CAD Hardware

Hi, I am currently looking for a new CAD computer system, I have
looked at various different options and am curently looking at a set
up from "Novatech.com", based on conversations with a few different
people. I am slightly unsure whether this is the best system for my
needs so I was wondering if anyone has any comments on the choice of
specification, particularly of the graphics card and the motherboard.
Also if anyone has a suggestion for a superior setup (for the price).
I am looking to spend around £1500 max, the main software packages
that I use are solidworks, 3ds max and photoshop and essentially want
a quick rendering time and the ability to run 2 or 3 of these at once.

The setup up is as follows

Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP-HC 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Midnight Grey
Overclockers - £375.99

Barebones Bundle Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2048MB 800Mhz DDR2 Heatsink
And Fan nVidia 680I SLI Motherboard
novatech - £433.57

800MHz 240Pin 1024MB PC6400 DDR2 RAM DIMM 1.8V
novatech 2x£17.63 - £35.26

Samsung Spin Point SATAII NCQ 500GB 16Mb Cache Hard Disk Drive <9.0ms
7200rpm - OEM
novatech 2x£59.98 - £119.96

Novatech NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB SLI PCI Express Graphics Card -
Retail
novatech - £140.94

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition inc. SP2 - OEM - 1Pk (N09-01991)
Overclockers - £56.39

Samsung SATA 20x DVD+/-R/RW/RAM OEM Black with Nero
novatech - £18.66

Total (no Screen) = £804.78



Total = £1180.77

 

I would spend a little more on a graphics card and upgrade to a quadro
series.I'm using a 570 quadro that cost me $240.Works great!

 

Great, thanks for the coments. I think I'll go for XP pro. That
graphics card is a top of the range NVIDIA, is the one suggested much
better? Also, I have been comparing the monitor to some similar models
but am not sure what should be looking for, as all I have to go on is
numbers. Can anyone help? for instance what does the contrast ratio
"3000:1" mean, and the number "6ms"

cheers

Jonny

 

It depends. Quadro cards sell for more than the gamer cards because they can
get away with it. They claim that there are significant differences in
performance and there may be. The main problem people have seen in the past
with the gamer boards is when you have a lot of windows open in SW and your
system slows to a crawl. If you tend to work with only a couple of windows
open, you may never see a problem. If you have any SolidWorks issues, your
VAR is quite likely to claim that they are really video card problems if you
don't have a certified card. He may actually be right.

A contrast ratio of 3000:1 is probably marketing BS. The 6 ms is the time it
takes to switch from either black to white or dark gray to light gray,
depending on how they define it. If the switching time is too slow, then you
will see artifacts. The Dell is a really nice display, so I wouldn't worry
about either of them. The only way to really compare monitors is to set them
up side by side with the same images. Doing it by the numbers probably won't
work very well, since marketing people are known to be a little loose with
the truth.

Jerry Steiger

 

one point to this effect. you must have XP PRO to activate SWx
software. I can install it and run it but there is something in the
PRO version that allows activation. i have tried this on home, home
media version, ... i can only run it for the 30 day eval on home or
home media edition. iQ