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How does this sound (home CAD PC)

How does this sound (home CAD PC)

How does this sound (home CAD PC)

(OP)
I want to purchase a PC for using Solidworks at home.  This PC will be used for SW only.  I have read the FAQ about systems but most info is not current.  This seems like a nice system but is there something here that should be changed.  I want a system that will be good for assemblies of up to 100 parts, std cosmos, etc.  This is not a workstation type machine and does it matter?

DELL Dimension 9100
PentiumD 830 3.0GHz with Dual Core Technology
1GB (2X512MB) Dual Channel DDR2 RAM at 533MHz
256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
SB 7.1Audio/9-in-1 Media Reader
250GB SATA HDD w/ Native Command Queuing
16X DVD+/-RW Double Layer DVD Burner
19" E193Fp LCD Monitor

$1500 with shipping

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Bloodclot

Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

Personally I would go with the AMD dual cores as you get more bang for the buck (not an option with Dell) but everything you have listed there will run Solidworks fine. The grpahics card should be sufficient but since it's not a cad card, realview won't work and you may have to several drivers to find one you like.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP3.0 on WinXP SP2

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

ALso, I would go with the widescreen monitor. You will love it, you can see more of your work.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

Hey bloodclot,

Sorry I missed you guys at the SWW reception on Sunday.  I was about 10 mintues late and then discovered the partner pavilion was outside not even close to the rest of the conference.  This kind of side tracked teh eng-tips guys meeting plans.  Maybe next year?

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group
www.robrodriguez.com (updated 1/30/06)
SW 2006 SP 3.0

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

I would go with the AMD as well, which means going with someone other than Dell.  Xi Computers is a good alternative for AMD.

I would also get a real Quadro instead of the GeForce.  The multiple window problems are just not worth dealing with.  For assemblies that size you can probably get away with the Quadro FX 1400.

Good luck,

matt

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

bloodclot

I would up the memory to at least 2 gig at 1 gig strips.

If the computer is only for SW I would strongly recomend going with a certified Quadro card not just only for the real view but you will have far less trouble with a certified card.

I have to agree with the AMD processor.

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

(OP)
Great information.  Almost 100% feedback for the AMD chip over the Pentium.  What makes the AMD better for this application?

Thanks again,

Bloodclot

Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

Efficiency.  Bang for buck in the elimination of bottlenecks, lower heat waste, and lots of performance gains.  I just got another system ordered from Xi, although it's a workstation--primary use for SW.

FX-60 AMD dual-core 64-bit processor (fastest single chip available--for now--also $1,000)
nvidia Quadro FX-1400
2GB RAM
2 SATA2 160GB drives, non-RAID
Other goodies, no monitor
$3,000

At least check out Xi and see what they have for something considerably less of a workstation.  I've found no other to compete at workstation level.

Dell will soon drop their Intel-only policy--it's hurting them bad now.  Stupid policy, stupid business decision.

Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all.  And awe trumps reason.

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

(OP)
I did check out the Xi site but the prices are out of my reach.  What about the HP XW4300 Workstation that was being promoted down at SW World.  Does anyone have experience with this setup?  It seems like it has all the right stuff except for the P4 Chip.  Comments on the HP system are welcomed.  I can not spend more than $1500 on a system.

Thanks,
Bloodclot

Why do they put Braille dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

Gateway also has some good pc's. IMO, cheaper than Dell and better than HP or Compaq. The best deal is if you know how to build one yourself.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 05
AutoCAD 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

I built one myself and saved about a $1,000 (50%) when compared to buying a XI machine.  What I don't know is the speed difference.  My components were pretty much the same as what I could configure at Xi, but they know all the tweaks for performance.  Mine is still plenty fast... Dual core AMD 4800+, 2GB matched Corsair RAM, 10,000 RPM western digital drive (OS and apps), larger 7200 RPM drive for data, nVidia GeForce 6800 GT PCI EXpress, Antec 550 Watt power supply, good 19" LCD....  You could probably build one right now for $1,800 - I'm guessing, but probably pretty close.  A single core machine could be built for even less....  The nice thing about a build it your self machine, is that when you need to upgrade, if you've done it right you can keep some of the components you have and replace others.

Pete

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

btw, if we're going to get into building your own computer, I have to drop a link to Newegg

www.newegg.com

They are quick to ship, a fiscal pleasure to buy from (cheap!), and have loads of customer reviews on whichever product you want.  They can be overwhelming if you don't know what you want, but once you do you should get a great price here.

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

Sorry if that last post sounded like a commercial, they've just always done me right in the past.  

I'll also second the thoughts for 1+ gigs of memory, an AMD chip, and SATA hard drives.  The video card is equally important, I'd just make sure to get something on the 'approved' list.  

You're only as fast as your slowest component.

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

I also used New Egg and they are great to deal with.  Good prices and good info on the products they sell.

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

Hi everyone,
With regard to the GeForce 6800 graphics card, there was a post recently on the Unigraphics forum about realising the full 'professional' performance of these cards.
Have a look at

thread561-141387

bc

RE: How does this sound (home CAD PC)

bloodclot,

I purchased the 9100 Dell Dimension for my home PC and love it.

DELL Dimension 9100
PentiumD 830 2.8GHz with Dual Core Technology
2GB (2X512MB) Dual Channel DDR2 RAM at 533MHz
256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800
SB Live
160GB SATA HDD w/ Native Command Queuing
75GB Sata HDD w/ Native Command Queuing - added later
CD-ROM - Don't remember the speed
16X DVD+/-RW Double Layer DVD Burner
24" Widescreen Monitor w/ Media Reader built into the side of the monitor

All for $1700

When I have ran SW on that Machine, the video card is incredibly stable. But if SW was to crash I would not complain simply because its a gaming card.

As for going to the 3.0 GHz vs the 2.8 GHz, I figured the speed isn't that much that I could tell a large difference for the cost.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

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