CAD station/Computer

[adam_J]

In that list above, what one is the motherboard? How do I know how many RAM slots it has available?

thank for all of the info again. This is a great help to save me some $$. I'm just starting out and I can't really afford to make any big mistakes right now.

Thanks again.

[gandocadguy]

It doesn't specify a motherboard. Most name brands don't because they'll use the cheapest one they can find. It's not necessarily bad unless, as in this case, you plan to upgrade it later. One way to find out is to see what the Max RAM that computer can be configured with is. It'll normally tell you how many sticks and of what size.

[adam_J]

so by seeing that it has 8GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM you can tell the motherboard? Or make a good "guesstimate" of what it is?

What one do you think that it is? You're thinking that it has six memory slots for expansion?

Also, it looks liike I can get an nVidia GeForce 9500GT card for like $60 if I have an issue with that immediately?

Thanks again for the info.

[gandocadguy]

Again, there is no way of knowing what brand or model number that motherboard is. Only HP knows that. It could, most likely, be determined once you have the PC by markings on the board.

From HP's site though:

Total memory slots 4 DIMM (240-pin, DDR3) (occupied)

Maximum memory expansion N/A

So to get 8GB's it's using 4X2GB sticks with no additional slots.

It's on the specs page here: http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/pro...P196AA%2523ABA

[adam_J]

If I wanted more RAM I would have to get "Sticks" of greater than 2MB to increase the RAM. And we know that I can expand to greater than 8GB RAM becasue it is a 64bit system, right?

Thanks you are a great help.

[gandocadguy]

64bit supports more than the 8GB's of RAM.

However, currently RAM maxes out at 2GB's per stick. Atleast I haven't seen any larger sticks.

So this computer will be maxed out at 8GB's.

Is that enough for what you want to do? Maybe. Only you can really answer that question.

I use C3D 2009 on a 32bit system with 4GB's and it does just fine.
I'm running a dell precision t3400.

[adam_J]

Yes I believe that 8GB will work for me, but I wish it was more expandable.

My mobile workstation is a Dell Precision with 4GB and it works fine. For large files we have desktop work stations but I don't know what they are (HP's).

I won't be using it for "work" files, but for personal jobs of much smaller scale, so I believe that it will suffice for the next year or so. then I will invest in another system with more expandability.

Thanks