Render Farm Blueprint

A strategic guide to architecting a high-throughput, scalable rendering infrastructure from the ground up.

30

Total High-Powered PCs

2

Separate, Air-Gapped Farms

250TB

Future-Proof Storage Goal

Redefining the Network Core

A common misconception is using an ISP's Optical Network Terminal (ONT) as a network hub. For a render farm, this is incorrect. An ONT is a gateway to the internet, not a high-speed local traffic director. The heart of your farm must be a high-performance aggregation switch.

✗ Incorrect: ONT

ONT ➔ Internet

Designed for single-point internet access. It cannot handle the massive internal data traffic required by 15 render nodes communicating simultaneously.

✓ Correct: Aggregation Switch

PC ↔ SWITCH ↔ STORAGE

Engineered for high-speed, low-latency data exchange within a local network. It acts as a central hub for all render nodes and storage.

Selecting Your Switch

The switch is the single most critical piece of network hardware. Its capacity dictates the maximum speed of your entire operation. For a 10-15 node farm, a managed Layer 3 switch with a high-capacity backplane and a mix of 10G SFP+ and 40G QSFP+ ports is essential. This comparison shows the massive performance difference between models.

A higher switching capacity (measured in Terabits per second) ensures non-blocking performance, meaning all ports can operate at full speed simultaneously without creating bottlenecks.

Switching Capacity Comparison (Tbps)

Connecting the Render Nodes

To maximize port efficiency and reduce cost, you don't need a 40G port for every PC. Using 40G-to-10G breakout cables allows a single 40G QSFP+ port on your switch to connect up to four 10G PCs. This is the most scalable and cost-effective approach.

Central Switch

(40G QSFP+ Port)

↓

Breakout Cable

(1x MPO to 4x LC)

↓

PC 1 (10G)

PC 2 (10G)

PC 3 (10G)

PC 4 (10G)

Storage Architecture: NAS vs. SAN

The 250TB Storage Challenge

A simple Network Attached Storage (NAS) is great for file sharing, but it can become a major bottleneck for a render farm. A Storage Area Network (SAN) provides block-level access over a dedicated high-speed network (like iSCSI over 40GbE), which is critical for performance.

As the radar chart shows, a SAN offers superior performance and scalability for I/O-intensive workloads, while a NAS is simpler and more cost-effective for general use. For your goals, a SAN architecture is the recommended path to avoid crippling render times.

The Hidden Challenge: Power & Cooling

Thirty high-end PCs running at full load generate an enormous amount of power draw and heat. This is not a standard office setup and requires dedicated electrical and HVAC planning to prevent outages and equipment failure.

~18 kW

Total Estimated Power Draw

Requires multiple dedicated, high-amperage circuits and professional-grade Power Distribution Units (PDUs).

~61,000

Total Heat Output (BTU/hr)

Equivalent to multiple residential HVAC units. Requires a robust, dedicated cooling solution.

Actionable Questions for Our Networking Team

  • What are the specifications (e.g., type, strand count, connector type) of the existing fiber optic cabling run to each workstation, and what are the port types available on the network closet's core switch (e.g., SFP, SFP+, QSFP+, QSFP28)?
  • Which managed Layer 3 switch with 40G QSFP+ ports do you recommend for our 15-node clusters?
  • Is multimode fiber (MMF) with 40GBASE-SR4 optics the best choice for our intra-room connections?
  • Can you confirm that using 40G-to-4x10G breakout cables is an approved and supported configuration?
  • For the 250TB storage, do you agree a SAN architecture with 40GbE iSCSI is the right approach?