AutodeskU 2014, AC8177: Mobile Workstation Tips, Tricks & Technologies

Mobile Workstation Tips, Tricks

& Technologies

Lane Jesseph , WW MWS PM | Dec 4th 2014

Booth # 201

W@ThinkStations | #ThinkPSeries | www.thinkworkstations.com | Booth 201

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32013 LENOVO CONFIDENTIAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

@ThinkStations Lenovo ThinkStation

This presentation will be posted on Twitter & www.slideshare.net


AU Show Special Deals


P300 ThinkStation P500 ThinkStation W540 Mobile Workstation

THINKSTATION P300 • Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1241 v3(3.50GHz, 4 Cores, 8MB Cache)• Windows 7 Pro preloaded withWindows 8 Pro license• 8GB Non-ECC DDR3 Memory (2x4GB)• 1TB/7200rpm SATA HDD• NVIDIA® Quadro® K620 Graphics

Price: $1099

THINKSTATION P500• Intel® Xeon® processor E5-1620 v3(3.50GHz, 4 Cores, 10MB Cache)• Windows 7 Pro preloaded withWindows 8 Pro license• 8GB ECC DDR4 Memory (2x4GB)• 1TB/7200rpm SATA HDD• NVIDIA® Quadro® K2200 Graphics

Price: $1999

THINKPAD W540• Intel® Core™ i7-4800MQ processor (2.7GHz 4 cores)• Windows 7 Pro preloaded withWindows 8 Pro license• 8GB ECC DDR3 Memory (2x4GB)• 1x500GB/7200rpm HDD• NVIDIA® Quadro® K1100M

Price: $1799


Key Learning Objectives

Know the basics of Mobile Workstation components

Tell the difference between a standard laptop and a mobile workstation

Speak to the current and future technologies of Mobile Workstations

Know how to identify the right configuration for your needs


MWS = Mobile Workstation

FIRST, A FEW BASICS


Computer Components

Motherboard: main Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

CPU: Central Processing Unit – the computer’s brain aka: the Processor

Chipset: Integrated Circuit between CPU, RAM & Peripherals



More Computer Components

GPU: Graphics Processing Unit – an image computer

Storage: permanent data repository HDD: spinning hard drive

SSD: solid state

Memory or RAM: temporary data repository



Computer Slots

SD Card Reader SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC

Sizes up to 64GB

SmartCard Reader Use in place of passwords, very secure

Primarily used by US Gov’t and popular in EMEA

Express Card 34/54 PCI slot in either 34mm or 54mm width

Can be used to add additional ports



Computer Ports


1. USB: Universal Serial Bus (Type A)

2. VGA: Video Graphics Array

3. HDMI: High Definition Multimedia Interface

4. mDP: mini-DisplayPort

5. Thunderbolt

6. Ethernet

7. Headphone/Mic Combo

1

7

6

4 & 5

2

3

WHAT IS A MWS?


MWS Differentiation Attributes

They have the…. Most Powerful mobile processors

Fastest & Largest storage device/s

Highest Resolution Screens

Most memory – up to 2x what a standard notebook can hold

Tend to be thicker & heavier than standard notebooks Need space to dissipate large amounts of heat from CPU & GPU

High Output Power Supplies Power hungry components needs lots of power

Battery life tends to be lower Just can’t cram a big enough battery in the machine with those high performance

components



How is a MWS different?


Component Desktop WS Mobile WSStandardNotebook

CPU 1 or 2 @ up to 18 cores 1 @ up to 2 or 4 cores 1 @ 2 cores

GPU Multiple Discrete Single Discrete Integrated

Memory Up to 1TB Up to 32GB Up to 16GB

Storage Up to 14 drives Up to 2 drives 1 drive

Expansion Multiple & varied Docking Limited; Docking

Ports Multiple & varied Docking Limited; Docking

Autodesk Certified Yes Yes No

TECHNOLOGIES


The CPU


Moore’s Law – Gordon Moore 1965 Transistor density will double every two years…..until it can’t

Maybe 10 years until the law breaks down

$380B chip industry

Need new materials and manufacturing techniques Carbon nano-tubes

Graphene

Group III-V Materials – Indium Arsenide; Gallium Arsenide

New types of CPUs Quantum Tunneling

Parallelism

Photonics


Which CPU is right for you?


Does your application utilize multiple cores? Single Threaded (CAD) vs Mutli-Threaded (Rendering, Analysis)

What is the user experience actually like? More cores doesn’t always mean better experience

Budget vs Needs?


The GPU


A specialized processing unit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display

What’s the difference between a GPU and a CPU? CPU is serial while GPU is parallel

See more at: http://www.nvidia.com/object/what-is-gpu-computing.html#sthash.AWe95yma.dpuf

Frame Buffer or VRAM 1GB-2GB for 15”

1GB-4GB for 17”

http://www.nvidia.com/object/what-is-gpu-computing.html#sthash.AWe95yma.dpuf


GPU Variations & Specs


Attribute Quadro K1100M Quadro K2100M Quadro K620M

NVIDIA Cuda Cores 384 576 384

GPU VRAM 2GB GDDR5 2GB GDDR5 2GB DDR3

Memory Interface 128-bit 128-bit 64-bit

Memory Bandwidth 44.8 GB/s 48.0 GB/s 14.4GB/s

ECC(Error Correcting Code)

No No No

PCI-Express Gen3 Gen3 Gen3

Platform Form Factor 15.6” 15.6” 15.6”

Max Power Consumption(TGP)

45W 55W 25W

Optimus Technology Yes Yes Yes


NVIDIA K620M Benchmarks


0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00

catia-04

creo-01

energy-01

maya-04

medical-01

showcase-01

snx-02

sw-03

fps

W550s K620M Performance vs. W540 K1100M and K2100MRunning SPECviewperf12 - Higher is better

W550s K620M

W540 K2100M

W540 K1100M

GPU Application Performance is Stellar!


Which flavor of GPU?


Gaming – shorter lifecycle, not optimized for workflows, not ISV certified

Lack of ISV cert means some feature of app’s won’t work

Often not made by the OEM

Example: NVIDIA GeForce

Professional – longer lifecycle, optimized for workflows, ISV certified

Drivers highly optimized for various ISV apps

Better multi-monitor support

Example: NVIDIA Quadro


Memory


Memory Generally more is better – file sizes getting bigger

Has big effect on overall computer performance

Small size than desktop DIMM

Here comes DDR4 (Double Data Rate) 2x density, lower power, faster

ECC – Error Correcting Code Correctable errors caused by Gamma Rays penetrating the earth

Often change a single digit which goes undetected

Single digit can make a big difference

4.800m = 1001011000000

5.824m = 1011011000000


Display Technologies


Pixels, pixels, pixels….and would you like some more pixels? More isn’t always better - know what your OS supports

“DPI (Dots per inch) aware” – know what your apps support

Future proofing – will you migrate OS or upgrade to new version of apps?

Resolution Confusion Would you like that in HD, HD+, FHD

FHD++, QHD or UHD? 3k? 4k?

LCD Panel Types TN – Twisted Nematic - WVA

IPS – In Plane Switching


Display Technologies Continued


Panel Size vs Pixel Count Smaller panel but higher pixel count will get you smaller pixels More resolution but watch out for font & menu sizes

Pixel Count vs Performance/frame rate More pixels takes more CPU/GPU cycles Hi-rez panels can slow down a machine


Color Matters


Try to memorize this color


Which color was it?


b

e

a

d

g

f

h

i

j

k

l

cm

n

o

p

q

rs

t

u

v

w

x

y

z


I didn’t get it right either


b

e

a

d

g

f

h

i

j

k

l

cm

n

o

p

q

rs

t

u

v

w

x

y

z

c


Color Accuracy & Calibration


Color can vary slightly from panel to panel; from the same batch

Panels change over time, dimmer, color temperature changes Calibration at the factory is good for only so long

Content creators & designers need accurate color all the time every time

Routine calibration ensures accuracy for the life of the panel


Touch Panels & Pens

Touch panels are becoming more popular Almost all touch panels today are capacitive

Most offer 5 points of contact, 10 points isn’t uncommon

Pen input is gaining traction in mainstream Digitizer is a layer on the LCD and uses a passive pen

Active pen is a powered pen that a touch screen can use



Video Ports


VGA – Video Graphics Array Been around since 1987 and won’t be around much longer

DVI – Digital Video Interface First popular digital connection and being replaced by HDMI and mDP

HDMI – High Definition Multimedia Interface Popular in Consumer, but growing in corporate

Can carry hi-res video (up to 4k), multichannel audio and even Ethernet

Mini DisplayPort (mDP) Exclusively in corporate space

Can carry hi-res video (up to 4k), multichannel audio


Storage Types


HDD – Hard Disk Drive Highest capacity, slowest read/write speeds, use most power

More prone to failure ~500k hrs

2.5”, 7mm

SSD - Solid State Drive No moving parts and getting to larger capacities, less power draw

Much lower failure rates ~1.2M hrs

2.5”, 7mm

M.2 Like a stick of memory, capacities like SSD, less power draw

2242, 2280 (mm)

Can be SATA or PCIe interface


Storage Continued


SATA Gen3 @ 6Gb/s

SSDs can move faster, so an upgrade was in order

PCIe Gen2 x2, x4; Gen3 x2, x4

Faster than SATA

Speeds go way up – 32Gb/s

Improves user experience Boot times

App launch times

App speed


Networking Methods


Wired aka Ethernet

Cat 5/e cable

1Gb/s (Gigabit) Speed

Wireless a/b/g/n/ac…..ad; WiGig (60GHz @ 7Gbps)

WiGig allows for Wireless Docking

2.4GHz & 5GHz

Mobile 3G/4G

LTE/LTE-A


Thunderbolt


Connection to peripherals that combines PCIe, mDP and DC (power) Co-Developed by Intel & Apple

Two versions out now V1 – 10Gb/s bi-directional

V2 – 20Gb/s single channel

V3 – 40Gb/s (coming next year)

Adoption has been slow, but picking up RAID arrays

External storage

Monitors


USB Types


Type – A/B v2.0 – Hi-Speed – 280Mb/s

v3.0 – Super Speed – 4Gb/s – over 14x faster

Type – C (coming next year) v3.1 – Super Speed + / 7.2Gb/s – 67% faster

New smaller reversible connector


Chassis Materials


Plastic PC-ABS; Thickest, heaviest and least expensive

Metal Aluminum – light weight and fairly strong

Magnesium Alloy – lighter & stronger than Al

Glass Fiber Light & Strong – good for WiFi signals

Carbon Fiber Lightest & Strongest but also the most expensive

Typically set in a polymer or plastic (CFRP)


Fingerprint Reader


Apple Touch ID brought this technology to the mainstream

Been on laptops for years

Swipe or touch types

Used rather than entering a password

Typically encrypted and very secure

RELIABILITY & DURABILITY

W@ThinkStations | #ThinkPSeries | www.thinkworkstations.com | Booth 201 2013 LENOVO CONFIDENTIAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Mil-Spec Methods

40

HUMIDITY

VIBRATION

LOW TEMPERATURE

MECHANICAL SHOCK

HIGH TEMPERATURE

ALTITUDE

SAND

EXTREME TEMPS

Relative humidity of 91-98% at 20 to 60°C

-20℃ for over 72 hours +30 to +60°C over 7 x 24 hour cycles

140 mesh silica dust for 6 hour cycles

Multiple tests while running and turned off

High acceleration and repeated shock pulses over 18 times

Tests operation at 15,000 feetwhile running

-20°C to 60°C over 3 cyclesof 2 hour duration


Mil-Spec Continued


SOLAR RADIATION FUNGUS SALT FOG

3 & 4 24-hour cycles of controlled simulated solar radiation

(2 procedures)

28 Days 48 hours

PERIPHERALS


The Age of the Dongle


An adapter to convert one type of connector to another HDMI to VGA

mDP to VGA or HDMI or DVI

Can also be for USB to Ethernet or VGA or DVI

You’re going to need them for the foreseeable future


Behold the Docking Station


Device that allows to connect your machine to multiple monitors & peripherals without a giant mess of cables

CONFIGURATION CONSIDERATION


Decisions, Decisions


CPU Dual or Quad Core

GPU Number of cores and size of VRAM

Memory More is generally better, within reason

Can you add more later?

Drives HDD, SSD, M.2 (SATA or PCIe)

Display DPI aware OS & apps

Future proof

Ports & Docking Does it have what you need?


Which chassis size is right for you?


Different size chassis offer different configuration possibilities

14”, 15”, or 17” Be careful to note what features are available on what chassis

GPU Note that some chassis max out at VRAM size; i.e. 15” @ 2GB, 17” @ 4GB

Screen/pixel density Small panel size with massive pixel count makes for pico-pixels


Recommendations


ApplicationProcessor

CoresGPU Memory Display

AutoCAD Dual K620M 16GB 3k

Revit Quad K2100M 32GB 3k

3dsMax Quad K2100M 32GB 3k

Inventor Quad K2100M 32GB 3k

Maya Quad K2100M 32GB 3k


That’s all folks


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