.
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I appreciate that approach and it has a lot of merit.
It is well suited for the world of medium to large studios, who buy a lot of systems and are looking for a cohesive and easy to deploy setup with good support contracts and what are mostly single purpose workstations.
As we’re seeing more Flame artists work on their own (purely anecdotal based on forum here, don’t have access to higher level numbers of breakdown) - is that also a great choice for them?
From personal experience it seems like a mixed bag…
I have one Dell 78xx workstation, which at the time I acquired it during the pandemic was the only thing with a decent ship time. It is an absolutely solid build. It’s also noisy as hell compared to my other systems. It’s also the only of my systems which is currently not used and remains on the shelf as an emergency system or parts source.
It does come with good support, including an in-person repair with reasonable response time. But dealing with support, is like any other big company support you deal with. It’s an ‘experience’. Or like eating a Big Mac rather than a craft burger on the corner.
I have a small business account with Dell, and every 6 months I get an introduction of my new account lead, which they rotate through like juniors, asking me when the next time is that I’d like buy something. Every 3 months I get a call with caller ID from Austin. I already know who is calling before I answer - a new account rep intro.
When I bought my current Linux Flame 2 years ago, I checked with my Dell account manager and had a conversation. But at that time the only thing they shipped were 11th generation Intel processors. 12th generation were in market, but all three big brands take their time to qualify and update their model line up. And the configurations they had were complex and involved tradeoffs to maximize budget.
I ended up getting a system from Puget, which had already built me 2 other systems I was very happy with. I was able to choose a 12th gen CPU, I had a pleasant conversation with my sales rep, who was the same guy as for the 2 previous systems, and not the newbee of the quarter. I was able to create a config that was flexible but not overwhelming. The system performs well, is nice and quiet, and when I email support, the same very knowledgable guy (someone like ADSK’s Beau) answers within 30min and helps me solve the problem in a more personalized experience.
Also, Puget builds for post production exclusively. They have a vast knowledge and benchmarks on how to build system for post production. Whereas Dell, IBM, and HP build for everyone and their dog. Sure they test their system with post environments, but that’s just one of many slices of the pie. So does Apple - and we all remember the trashcan, which the design thermal load limit was based on someone running Adobe Illustrator, not 60-90min long Resolve renders with maxed out CPU/GPU, which would fry the system in no time unless it was sitting next to your AC.
But the downside is, they’re located on the other side of the country. So quick spare parts and in-person support is not an option. However when it is needed, they go out of their way to deliver exceptional experience (a story I told before), and it’s free for the system life time. No support contracts (yes, you kind of pay upfront, but you won’t get nickled and dimed).
So if you’re a smaller shop, there is benefit to the latter experience. It also lets me optimize a budget for maximum impact a bit more. But managing my Puget system with Flame has been a journey as you all know, and the situation that any install problem tickets get closed quickly with ‘not a supported config’.
So…
it would be nice to have a mix of options. I’ve had several conversations about Puget being a qualified solution for Flame. But it always seems get stuck in the sand or see resistance because they’re not an international seller, and even in the US have limited physical presence. Though that is common to many smaller builders.
Every once in a while I look at the newly certified systems from HP and Dell and wonder if I should buy one. But it’s hard to get excited about them as a small shop. It’s like should I buy the fully featured Minivan, or maybe go with a more exciting vehicle (you insert your favorite here).
I think this is why a lot of folks have started picking the Mac Studio - it has a lot of the benefits of being an easy and exciting buy, it performs well with little hassle, and it is reasonably priced for what you get. Not as versatile as a Linux system, can’t get your GPU of choice. But more like a Shake Shack burger. A bit more hip, but still predictable and easy to get.
Which is kind of a brand inversion - Flame after all in the market is the specialty burger preferred by very picky artisans who drive for hours to get a taste of it, but you can only run it on a mass produced bun.
On the flip side Resolve is the mass market product - that basic McDonald’s single burger, not even a dime a dozen, but completely free. Yet you can run it on your fully personalized system, as in your pandemic home-made whole-grain craft piece.
Getting the ultimate combo - that specialty burger on the whole-grain bun - not supported, you’re on your own there.
PS: Yes, I’m picky about my burger and I bake my own bread
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