Upgrade from AutoCad2004

[mrsdrafter]

I am a supervisor of our drafting department and my boss wants to know when are we suppose to upgrade to AutoCAD2006 or 2007, or even 2008. Currently we use AutoCAD 2004. I guess my question is it better to wait when autoCAD 2008 is out and then upgrade? Will 2008 be more expensive than 2006 or 2007? Is there such thing as dead line when you can't use AutoCAD2004 anymore?

thank you

[StykFacE]

I am a supervisor of our drafting department and my boss wants to know when are we suppose to upgrade to AutoCAD2006 or 2007, or even 2008. Currently we use AutoCAD 2004. I guess my question is it better to wait when autoCAD 2008 is out and then upgrade? Will 2008 be more expensive than 2006 or 2007? Is there such thing as dead line when you can't use AutoCAD2004 anymore?

thank you

don't wait for 2008, go ahead and get 2007 full, then get the subscription for the new release. here's the difference....

'04 to '08 full = $2,800.

'04 to '07 full = $1,800 + '08 subscription ($400) = $2,200.

when you upgrade your licenses, they differ in price depending on the version. but that's why they allow the subscription, which basically is a 12 month pad so you don't get screwed with spending all that money and not getting the latest, when it was like a month apart or something.

as far as where to go, just go to AutoDesk.com and type in some info under the "locate a dealer" section, then they'll give you some phone numbers of some places you can purchase from.

PS: soon as you locate a dealer, they'll give you the dead-on price for upgrades... just gotta check with them.

[mrsdrafter]

Thank you for your reply, I will just have to contact our Cad Dealer.

Thanks again

[rkmcswain]

I am a supervisor of our drafting department and my boss wants to know when are we suppose to upgrade to AutoCAD2006 or 2007, or even 2008. Currently we use AutoCAD 2004. I guess my question is it better to wait when autoCAD 2008 is out and then upgrade? Will 2008 be more expensive than 2006 or 2007? Is there such thing as dead line when you can't use AutoCAD2004 anymore?

thank you

Note that recent history has seen Autodesk release a new version of AutoCAD every March ( http://www.dotsoft.com/autocad.htm ).

Each of these versions were buggy enough that most people have started waiting until the inevitable SP1 (May/June?)

So the question becomes (using StykFacE's numbers) - do you want to spend 2200 now or 2800 later?

Yes, AutoCAD 2004 will be retired on March 15, 2007 - so they want you to upgrade by then in order to get the "upgrade" price". But, license holders of AutoCAD as old as R14 can still get discounts on the latest version (See http://www.autodesk.com/legacy ) so don't let the "retired date" scare you into upgrading. Make your decision on your needs and your budget.

Contact your reseller, but keep in mind that their #1 purpose is to sell Autodesk software and subscriptions...

Good luck.