Computer suggestions for Simulation (Nonlinear)

[jmblur]

We're shuffling some older computers out, and since I'm first in the "power user" pecking order (being the only FEA user), IT has suggested that we pass my current computer to one of the other heavy solidworks users and get a new workstation for me. I'm not about to argue, even though my current computer is pretty speedy - only real problem is lack of hard disk space (fairly complex plastic products for nonlinear analysis with large deflections - not really what FEA excels at, but hey, I do what they ask. Always fun starting a file friday afternoon and still finding it running monday morning).

My current setup - Dell Precision PWS490
XP x64
Xeon E5345 quad core 2.33ghz
8gb ram (not sure on speed/CAS, sorry!)
Seagate Cheetah 15k.5 150gb SAS HDD
Dell SAS 5/iR Adapter controller
NVIDIA Quadro FX3450

Don't know the motherboard model and all that offhand.

So, all that said, what I'm really looking for is what you think the best setup for a computer running simulation for nonlinear analysis is. I'd imagine it's pretty similar to mine, just with a larger SAS hdd possibly RAID 0? And a large SATA drive to offload old files to. Only caveat - I'm stuck with Dell, so I can't spec it out completely.

Thanks!
J

 

[cbrn]

well, you could add more and more memory so that you are even able to load a "virtual disc" in RAM so that the entire Cosmos process doesn't even "touch" one bit in the hard drive... I fear you'll need at the very least 16 GB, if not (more likely) 32 GB in order to do that...
I also see that you have some improvement margin as regards processor(s), but don't expect a revolution from this side (or you could build up a "cluster workstation", provided that Cosmos can scale to more than 8 or 16 processors, and also bear in mind that each "core" is seen as a "processor"...).
Hope that helps in some way...

Regards