I just left a job where I was using LDD and dabbling in Civil 3D a little. It was a medium sized company where all hardware was upgraded quite regularly and always very nice.
I'm sitting at my desk on the second day of my new job with a gorgeous new monitor and some little desktop PC that is barely going to run ACAD 2007, which I need to order and get running ASAP. We anticipate using 3D features and will be looking into Revit in the coming months and years. I'll probably be getting another new box by the time that comes around.
I'm sure everyone has seen these on Autodesk's website:
System Requirements
System requirements for AutoCAD 2007 for users who are focusing on 2D drawing creation are as follows:
Intel® Pentium® IV processor recommended
Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home Edition (SP1 or SP2), Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (SP2), or Windows 2000 (SP3 or SP4)
512 MB RAM
750 MB free disk space for installation
1024x768 VGA display with true color
Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6.0 (SP1 or higher)
System requirements for AutoCAD 2007 for users who are taking advantage of the new conceptual design capabilities are as follows:
Intel® processor 3.0 GHz or greater
Windows XP Professional (SP2)
2 GB RAM or greater
2 GB of disk space available, not including installation
1280x1024 32-bit color video display adapter (true color)
128 MB or greater, OpenGL®-capable workstation class graphics card.
I'm looking at the second set. I'm also looking at Dell workstations. I've been looking a lot on the net and am shocked at how little I can find on the subject of AutoCAD and dual core processor compatibility. Why would I want to waste money on a dual core processor that Autocad isn't going to use? I'd rather get a single Pentium 4 running at a higher speed, but 3.0 is all that's available.
I know that i can't just look at a dual-core and double the freq to find my speed, they just don't run like that. but is a dual-core at 1.86GHz going to run ACAD 2007 faster than the P4 at 3.0GHz? Any advice on where to find a P4 running faster than 3.0?
I can't believe I can't find a workstation (for less than $3000!) that will run fast enough, but isn't a waste of resources.
Help, please!
Thank you,
sTu