Need feedback for ordering new computer for autocad use

[jaberwok]

i5 or i7 with 4 cores (is enough); 8 to 24 GB RAM; mid-range graphics card.
Any suitable mobo will support 5 or more SATA drives and probably 2 SATA2 drives.
If you want an external drive, look for USB3.0 ports - much, much faster than USB2.0.

Switching between applications is likely to be smoother with more cores but acad mainly uses only one and, occasionally, 2 cores.
In fact, it uses only 1 or 2 threads and many of the newer processors claim to run 2 threads per core.

[cadtag]

gbelous
would the type of processor matter if i was running two big programs at the same time, say cad and photoshop?

You may have them both "open", but only one has focus. Multi-core is good, since there are a lot of background processes running, but 12 is definitely overkill.
this snapshot is with a 1.5 Gb cad file open, plus Excel, outlook, explorer, and several smaller apps open. single i7 processor, packing 8 cores (virtual CPUs)

Definitely not limited by processor...

Bottom line is that modern Acad applications do NOT take advantage of modern hardware.

[gbelous]

ahh, okay. thanks for spelling it all out. never really looked into how programs worked with the computer and what affected what. it's starting to make sense. will have to work with the it guy and see what he thinks of all this too.
thanks again!

[gbelous]

Here's what mine looks like with only these 3 main programs running:
cad (just a simple floor plan, about 900kb in size)
photoshop (just to edit that attachment)
chrome (with a few tabs) open 45 min since a reboot. lol

Untitled-1.jpg

[dgorsman]

Don't forget the "fifth wall" is there too - the OS.

[gbelous]

seems like the it guy is pushing towards the xeon processor because the Precision systems come with a 3 year warantee from dell whereas the XPS line doesn't. and he claims both processors are about the same when he's used them

[gbelous]

any preference between NVIDIA QUADRO 600 vs AMD FIREPRO V5900, both are for the precision line

[cadtag]

seems like the it guy is pushing towards the xeon processor because the Precision systems come with a 3 year warantee from dell whereas the XPS line doesn't. and he claims both processors are about the same when he's used them

Well, they both work, and I presume that's what he means. Cost differential though is the real point of distinction, both for CPU and required ECC RAM. What's the dollar difference in your quotes? and what's the cost differential to add more RAM later on? and frankly, a three year warranty is not worth much. Generally computer electronic components fail quickly, or last longer than one wants. Just make sure you have a _high_quality UPS on hand, and use it. Dirty power is supposedly the biggest killer of PCs.

[gbelous]

Got another system that's $1000 cheaper than the first one i posted. I just have to research the graphics card because it's not on the "certified" list from Autodesk. Any feedback on this set up and how it compares to the first one?

XPS 8500
3rd Gen Intel Core i7-3770 processor 3.40 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.90 GHz
32GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz 4 DIMMS
Dell KB213 Wired Multimedia Keyboard, US-English
No Monitor
AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB DDR5
Dell SRV Software 1703
256GB SSD SRT enhancement +2TB SATA Hard Drive 7200 RPM
XPS 8500, White Chassis w/19:1 media card reader
Windows 7 Professional 64 bit, English, No Media
Dell USB 6-Button Laser Mouse
Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Adobe Acrobat Reader
16X DVD+/-RW
Integrated 7.1 with WAVE MAXXAudio 4
No Speaker Requested
Dell Wireless 1703 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0+LE
US Power Cord
Localization parts-English/French
XPS localiztaoin parts (power cord, documents, ship material)
SHIP,XPS,L10,FXCN,8500,DAO
McAfee 11, 15 Month
Dell Resource DVD with Application Backup
Additional Software
No PDVD
Microsoft Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word and Excel w/ ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
Dell Limited Hardware Warranty, Initial Year
ProSupport: Next Business Day Parts and Labor Onsite Response Initial Year
No Warranty beyond 1 year
ProSupport: 7x24 Technical Support, Initial Year

[Tom Beauford]

Got another system that's $1000 cheaper than the first one i posted. I just have to research the graphics card because it's not on the "certified" list from Autodesk. Any feedback on this set up and how it compares to the first one?

Better everything, solid state drive & less money. Looks great!