Recommendations for hardware 1

[Updraft]

I know you guys can shorten my learning curve and hunt. I need to buy two new desktop boxes and one laptop for SWX.

Money is a big issue here so the limit is far below the sky.

For all of the systems I expect to have the following:
1. Windows 7-64 bit (any particular version?)
2. Intel Core i7 processor (need more specifics)
3. As much RAM as I can get/afford, probably 12-16 GB (any particulars?)
4. Med-low end NVidia (we only do SWX models and no photo rendering). Someone on this forum suggested Tom's Hardware for comparing the performance/price of video cards when I bought my last one three years ago and it was a great solution, but I don't see such a straightforward appraisal there now.

It was suggested to look for a mirror drive or Raid 0 setup, and to consider solid state drives or the new hybrid drive that employs both disk and solid state.

For the desktop machines we are just looking to replace the boxes as the monitors and mouse/keyboard are okay to keep using. For the laptop we are looking toward Asus brand. The model G74SX-DH71 looks pretty good except it does not have the mirrored drives and its NVidia GeForce GTX 560M I don't find on SWX's website.

I've been to the SWX website and will double check everything there anyway. It is just that a lot of you guys are more in tune with the hardware and I know you can help me find a good, affordable solution quickly.

Thanks in advance!!

- - -Updraft

 

[Nella95]

I'm not sure I'd go with the same spec.s for the laptop as with the desktop boxes. - I've had good success with the Dell M series Precision laptops... but I'll let others provide better knowledge.

SW Premium 2011
64 bit SP4.0
Intel Xenon X5650 @2.67GHz
2.66 GHz 11.9 GB of RAM

 

[Eltron]

Earlier this year I was in the same boat. I went with a Dell Vostro tower (similar specs to yours) and an XPS17 laptop. Both were under $1400 I believe. Check these threads:

https://forum.solidworks.com/message/237516#237516

and

https://forum.solidworks.com/message/219766#219766

Dan

http://www.eltronresearch.com

Dan's Blog

 

[JMirisola]

As far as Win7, it has to be Pro or Premium, not a home version. The GeForce cards are gaming cards, not CAD cards. You may get SWx to run on it, but it'll be pretty sketchy. nVidia does make SWx tested mobile cards, but I don't know if they're available for ASUS.

You really should check out Charles Culp's post in the SolidWorks forums. He's continually updating specs and provides a wealth of information.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Director of Engineering
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[Updraft]

Jeff,

Thanks for the link. I had class or two with his dad, Archie Culp, at UMR (now called the Missouri University of Science and Technology). He was a great guy and great prof! I'll look over his Charles' blog.

I currently have a Dell Precision M6400. It is a replacement for the M6300 I originally had that puked under warranty. This M6400 has XP-64 bit and I think 6 GB RAM. I have been having a lot of crashes in large assemblies and my other guys with the desktops have had refusals from SWX to open some large assemblies. They are on XP-32 bit. We are currently running SWX2011. (Yes, we open in lightweight mode.)

The laptops typically do not have the full range of choices for video cards available to desktops. When you do have the "same" card its model number has an "M" at the end of it designating it as a "Mobile" version. Otherwise they are identical to the desktop version.

Thanks for the info, guys and gals. Please keep it coming.

- - -Updraft

 

[steinmini]

I built up my own PC, and just yesterday changed the 3x2G Kingston HyperX DDR3 1466MHz with Mushkin Blackline 4x4G 1600MHz. Noticeable increase in stability and endurance, especially during PhotWorks preview rendering, with Quadro FX580. The rest of the machine is somewhat lower spec than I-7, AMD PhenomII x4 965BE (4x3.74GHz in +10% OC auto mode) and Seagate Barracuda 1T HDD for the system (Win7 x64 Pro). If I could, I would go for a SSD but it's still beyond my (mental) reach (too much $ per G of space)
Good news, 18 months ago, paid three times more for the 6G RAM than now for the 16G pack (

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=65762

).
If I had the money then, I would also go for Intel. Couldn't afford it, the CPU was alone more expensive than my MB, PC case and PS. Do not forget to take care about the quality of the PSU.
Just my two cents if you're not going to buy a brand workstation.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

 

[Eltron]

If you are switching from 32-bit to 64-bit be aware that you may have to adjust your desktop heap and user object settings in the registry in order to avoid memory issues.

Dan

http://www.eltronresearch.com

Dan's Blog

 

[kellnerp]

A Quadro FX 1400 will give the best rebuild performance based on the Punch Holder benchmark. You can pick them up for $100.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[steinmini]

FX1400? I have an old FX3400 (256MB/256-bit) and tossed it out, no adequate drivers for Win7 x64. Went for newer FX580.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

 

[kellnerp]

I think it's still on the list. Could be wrong though. If you can't find that one an FX1500 is also suitable.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[steinmini]

It may be on the list, but with new hardware, and win7 x64 there was a whole load of conflicts between various hardware bus/clock speed settings. Had to install XP, lower the speed of memory, adjust the clock on the CPU (Phenom II x4 965BE@3.74G) and so on. It was cheaper and more efficient to buy the low end, but new FX580. Just my two cents (from personal experience).
To make it more interesting, For a while, waiting for the FX580 to arrive, I used the integrated GPU with shared 1G of RAM. Even that was performing better than the FX3400... (no RealView, though)

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

 

[kellnerp]

Not for the machines I've setup. FX1400 is low end.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

http://www.engtran.com

http://www.niswug.org

http://www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport

Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

 

[steinmini]

The first (initial) post clearly states the requirements.

#1. OS: Win7 x64 + FX1400

For SW2010 there is a driver passed.
For SW2011 there is a driver passed.
For SW2010 there is a driver passed with limitations. Added a note: "RealView quality has been dropped to improve both performance and stability."

Funny.

FX3400 with twice as much memory didn't pass the test for SW2010 on Win7 x64 and passed with SW 2011, and for SW 2012 a note: "Limited video memory may cause instabilities with Windows 7"

Really funny.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/