Killer System

Looking to do a major upgrade for my Auto Cad RIG. I run 2009 at the moment and also run a 3D duct drawings program in conjunction with Auto Cad. Anyone have any suggestions for a killer system that I wont scream, yell, and stomp my feet due to lag ect. What kind of system, Memory, surely the video card as well as operating system, should I go with 64 bit. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Windows 7 Pro (64-bit)

AutoCAD 2011 (64-bit)

Quad-core processor. Maybe an Intel i7 if you got the bucks.

The fastest memory the mobo can handle.

Minimum 4GB RAM (personally I like 8GB better).

Graphics card? Well I used to say nVidia Quadro series since they have OpenGL drivers specific to AutoCAD. But AutoDesk keeps saying OpenGL is going away and DirectX is the future. So, I'm not sure any longer. Check the recommended hardware list re: graphics cards at the AutoDesk website.

Hard drive. If it isn't solid state then get one with a minimum 7200 rpm not 5400 rpm. If money is no object go to 10,000 rpm.

You have a LCD monitor yet?

Lots of great machines out there, I would go for the Intel i7 with as much ram as you can get, nVidia quadro cards are the cards for a cad machine, and yes 64 bit with win 7 64bit installed.

ReMark beat me to it..haha

I have a pretty nice monitor...HP w2408... I will look into this system thanx a lot. I am annoyed with the lag and expect to be drawing a huge job in the near future with a lot of ductwork. If I do this I want to make sure it's done right. Seems the big decision question would be the video card. I will have to find time to research some I suppose.

Just having a 64-bit system, a top-of-the-line processor and the fastest RAM available (even if it were just 4GB) would be a huge step up and the improvement in performance would be quite noticeable. And that's with a mid-range graphics card ($200-$300).

How about a computer mfg...should I go with HP for example or have one built

How about a computer mfg...should I go with HP for example or have one built

I would look at Lenovo's desktops. Excellent and the service is outstanding.

You could build it yourself and save some money, potentially. Its actually fairly easy.

The best value for your dollar right now is the Core i7-750 ($195, it's a quad core). Most of the i7's out there use a different socket type (LGA1366) which is more expensive and ends up costing about ~50% more for only a

Regardless of which processor you choose and what your budget is, you really want something in the LGA1156 format that the i5's (and a few i7's now) use.

The i7-860 is another good choice at $280, it's also LGA1156

Actually you won't save yourself that much money. Why? Because companies like Dell and HP get their hardware at discounted prices you and I will never see since they buy in much larger volumes. Same goes for the software. But what you will get is the computer that's just right for you, not the guy next door nor the one across town or on the other side of the country.

Here is what I was looking at...HP, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, Six Core i7, 16 meg ram, 160 gig solid state HD, the only thing is that the Graphics Card they offer is a 2GB ATI Radeon HD 5570 which isn't listed on Autodesks card tests. I sent a message to Autodesk questioning it's eventual test. I may even back off on the processor a bit to offset the 2011 64 bit upgrade

Rather than contact AutoDesk why not talk to HP instead. Ask them if they would be willing to swap out the Radeon for something on AutoDesk's certified list. Tell them why it is important and see what they say. Otherwise ask if they can ship the unit without a graphics card and you buy and install what you want.

If you're looking at a $900 processor then HP is the last company you want to go with.

If you're looking at a $900 processor then HP is the last company you want to go with.

Well then who?

I bet you can find detractors for every major computer manufacturer in the world. I think the one brand universally hated was Compaq. Funny though, HP took them over.

I spoke with the programmers who developed the 3D duct drawing add to Autocad and they suggest either a Fire GL or Quadro FX both of which there are many on Autocad's list. Anyone have a more specific experience. I don't mind spending the money to make this thing work great.

I spoke with the programmers who developed the 3D duct drawing add to Autocad and they suggest either a Fire GL or Quadro FX both of which there are many on Autocad's list. Anyone have a more specific experience. I don't mind spending the money to make this thing work great.

Well, hold your horses. Just because you drop $6,000 on a top notch computer with a multiple core processor, 16GB RAM, 64bit OS, and an elite Quadro FX workstation graphics card doesn't mean all your problems will be automatically solved. It will still buckle under large 3D designs and rending in certain visual styles. It will definitely help the more power you get, but it won't be 100% fluid, seamless projection of the complete 3D model. AutoCAD is a very robust program that has always given me a let down in some way when testing on elite workstation desktop machines. Does it help to have a stout machine? Definitely. Does it solve all performance problems? Not even close.

Just my $0.02 is all.

I realize what your saying. Nothing is perfect. All I know is that I have somewhere is the area of 3k to spend and looking to get the best bang for my buck if possible. My research has got me going in circles. I used to be very much in the computer loop but being a tinknocker for the past seven years has impaired my computer purchasing judgement. I have a fairly large duct job to draw coming up and am looking to upgrade and have things run much smother then they are on my current system. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

If you have set a fiscal budget of $3k, then make sure to have the following as a foundation:

• 64bit Windows (Win 7 Professional Preferred)
  
• 8GB RAM Minimum (16GB Preferred)
  
• Fast BUS/RAM Speeds
  
• MultiCore Processor (ie: Core i7)
  
• After the previous is taken care of, spend the remainder of the budget on a QuadroFX Graphics Card
  

I wouldn't spend any more than $3k. The price to performance ratio drastically decreases after this amount, in general. Just my personal opinion of what I would do with that budget is all. Many more opinions are always welcome.

If you are not going to be doing any 3D work or working with large terrain models 8GB RAM would be more than sufficient in the system Styk has recommended above. If your OS is going to be 64-bit (which it really should be) you'll want to load the 64-bit version of AutoCAD too as it just makes good sense.

Siderus, i dont think Autodesk officially supports AutoCAD 2009 on Windows 7, make sure before you buy. I’m not an AutoCAD user but personally would stay away from a non-supported operating system. I’m not a fan of the XP compatibility mode either.

I am a systems builder who came here looking for advice too. I am building 10 systems for a client (with a budget), some will be running XP pro 64 to support Autocad 2008, some Windows 7 Ultimate 64 for Autocad 2011.

For my builds I selected an i7 over the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T only because of the motherboard selections available.

I selected the Intel SSD drive because of the SSD toolkit available for XP is a substitute for Trim, not available from other drive manufactures. I’ve been using SSD drives in servers for awhile now with great success and highly recommend them for desktops as they are faaaaassssstttttt. If you move up to Windows 7 you’ve made the right choice here.

My preliminary configuration for the core components are:

Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz

ASUS Rampage III Formula X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (this results in a triple channel configuration)

ATI FirePro V4800 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Workstation Video Card, GDDR5, open GL 3.2, 2560 x 1600

Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2K5 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply.

I realize the V4800 is far from the top of the line video card but it looks like a great card for the price and I spent the budget elsewhere. (I need to confirm XP 64 driver availability). Suggestions on other cards would be most helpful. With todays advanced video technoledgy does one really need to spend more money on a CAD video card?

The total cost for this system will be around 2K including the OS and monitor.

Of course systems can be ‘hundred dollared’ to death. Faster memory, CPU, etc. The 300$ motherboard and 150$ power supply is probably overkill, but then that’s where I tend to spend more of a clients money than I should.

As for the monitor…

I’ve been looking at various widescreen monitors in the 24 inch / 300$ range. It seems that the newer LED/LCD monitors are nearly all 1920 x 1080 whereas to obtain higher resolutions, say 1920 x 1200 the older ccfl technology is still dominate, at least in this price range.

The LEDs are without question are the better display.

Which would be the choice for Autocad? A 1920x1080 LED/LCD or 1920x1200 CCFL/LCD?

Any advice is appreciated.