ideal PC spec for UG - dual core - quad core?

[jackrussell007]

Hi folks

I'm hoping you will help me out. I've searched the forum but didnt find anything covering this topic.

I'm trying to maximise processing power for one of our guys running NX4. some of our upcoming projects are fairly big projects so I'm hoping to get the best out of the machine he is currently using. he's running on a dell 64bit, dual core, 4GB RAM, with a 256MB graphics card.

I've some questions if we upgrade the machine altogether;

I've read that UG doesnt utilise the 2 core unless you change an environmental variable which is nice to find out now, I can change that but will UG utilise quad core technology? would it be worthwhile to upgrade from a dual core?

does UG rely heavily on the graphics card or predominently on the RAM i.e is it worthwhile paying big for a top end graphics card?

I'm interested in hearing what kind of spec other folks are working on and what would you go for if buying a new pc?

any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks

 

[RPereira]

Hello every one

Regarding the following list from JohnRBaker (in order of performance from best to worse), where can I insert a “Two Quad-Core CPU’s in 2 Sockets”?

1) Four single-core CPU's in 4 sockets
2) Two dual-core CPU's in 2 sockets
3) Two single-core CPU's in 2 sockets
4) One dual-core CPU in 1 socket
5) One quad-core CPU in 1 socket
6) One single-core CPU in 1 socket

Waiting a suggestive answer as soon as possible,

My best regards

 

[JohnRBaker]

From what I learned during my original research which resulted in that 'descending list' of configurations, I suspect that it would probably become the new #2 although it could end up in the #3 spot.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[vdek]

John,

I don't believe that list would hold true anymore with the new core i7 processors?

I was curious however, our main problem area with NX is time wasted in CAM during Generation/Verification... We're running pretty ancient systems and are upgrading soon, however I was wondering if going to a core i7 would make a dramatic difference or if changing video cards to a higher end Quadro would make the difference.

Current setup is a 2.4ghz core 2 duo with 4gb of ram and a Quadro FX 1400 running 32-bit NX5. Although we plan on switching to 64bit NX6 with Windows 7 when we purchase our new computers.

 

[looslib]

With CAM generation, processor speed is everything! Memory is next, then graphics.
Since Windoze 7 is still in beta, how far off is this purchase?
How much memory and what graphics cards are you looking at?
The multi-core processors still have process and memory management functions that take resources away from the CPU itself. So even newer generation chips wil still show some of the characteristics that John has in his list.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli

 

[hudson888]

vdek,

I'd presume you're either guessing or basing some of your ideas at this stage upon something you've read. With W7 in the infancy of beta that will run for about a year there's no way to be certain that it will suit your needs. Even if you're going to use beta releases I'd advise waiting until later before exposing too many users to something that may be too raw fro a production environment.

By all means think ahead but if you do there is seldom financial justification for having the latest and greatest at a premium price for the sake of obtaining a technology advantage which lasts all of five minutes in modern computing. I rationalise that you can buy a cheaper but sufficiently high end system that is not the stuff of cutting edge hi-tech glamour and have it last for two years competently for about the same ongoing cost as the creme de la creme model that may still struggle to last for three and seem ancient by the time that you replace it.

Now is a reasonably hard time to get into systems because we're still caught on the horns of a Vista dilemma in my opinion. But hardware is cheap with the financial crisis. I think it is not yet the time to buy for W7 so I'd get in cheaply for a year or two using affordable existing technologies and plan to upgrade again at a sound price point perhaps within 18 to 24 months. Buying more frequently needs to be cheaper and shun the cutting edge. It also annoys company bean counters for some reason but it gives you the flexibility to get it right more often than not.

Best Regards

Hudson

www.jamb.com.au

Nil Desperandum illegitimi non carborundum