Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
(OP)
Thinking of doing an upgrade and just wondering if anyone has found it beneficial, using Solidworks 2004 SP1 on a Dual CPU workstation?
Currently I have a 2.4Ghz, 1 Gb, but the CPU is just bogged down with some of my very large rebuild/redraws for 10 minutes (and yes I invoke light weights).
Currently I have a 2.4Ghz, 1 Gb, but the CPU is just bogged down with some of my very large rebuild/redraws for 10 minutes (and yes I invoke light weights).






RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
I have seen both processors have activity when rebuilding large assemblies, and when using COSMOSworks though, but again nothing that would justify dual processors. They do help in multi-tasking though. I can read/write email, work in MS Projects, goof around in Photoshop while I am waiting for other operations to complete in SW.
Ray Reynolds
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Gateway 3.0ghz P4
XP Pro
3d Labs Wildcat 880
2 Gb ram
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
nick
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
For other things, such as background tasks, other programs opened, etc. you may see some benefit, but not nearly as much as a program designed to make use of both processors.
Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC
http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
FWIW I would get the best graphics card I could afford and couple it with the best CPU. That's the most efficient combination for SW IMO.
Just another voice heard from in the crowd.
Chris Gervais
Sr. Mechanical Designer
Lytron Corp.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Yes, SolidWorks does not make use of both processors, but the one workstation we have here with duals handles two individual instances of SolidWorks running at the same time quite nicely !!!
Remember...
"If you don't use your head,
your going to have to use your feet."
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
BTW: In a large or topographically complex assembly you can see a liitle of the effect in the graphics regeneration during rebuilds as MadMango suggests.
The multi-tasking and FEA issues are real, but for mutli-tasking to be effective you would need to be doing something else while SW was crunching a long process. FEA and similar programs are a natural for multi-threading. PhotoWorks might be too?
On using 2 copies of SW at the same time - I would think that might get a bit dangerous? How is is working out? do you use PDM type products? do use use completely separate project on each or does the OS manage to handle it all OK?
Be naughty - save Santa a trip.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
We only have 5 design users and 1 detailer. The three older designers all copy existing parts/assemblies onto their own network drives as prototype numbers and then pass them to the detailer when complete.
That only leaves the three of us for file/revision management and we always know what each other are working on and follow a well defined system for filing parts/assemblies which works well for us.
Our detailer runs the dual proccessors (older NT box). Typically seperate assemblies but often with common parts. When one of the larger drawings is rebuilding (anywhere from 800 to 1400 parts, complex casting geometry, springs cross-sectioned in a full assemblies, multiple section views or details on a page, etc.) he can work on a faster responding project at the same time.
Our newest machine opens the rebuilds the same file in 20-25% of the time but it can still takes 12-15 min to redraw sometimes. Running two instances has always seemed to be stable and we may replace his workstation with another dual machine because of the flexibility it gives him down the line when NT is totally defunct.
Remember...
"If you don't use your head,
your going to have to use your feet."
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
I have a dual proc Dell, but with only single 2.0GHz Xeon chip at this time. This machine does get used for Photoshop, and I hope to take the slight benefits of a 2nd chip one day.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
BTW: I personally discussed this with Jon H at the first SW World, so I'm not making this $#!* up.
Be naughty - save Santa a trip.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Whell, after reading these posts it's still not clear for me!
I have an hyperthreading processor.
Should I use hyperthreading with SW or should I deselect it?
Regards
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
nick
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Be naughty - save Santa a trip.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
As a side note the window switching, an other tasks got faster too.
nick
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
I usually run a MS Word or Excel while the FFE is working on something....seems to go OK, no crashes yet. So, at least in my case hyperthreading is a reasonably decent feature. Don't know if I'd necessarily recommend it to anyone, but wouldn't recommend disabling it either.
Anyway, all this is offered FWIW.
Regards
Mike
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Be naughty - save Santa a trip.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
nick
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
DG
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Regards,
Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
"Improved FFEPlus Solver for Static Studies. The speed of FFEPlus has been improved substantially in solving most problems. Testing on benchmark problems showed a 30% average speed improvement.
Improved Direct Sparse Solver for Static Studies. The performance of the Direct Sparse has been improved substantially in terms of speed and memory management. Benchmark testing on solid mesh studies showed the following results in comparison to COSMOSWorks 2004:
For problems solved in core in earlier releases, the speed is about 3 times faster on average.
For problems solved out of core in earlier releases, the speed ratio becomes higher as the problem becomes larger. For a large benchmark problem, the speed is about 20 times faster.
The solver now supports multi-processors. The solution time goes down substantially with added processors. A machine with dual processor showed an average speed improvement of 60%.
"
oharag
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics
There are only 10 types of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't.
RE: Has anyone found benefit in using a Dual CPU?
Regards
Dave