new pc cost, is this too much?

[pgump]

I have been shopping for new pc's to run SolidWorks for my dept and just wonder if this cost is typical. I was going to use Xi computers. They seem to have good reviews as well as some recommendations from various forums.

dual-core Intel Xeon 3.4 1600fsb and appropriate motherboard
4 gig ram
Quadro FX4600 768MB
150GB 10K rpm WD raptor
with some misc. additions and no monitor - $5K

We run SolidWorks 2001 with NT and would be upgrading to the latest with XP. I just want to get something that will run Solidworks for years to come. My company doesn't spend money often (hence 2001 on NT). Just want to make sure we are getting the most bang for our buck. Thoughts on the Xeon vs Core 2 Duo. Xi vs. Dell vs. HP ????

Thanks, Pete

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

If you want the machine to last for years to come, you should probably be looking at Vista x64. Mainstream support for XP Pro will be ended in April 2009, although Extended support will continue for 5 years after that.

 

[Rocko]

I think the idea of buying the best out there at the time is not always a wise decision. You can save thousands by buying what was the best 6 months ago and still have excellent SW performance. The fact is that you pay a large premium for the brand new tech and they do not always have the bugs worked out. Take a look at

http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_11761.html

and check the stats before buying the video card. You could probably save 100's just there alone without really impacting your performance. Like the Quadro FX3700.

 

[swertel]

The QuadroFx 1700 is a really good bang-for-the-buck model. Not the highest end by any means, but excellent performance for all but the high end renderings or lofted swoopy surfaces.
If you have moderate assemblies of prismatic machined parts, the FX1700 is the perfect tool.

The Xeon is overkill for a desktop workstation. The Core2Duo is again better bang-for-the-buck, even if you end up doing some local FEA. Now if you server farm or are doing a lot of high-end FEA or CFD, then the Xeon will start earning its keep. Make sure you get the highest CPU speed of the Core2, though. I usually go for the one with the huge price break in between the next model. I preferably keep it at or above 3.0 GHz because the fast speed is required for all the non-multithreaded tasks.

4Gb RAM = obvious.

10K RPM Raptor = win. I personally always go with 2 HDDs even if I'm not setting up for raid. Putting your page file on the second drive and partitioning you OS from you apps improves IO speed.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

 

[ctopher]

I think for 5K you should have twice the hard drive and 8GB RAM. Move to a blu-ray CD drive.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 2.0
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)