AQucsaiJr Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I need some help coming up with specs for AutoCAD 2012 workstations for the company I work for. Its not a big company so I can't just go out and buy a bunch of i7 gammers. What core components should I look for in a good workstation, processor, amount of RAM, video card... etc. I should also add that in my office we do not use any 3D functions of autoCAD, just the 2D. Our current workstations are Win XP, Intel Core Duo 2.2GHz, 2GB RAM with ATI Radeon X1650 video card. We just upgraded to AutoCAD 2012 and these workstations are very noticeably slow and in need of an upgrade. Thank you for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackBox Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 (edited) Here's what we're setting up this week to replace our existing Dell Precision M4500's: Intel i7 2820QM Quad Core HT Processor (2.3 GHz, 8MB) 16GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM, 4 DIMMS 250GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive 17 inch FHD LED Display (1920x1200) NVIDIA Quadro 3000M 2GB GDDR5 8x DVD+/-RW Backlit Keyboard Integrated SD Card Reader Centrino Ultimate 6300 b/g/n Wireless Dell Wireless Bluetooth Integrated Network Card 9-cell battery 4-year Complete Care (includes accidental damage protection) Weight: 7.8lbs/3.53kg Dimensions: width: 16.4inch/416.6mm, depth: 10.7inch/271.8mm, height: 1.5inch/38.5mm ... We also have dual 20" WS Monitors at the office. Edited August 30, 2011 by BlackBox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AQucsaiJr Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 That seems a little out of my spending range. They have told me to keep the workstations between $800 - $1000. Oh and these will be desktops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzframpton Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Core i5, 64bit OS, 8GB minimum RAM, entry level gaming card. That would be more than enough to run anything 2D on a seat of AutoCAD 2012. I figure you could get a machine like that for $600-$700. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackBox Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Fair enough. FWIW, here is our desktop configuration: Quad Core Intel Xeon W3540 Processor (2.93GHz, 8MBL2, 4.8 GT/s) Tower Chassis 16GB, DDR3 SDRAM Memory, 1066MHz, ECC (4 DIMMS) FX1800 768 MB Dual DVI Dual 160GB 10K RPM SATA 16x DVD reader Integrated Intel Gigabit NIC Internal Audio & Speaker Dell USB 5-Button Premium Mouse Dell USB Enhanced Multimedia Keyboard Windows 7 Enterprise, 64-Bit 4 Year Limited Warranty plus 4 Year NBD On-Site Service ** Forgot to mention, running Civil 3D 2009/2011/2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I find it difficult to believe your company gave you a budget like that to buy "work station" quality computers. The CEO probably spent more on his new car/truck than you will on all the computers combined. Well whatever you end up with I'd just make sure it is a 64-bit system running Win7 Pro and the latest version of your software (64-bit too). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AQucsaiJr Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Well the computers we have now were purchased for 850. I think they want to stay around that again just little more up-to-date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cad64 Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Core i5, 64bit OS, 8GB minimum RAM, entry level gaming card. That would be more than enough to run anything 2D on a seat of AutoCAD 2012. I figure you could get a machine like that for $600-$700. ^What he said But you would probably even be ok with just 6GB RAM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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