I'll probably get a new workstation machine (as a gift) and it seems the only option for GPUs are workstation series too. I have asked for a Tesla K20c, but not sure if I'll get that. Apart from those, there are some Quadros available (K600, K2000, K4000, K5000), but I have a feeling these won't perform well for GPU computing.
Do you have any experience with workstation GPUs and what would you recommend ?

Why do you need a workstation and why would a GTX780Ti (or similar) not work in a Workstation?
I don't see why you would need a 'Workstation GPU', unless it's for work (CAD)?

A Tesla K20c is basically a high end research GPU for performing double precision experiments in CUDA. GPUGrid doesn't use DP (FP64), so for GPUGrid a K20c offers nothing more than it's Single Precision performance, which is the same as a much cheaper GeForce card.

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I don't need one, I have been offered one as a gift :-)
A DELL Precision T5610 however does have options for workstation GPUs only.
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=cupt5610w7p&model_id=precision-t5610-workstation&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04

Considering DELLs prices for anything above baseline I'd take the smallest GPU they offer and put whatever regular desktop GPU(s) in afterwards. Would be nice if the present would cover that, too, as it'S by far the most economical solution.

MrS

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Scanning for our furry friends since Jan 2002

I don't think it will cover such option for consumer GPUs, this is not a supported configuration. And doing that by myself would probably mean the loss of warranty.

I would take the gift, sell it and buy something useful, but perhaps you are not in a position to do that?
Still don't see why it has to be a Workstation rather than more useful.

The Quadro K5000 is similar to the GTX680, but the core clock is only 700MHz rather than 1000MHz, and it's only PCIE2.0, so performance would be more like a GTX660 - which is less than half of a GTX780Ti. So for here a Quadro K5000 is a waste of money.

As for the Warranty - don't let it stop you doing what you want with your gift.

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Take the gift as cash, if you can, buy the components you want and build your own custom cruncher. We'll help you select the components. You can probably build 2 crunchers for about the same price you would pay for a pre-built one from Dell. If a component dies the manufacturer will warranty it as long as you send in the registration card.

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I suggest the same as skgiven and ETA. Take the gist as you get it, with the cheapest option of the GPU. Buy a GTX 780 or higher and put that in the first slot. That will not hamper warranty. I have a workstation from Dell myself and have put several GPU's in and they worked fine. You probably have to install new graphic drivers.

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Greetings from TJ

Thanks guys. The offer was for Precision models, so there's probably no other option suitable for GPU computing than the Tesla. I'll wait for the final specs they come up with and then see how to improve it :)

Let us know how it works out!

BTW: Teslas are not really any better regarding price/performance than Quadros, the same professional level and just geared towards different applications.

MrS

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Scanning for our furry friends since Jan 2002

Currently it looks like only Quadro K4000 is available, which is about similar performance as the GTX 650 Ti (GK106).
But the specs are still not finalized, so maybe...