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SVTPerformance's Chain of Restaurants
Road Side Pub
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<blockquote data-quote="CV355" data-source="post: 16207001" data-attributes="member: 181885"><p>What kind of CAD platform?</p><p></p><p>AutoCAD: Any modern system will be fine</p><p></p><p>Solidoesn'twork: See if the DoD is willing to sell you one of their supercomputers, because Solidoesn'twork is a terribly inefficient memory hog. In 2006, I ran a 256mb RAM / 128mb VRAM PC and Solidworks said it needed more ram. Now, I have 32gb RAM / 12gb VRAM and Solidworks says it needs more ram to draw a damn circle. Screw you, Dassault, the only engineers that like your programs are slobs.</p><p></p><p>ProE/Creo or Inventor: 16gb RAM minimum, 2gb VRAM minimum. You won't run into problems unless you do a lot of FEA, thermal/flow, or complex motion analysis.</p><p></p><p>NX: Here's a helpful flowchart. Are you using NX? Yes -> Don't. </p><p></p><p>When it comes to CAD, it used to be "the more VRAM the better." That hasn't been the case in the last decade though. Memory speed and GPU speed make more of an impact in performance these days. Another thing to consider is having a PCIe SSD with the operating system and CAD program installed locally. Even a 10krpm HDD won't be able to compete with the speeds of a SSD, especially in PCIe and not SATA3. It makes a massive difference.</p><p></p><p>Most processors have been multi-core for the last decade as well, and it's surprising that so many programs/applications don't make use of the extra cores. Check that whatever programs you intend to use can actually utilize the processing power before you buy the system, or you may be chasing the wrong goal.</p><p></p><p>I used to build my own PCs back when there was a benefit of doing so. It's still worthwhile if you want the absolute maximum performance without paying a disgusting premium because you can shop around for parts better. When it comes to an average system, a lot of smaller companies offer decent build packages and help on price with their volume/buying power. I bought an iBuyPower system early last year because I couldn't get within $500 of the system cost sourcing the parts myself. The video card alone was half the cost of the system, and Amazon had some sale going on for it. I had to do some small upgrades to it when it arrived, mainly for cooling, but otherwise it has been great (and came with a legal copy of Windows)</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The actual build process is easy, as long as all of the parts are compatible. Where I see people get into trouble (and have myself) is when a manufacturer uses garbage Chinese components that were soldered poorly (avoid AZZA) and it fries everything, or reusing power supplies with bad rails, or not configuring fans properly. Little things that really mess you up.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CV355, post: 16207001, member: 181885"] What kind of CAD platform? AutoCAD: Any modern system will be fine Solidoesn'twork: See if the DoD is willing to sell you one of their supercomputers, because Solidoesn'twork is a terribly inefficient memory hog. In 2006, I ran a 256mb RAM / 128mb VRAM PC and Solidworks said it needed more ram. Now, I have 32gb RAM / 12gb VRAM and Solidworks says it needs more ram to draw a damn circle. Screw you, Dassault, the only engineers that like your programs are slobs. ProE/Creo or Inventor: 16gb RAM minimum, 2gb VRAM minimum. You won't run into problems unless you do a lot of FEA, thermal/flow, or complex motion analysis. NX: Here's a helpful flowchart. Are you using NX? Yes -> Don't. When it comes to CAD, it used to be "the more VRAM the better." That hasn't been the case in the last decade though. Memory speed and GPU speed make more of an impact in performance these days. Another thing to consider is having a PCIe SSD with the operating system and CAD program installed locally. Even a 10krpm HDD won't be able to compete with the speeds of a SSD, especially in PCIe and not SATA3. It makes a massive difference. Most processors have been multi-core for the last decade as well, and it's surprising that so many programs/applications don't make use of the extra cores. Check that whatever programs you intend to use can actually utilize the processing power before you buy the system, or you may be chasing the wrong goal. I used to build my own PCs back when there was a benefit of doing so. It's still worthwhile if you want the absolute maximum performance without paying a disgusting premium because you can shop around for parts better. When it comes to an average system, a lot of smaller companies offer decent build packages and help on price with their volume/buying power. I bought an iBuyPower system early last year because I couldn't get within $500 of the system cost sourcing the parts myself. The video card alone was half the cost of the system, and Amazon had some sale going on for it. I had to do some small upgrades to it when it arrived, mainly for cooling, but otherwise it has been great (and came with a legal copy of Windows) The actual build process is easy, as long as all of the parts are compatible. Where I see people get into trouble (and have myself) is when a manufacturer uses garbage Chinese components that were soldered poorly (avoid AZZA) and it fries everything, or reusing power supplies with bad rails, or not configuring fans properly. Little things that really mess you up. [/QUOTE]
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