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Finding a design workstation that
is both affordable and high performing is
challenging and, at times, takes one down a path
of computing mediocrity and stifled
productivity. However, once the word gets out
that quality, affordability and computational
endurance does exist and is available for
everyone to experience, your worries of gaining
a worthy CAD workstation companion should cease
to exist. Thank goodness for Xi’s continued push
to provide great digital performance.
Xi continues to satisfy the high
standards needed by designers and engineers by
pushing forward with the MTower CX workstation.
The internal features of this desktop are
configured for rigorous productivity, and the
overall structure is styled for visual appeal,
space efficiency and hardware accessibility.
When first unpacking the
MTower CX to conduct the review, I didn’t expect
to be dazzled by the visible inner workings of
the computer’s components, but I must admit that
I was. The see-through side panel enables a
digital enthusiast like myself the ability to
marvel over the internal hardware connections
and lighted devices affixed to the
motherboard.(See Figure 1.)
As an added bonus, a compact
15.6- x10.2- x12.6-in,cuboid-shaped box that
houses the CX components stood as the ideal
chassis size and is a great look for an office
or home work area. The compact size of the unit
minimizes the amount of desk space that is
typically taken up by a computer of greater
dimensions.
Nonetheless, the MTower CX
chassis is still capable of supporting three
GPUs if desired by the user. Also, I was able to
easily remove and reassemble the side panels of
the MTower CX when installing and testing
alternative hardware components. For me, this is
a major bonus, especially if you are someone who
likes to reconfigure your workstation from time
to time. I tend to do this a lot.
Figure 1. The Xi MTower
CX workstation. (Image courtesy of Xi
Computer.)
Dissecting the MTower CX
Workstation
Now, let me take a moment to
discuss the configuration of the out-of-the-box
Xi Mtower CX base model. As always, my first
test derives from the question of how long will
it take this computer to start. In a typical
scenario, this is usually fairly fast with a new
system then potentially slows down with the
addition of multiple applications that tend to
do their own thing after a while and couldn’t
care less about your needs of “right now.” The
result involves you waiting for several minutes
for the startup. Now, of course, I did not have
this problem with this new, polished MTower CX
workstation. The startup was superfast and
surprisingly quiet. Even after I loaded several
design applications and after running the
workstation for hours, the CX did not disappoint
me.
The MTower CX’s computing
performance is driven by a six-core/12-thread
Intel Xeon E5-1650 processor, with a clock speed
of 4.2 GHz and a sealed water-cooling, dual-fan
radiator. The sixcores’ dual cooling complement
and give an extra boost of processing power to
the overall system. Also, the unit produced low
heat and minimal noise—even after running
continuously for many hours and when opening
large files. Further, as an added bonus,
16-GBDDR4 of RAM is incorporated into the base
model, which performs at 2,666 MHz and, as a
standard, yields low power consumption.
The as-reviewed MTower CX base
model was paired with a Quadro M4000 GPU, which
performed at a solid level while I performed 3D
modeling operations using Autodesk Inventor
design applications. Yes, at this point the
high-end, yet cost-effective, workstation has
impressive power and stability. Stalling was not
an option for this compact computing beast.
From my experience using this
workstation, the configured Xeon processor,
along with the Quadro M4000, 16 GB of RAM and
onboard Windows 10 operating system was enough
to give the XiMTower CX a top-notch performance
rating for CAD modeling and reliability.
However, I had to raise the stakes by testing
the CX performance while under the influence of
a higher- and mid-ranged GPU. I figured I would
take advantage of the accessible CX chassis and
pair the workstation with two additional GPU
cards to see how the performance would vary.
Both the Quadro M2000 and Quadro M5000 were
added and tested. This takes a step above the
M4000 and a step below. The results of each test
are referenced throughout this review and
illustrated in the benchmarking section.
Graphical Power
I had the opportunity to test
the stability and performance of (three) NVIDIA
Quadro graphics cards, which were inclusive of
the M2000, M4000 and M5000. I must say that
while each card varied in price and performance,
all were good complements to the hardware
configuration within the Xi MTower CX.
The lower-cost M2000, which is
a mid-range graphics card, really held its own
against the premium M4000 and M5000 giants.
While the model rendering and design
productivity wasn’t as robust as what I
experienced when using the high-end M4000 and
M5000 cards, it still got the job done in an
efficient manner.
This is a necessary benefit that
a designer, gamer or digital enthusiast needs
from a workstation, along with efficiency,
reliability and power—all of which are
characteristics that each graphics card
possessed. Each card paired well with the MTower
CX’s onboard technologies and produced an
impressive visual quality.
Further, the M4000and M5000
graphics cards carried a more substantial set of
benefits, such as realistic 3D renderings,
efficient response to user movement and overall
visual aesthetics. As a result, the cost does
rise slightly for these higher-end components,
but this is expected from premium,
highly-productive graphical processing units.
Nonetheless, every design scenario that I used
while operating the Inventor application
remained stable when testing all three of the
graphics cards. 3D part creation, along with the
assembly of components and animation playbacks,
was not a problem on the configured MTower
CX.(See Figure 2.)
Figure 2.
Autodesk Inventor part and assembly created on
the Xi MTower CX. (Image courtesy of the
author.)
Benchmarking the MTower CX
Performance
As an extended test of
computing endurance and processing power for the
MTower CX, I ran several benchmarks that were
inclusive of Cinebench, SPECviewperf and
PassMark. Several scores were generated to
measure the systems performance while
incorporating the Quadro M5000, M4000 and M2000
GPUs separately.
The Cinebench was generated
for the reviewed MTower CX, testing both the CPU
processing power and the performance of the
connected graphics card. During the test, the
workstation’s hardware configuration is pushed
to the limit through several 3D scene
renderings. The measured results reveal the
overall scores. The higher the results, the
greater the performance of the system.
The configured Intel Xeon
processor, coupled with the Quadro M5000 GPU in
Figure 5 clearly outshines both the M4000 and
M2000. However, the lower-performing graphics
cards are still productive and provide an
intense user experience at a reasonable price.
For instance, even though the mid-range M2000’s
frames per second are the lowest at 156.42, the
CPU score pushes slightly beyond the two
high-end graphics cards to 1,203. As an added
bonus, each of the tested Quadro graphics cards
are built for multiple (four) monitor inputs,
which are great for dual monitor users. See the
Cinebench scores for each hardware configuration
in Figures 3, 4 and 5. Also, both a visual and
spec for each GPU model can be viewed on the
NVIDIA site.
Figure 3. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M2000.
Figure 4. Xi MTower
CX test for the Quadro M4000.
Figure 5. Xi MTower
CX test for the Quadro M5000.
Next, the SPECviewperf 12.0
benchmarks were run to test and illustrate
the graphics performance of the MTower CX.
Each of the graphics card configurations for
the Quadro M2000, M4000 and M5000 was
tested. The higher overall composite scores
illustrate the better-performing application
performance, as measured through the rigors
of the hardware test. See Figures 6, 7 and
8.
As illustrated in the
SPECviewperf 12.0 results shown in Figures 6, 7
and 8, the score for each GPU configuration
increases slightly with each model change. For
instance, when the M5000 is paired with the
MTower CX, the application performance is more
superior than they would be with the M2000 or
M4000 cards. When reviewing how the SOLIDWORKS
and CATIA applications will perform, there is a
significant elevation in the composite scores
between the M2000 and M5000. However, you must
keep in mind that there is also a significant
cost difference between the two cards.
From my experience in using
all of the graphics cards with the MTower CX and
testing the reliability when modeling in
Autodesk Inventor, I didn’t notice much
difference between the M4000 and M5000. Also,
while the
M2000 didn’t produce the extreme 3D modeling
experience as the high-end cards, it was still a
reliable component for robust computing. In
fact, the M2000 is considered to be a great
graphics companion for desktop workstations when
using Autodesk’s Inventor 2016 for medium
assemblies. See NVIDIA’s
recommended graphics solutions chart for
Inventor.
Figure 6. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M2000.
Figure 7. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M4000.
Figure 8. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M5000.
The final benchmark that I ran
was the PassMark test. It is a measure of
several performance metrics such as processing
speed, 3D and 2D graphics and memory. It also
tests your hardware components and compares them
to similar brands. Overall scores of 6,201,
6,284 and 6,464 were achieved, respectively, for
the as-reviewed hardware configurations. See
Figures 9, 10 and 11.
Figure 9. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M2000.
Figure 10. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M4000.
Figure 11. Xi MTower CX
test for the Quadro M5000.
MTower CX Pricing Structure
The base configuration of the
MTower CX is competitively priced at $1,339,
which is a bargain when considering the hardware
and compact chassis options. When adding the
as-reviewed configured Xeon E5-1650 processor,
along with the premium graphics card options
that I swapped out for performance testing, the
MTower CX prices come in at around:
|
$2,942.50 |
M2000 GPU |
|
$3,246.74 |
M4000 GPU |
|
$4,173.00 |
M5000 GPU |
Now, the average desktop
computer user may find reason to gawk at those
prices, but the real power users know that
top-notch quality, reliability and 3D
performance doesn’t come cheap. However, Xi has
still managed to pack an abundance of power into
the MTower CX cube without going too extreme
with cost. The designer, gamer or extreme
computing enthusiast will definitely get their
money’s worth out of any of the alternative
configurations that I have tested. See the base
pricing below.
| PART# |
DESCRIPTION |
PRICE |
| 00015 |
Xi MTower
CX Workstation (Base Configuration) |
$1,339.00 |
| 01055 |
SixCore/12 Threads Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3
@4.2GHzHi-Perf. Sealed Water Cooling
Dual Fan Radiator, 15MB Shared L3
Cache5GT/s DMII140Ww/Artic Silver 5
Thermal Compound(2666MHz RAM, X99
motherboard anddual radiator supporting
case only). |
$799.00 |
| 02321 |
16GB DDR4
@ 2666MHz High Performance Aluminum Heat
Spreader. |
$89.00 |
| 04576 |
NVIDIA
Quadro M4000 8GB DDR5 Maxwell
Architecture PCIe 16x 2.04xDP 1.2,1x
Stereo, 3D Pro SupportDX11-OGL 4.3,
Shad.M 5.0-Supports four monitors. |
$739.00 |
| 05015 |
No
monitor (credit). |
($100.00) |
| 03199 |
256GB
Solid State Drive Samsung SM951 M.2 PCIe
3.0 x4 2150/1200MB/s Seq.R/W 512MB Cache
Buffer <.3ms seek Shock Resistant 1500G.
(Not to be used as boot drive on ECC RAM
based systems.) |
$189.00 |
| 32129 |
Optional
1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s Seagate Barracuda
64MB Cache NCQ ST1000DM003 |
$99.00 |
| 17012 |
HDD Std
Ctrl. accordingly to motherboard and HDD
type selected. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 06067 |
No
internal optical drive bay available for
this model. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 41031 |
No
optical drive selected. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 10001 |
No
external speakers option. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 12022 |
On-Board
Dual Intel Gigabit Ethernet LAN
accordingly to motherboard
specifications. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 13001 |
Logitech
USB Corded Black Windows Standard
Keyboard. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 14010 |
Logitech
USB Corded 2+ Wheel Mouse Black Optical.
(For best CAD use, we do recommend an
upgraded mouse from our selection other
than a basic.) |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 16118 |
Genuine
Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-bit
fully installed, configured and updated,
includes original DVD media and COA
(subject to drivers support availability
on some devices/features). |
$159.00 |
| 22340 |
ASUS
X99-M WS mATX Intel X99 Chipset-2xPCIe
3.0 x16-1xPCIe x8 on x16-1xPCIe x1-64GB
Max Quad Ch.DDR4 3200(OC)/2133-2xGbE
LAN-BT 4.0+WiFi 802.11ac-1xM.2
Socket3(SATA & PCIE Mode)-8xSATA 6Gb/s
RAID 0/1/5/10-HD Audio-8CH-2xUSB
3.1/8xUSB 3.0/2.0-Micro ATX |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 44051 |
850W
Rosewill Glacier 850M 80 Plus Bronze
Certified Single 12V+ Rail Silent 135mm
2 Ball-bearing Fan 82-87 percent
efficiency Active PFC PSU |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 27283 |
Xi MTower
CX Compact Cube 2x12cm, Quiet Fans High
Airflow -2xFront USB 3.0-HD
Audio-Internal bays only: 3x3.5 in-3x2.5
in-Micro ATX Motherboards only(supports
Dual 12cm Fan Radiator for
O.C.)-Dim.(DxWxH): 15.6x10.2x12.6 in. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 18001 |
Standard
Xi Warranty with Express Advance Parts
Replacement, Lifetime Tech Support,
Three Year Labor FOB Xi, One Year on
system parts. Manufacturer warranty on
software, monitors and external
accessories.(Freight both ways paid for
parts only inside U.S.and CA). |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 47006 |
Read Me
First Leaflet, helps you getting started
and answers FAQs about your new system. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 47007 |
Resource
Media DVD — Warranty, User's Guide info
and Device Drivers for the preinstalled
Windows OS, if applicable. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 47020 |
Intel
Inside Brand Processor Label affixed to
the new PC. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 47022 |
Certificate of Authenticity label for
the preinstalled Microsoft Windows OS
purchased with new PC. The Windows
Product key sticker is affixed to the
right side of the system (on rackmounts
can be found on rear/left/top panel), if
applicable. |
Incl. w/
Base |
| 47028 |
Shipping
box andpackaging material — Keeping the
original box and packaging for your
system at least up to the warranty
period is highly recommended. |
Incl. w/
Base |
Conclusion
Overall, Xi’s MTower CX provides
an impressive, top-notch computing experience
that would be more than fitting for any
designer, engineer, 3D animator or robust data
analyst. The compact design of the workstation
structure is suitable for desktops and offices
with limited spaces, but don’t let the size of
the chassis fool you. The MTower CX is packed
with an abundance of power and is built for high
productivity and design efficiency.
Additionally, the MTower CX has many benefits as
a base model, but it can be configured to extend
the performance to extreme heights. Some of the
additional system components include:
-
(6) USB 3.1 connections
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(2) USB 3.0 connections
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(2) rear Ethernet connections
for networking
-
Front and rear headphone and
microphone inputs
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Several rear expansion slots
for hardware additions
-
Several rear monitor input
options
Xi’s MTower CX is a top-notch
CAD workstation and would be a great companion
for anyone seeking a stable computing
experience. For more information on the MTower
CX, visit the Xi Computer product
products webpage. Also, feel to leave a comment below
to discuss your best CAD workstation
configuration experiences.
Xi Computer Corporation
has sponsored this post. They have no editorial
input. All opinions are mine. —Alexander Murray
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