Meet the 5-Node 6U Rackstation Built with Game Dev in Mind

The hardware landscape for large studios has evolved in numerous ways over the past few years. In addition to yearly regular performance improvements, there has been an increased demand for remote work. During the pandemic, almost every studio went fully remote. Some have returned to fully in-office, some remain fully remote, while others operate in a hybrid schedule with a few days in the office and a few days remote. This has put IT teams in an increasingly difficult position, trying to manage the hardware needs of power users while maintaining the security of their digital assets as content is no longer restricted to one physical location. Solutions like our 5-Node 6U Rackstation have emerged in response, offering centralized, high-performance systems that can support a distributed workforce without sacrificing flexibility or security.

The Current Landscape

We have worked with studios that have taken many directions to solve this problem. Some have just sent workstations home with their developers, which is an excellent solution for teams that remain fully remote. The user has direct access to the hardware they need, but this does have a few drawbacks. One is that any source code or other assets are being sent off-site, which poses a security risk. Additionally, if that user were to go into the office to work for a few days, they wouldn’t have access to that hardware or have to lug their workstation back and forth.

Other teams gave each employee a laptop that would remotely connect to their workstation, which remained in the office. This is great for security reasons, as the digital assets and expensive hardware stay on site, and allows the user to come into the office and work directly on the workstation or at home on the laptop. However, it is more difficult for the IT team to manage multiple workstations scattered about an office along with a fleet of laptops. 

The next option is to move those workstations to a rack in a server room and rely on remote connections regardless of where the user is. This can take many forms. Virtual machines may work great for users who don’t need a lot of hardware power, allowing multiple users to share one set of hardware. A dedicated system is ideal for power users, especially those who need a lot of GPU performance. However, space becomes problematic when outfitting a studio with dozens or hundreds of employees. The most typical rack mount chassis for a single workstation is a 4U chassis, and the typical rack is 42U tall, maxing out at 10 systems per rack. Outfitting even a moderate-sized studio would take up quite a lot of space. 

Enter the 5-Node 6U

This is where our new 5-Node 6U Rackstation becomes very interesting. Those familiar with rack installations will know how big 6U is, but for others, this is only a few inches taller than a “standard” 4U system, or the equivalent to putting five computers into a case about the size of a large desktop system. The same standard height, 42U rack mentioned above can hold up to seven 6U chassis, or 35 individual workstations. Quite an improvement in density! Each node is individually serviceable, so if one system needs to be replaced or upgraded the other four can continue working. There are some factors to consider, so let’s walk through a few different workflows to see how they can best be utilized. 

Use Case: Artist Workstations

For many studios, these will make great workstations for 3D modelers and animators. Each node supports the latest AMD Ryzen™ 9000 CPUs, including the X3D variants, and the latest GPUs up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 5080. The Ryzen CPUs aren’t as fast as Threadripper for tasks like shader or code compiling, but will be good enough for most artists. We recently reviewed the differences between these CPUs and how to determine which is best for different users. This system will be excellent for many users when paired with a build server and a shared DDC. 

As for the system that the artist interfaces with, that can be almost anything from a laptop to a small form factor to a full-blown workstation. As a remote worker, I have a laptop and use Parsec to connect to a rackstation in the office. There are many benefits to this setup. All the expensive hardware and all digital assets remain on location. The laptop can be used remotely or in the office, providing a seamless experience no matter where. It also has multiple monitor support through Parsec, so users will have the flexibility to set up their workstations how they see fit. Even in studios that have returned to fully in office, this setup allows employees to work from anywhere in the building. If teams need to relocate, or someone gets moved to another team, they don’t have to worry about moving large, heavy workstations. This configuration gives both the employee and the studio a high degree of flexibility. 

Use Case: Test Platform

Another interesting use case for this form factor is for a test platform. This could be used for automated testing alongside a more powerful build server or manually by a group of Software Test Engineers. While these are currently limited to AMD’s Ryzen platform, we are also looking into alternate versions that could house Intel-based systems. In addition, each node could be outfitted with different GPUs and RAM capacities. This would allow for QA testing on various PC hardware combinations without consuming a large footprint. A few of these could sit alongside the build server for automated testing. Once the nightly build is completed, it would be pushed to these platforms for specific automated testing on whatever configurations are needed. When developers return to work in the morning, reports on how the game performs on NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs will be ready. All without taking up much space. 

STEs could use remote desktop software such as Parsec or TeamViewer for manual testing or an IP KVM if they want BIOS-level system access. In our Lab, we use an IP KVM for our test beds so that we can access the BIOS to make tweaks. This doesn’t offer as good of performance as a software-based solution such as Parsec, but the trade-off is worth it to be able to access all aspects of the system. It is also not an either/or decision; both can be in place and used as needed.  

Conclusion

Studios today need flexible, secure, and space-efficient hardware solutions that can adapt to changing workflows. Our 5-node 6U Rackstation hits a sweet spot between performance and density, allowing IT teams to deploy up to 35 powerful systems in a single, standard-height rack. Each node operates as a complete workstation and can be individually serviced, making this a scalable and reliable solution for your teams. 

This platform’s flexibility is what makes it stand out. Teams can access their systems from anywhere, at home or in the office, without losing performance or interrupting workflows. Whether outfitting a remote artist with a powerful GPU-based system or setting up a compact, multi-config test environment for automated QA, this rackstation allows you to do more with less space. It’s an excellent fit for studios looking to streamline their infrastructure without compromising performance or manageability.