2 dual-quad core processors seems like such an absolute overkill. Sure, if you were doing professional video editing, or were starting a recording studio. Key feature being real time playback/editing. You will not be doing any of that. If you think you will, just trust me. You won't.
I so no excuse for an architect to drop $5k on a machine that will cost half of that in 16 months.
Cherith, I thought you were unemployed? Did a credit card company send you a card that you absolutely must max out as soon as possible?
@rustystuds - yep. still unemployed. Doesn't seem like that is going to change anytime soon, so I am starting to think the moving fund savings is going to become new computer spendings.
I largely want the dual-quads for rendering. If I have to wait anything more than an hour for a rendering, I get really impatient. Plus, the additional processors allow me to do other things while rendering without compromising the speed. Also, I figure a larger computer investment now will hopefully mean it lasts a bit longer. I just don't have faith that a single processor (unless it's a six-core) is going to be enough. Again, I reinforce that with technology I get really impatient at any sign of slowness.
I have to do something. My computer computer is having a hard enough time just running Firefox these days. It's had a rough 4 years so it's understandable. It seems like I need to start learning Revit (not that learning equates to professional experience...another discussion) and that simply is not going to happen on this machine.
Just wanted to see if there was anything besides BOXX for high-performance computers.
I newegged out my current architecture pc for around $1200 - i7 920, GTX 470, 6 gb of1333 ram, 750 watt corsair power supply, 24 inch monitor, air cooled so it can be overclocked and everything. It renders way faster than some rendering outfits who I've seen set up shop in an office and use measly laptops when a perfectly good render farm is sitting idle. Bottom line - you are asking for overkill.
I didn't think GeForce graphics card were Autodesk supported. Autodesk products are already flakey enough as it is, I don't think I want to make them any worse.
Again, that also requires a build. I would easily spend $5000 if I build it myself, because I will end up having to purchase everything at least twice once I break the first one. Plus I will have the continual stress of knowing I installed something wrong and at any minute the computer will explode, catch on fire, etc.
If you can trudge through the terrible website and deal with a gaudy gaming style case, you can get seriously good deals on pre-built gaming pc's (more then fine for rendering workstations) at http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/
Also, with the machine you are suggesting, I would add a 128gb+ solid state drive for operating system/application/virtual memory to your list of essential requirements. Hard drives with moving parts are one of the biggest bottlenecks in computers these days.
Hey Cherith, I am also in the process of looking for a new computer. I was just wondering why you are against getting a Dell? I was looking at one of the Dell Precisions. I also don't want to build my own computer. In the thread I started, someone suggested not spending too much on a computer, since it will be cheaper to get a new one in a couple of years with better technology, since it changes so fast.
The Dell Precision looked pretty good to me. I was just wondering if you had a bad experience with Dells that would make it "unacceptable."
A: Dell doesn't provide many of the options I am looking for. In my mind, they make great computers for offices that are just doing AutoCAD, but for people with more diverse needs, they are not the company.
B: Everyone in school that had a Dell inevitably was plagued with computer problems, performance issues and very often replaced it with something else by the time we graduated.
Unicorn- Dang, if only I hadn't taken out all those grad. school loans. Although that's a lot of graphics and memory for comparable not very much processor. It will run fast, but rendering will not.
Being Black Friday, I would Suggest you wait until February, when you can go bargain hunting. You should also start checking pricing. Prices can change on a day to day basis and even on the time of day. Computer companies are smart, they have their thumb on when people buy so they will boost their prices to reflect peoples buying treands. Figure out if the prices are changing and figure out what time of the day is the best to buy.
@snook: I will keep that in mind, since I don't foresee that the computer purchase will happen in the immediate future.
re:Dell (part 2) Just speced out a Dell. Came out around $2500 (with the discounts- should be $3200). It's roughly half the computer I am secretly wishing for. Only 1 quad-core (i7) and only 1GB graphics card (which is an ATI... I prefer NVIDIA). Still, I guess if you can only afford a Dodge Neon (which is me) than you just learn to love it.
My bad, it's actually a six-core i7. That makes me feel a little bit better. Also bumped the graphics to 2GB. $2730. Discount is good until December 16th. Just have to get over the Dell Stigma. I equate it with shopping at WalMart. I guess a deal is a deal, regardless of who or what it is screwing.
@Cherith Cutestory - I saw you post in this thread about the HP computer, I have two big beefs with this system.
1) Single 1.5TB 7200rpm hard drive - A single hard drive is a huge mistake. Your total system throughput is severely limited by such a factor. I recommend a system SSD, maybe even two in RAID 0, for programs and scratch. Storage is either RAID 10 (aka, 0+1) or RAID 5 with 3 disks or more.
2) ATI Radeon HD 5570 - Despite being 2GB of graphics RAM, this is not optimized with Autodesk or any other design software. You need Quadro or Fire and support for OpenGL. Watch these videos on the difference between desktop and workstation graphics, Nvidia Quadro and AutoCAD 2011
The new Quadro 600, 2000, 4000 and 6000 are significantly faster than their predecessors at the same price. Even the 600 is giving the old FX 1800 a run for it's money, at $300 cheaper.
If you're not set on the HP or Dell, try Boxx Technologies in Austin, TX, they're your best bet for workstations made to your specs IMHO.
_____
However, if you're still open to the idea of building your own, and since you'll probably have all winter break to build it, I would suggest going that route for the cost/benefit savings. You will only get the discount you really want by investing in learning about computers and how to build them and repair them. Either you pay or learn to do it yourself, plain and simple.
Thanks knock out. I would love to get a Boxx, but it's way out of my price range. I did some reconfiguring last night, and opted for a NVIDIA GeForce GTX460 card instead. From what I have seen across Archinect is that the GeForce card will work just as well as the Quadro without the increased cost. I also figure that if it does indeed suck, I could probably figure out how to replace just that and get a decent Quadro card from a 3rd party.
Nov 28, 10 11:48 am ·
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New Computer Thread #472.9
This is the minimum requirements for a new computer:
- 2 dual-quad core processors
- 12GB RAM
- NVIDIA Quadro minimum 1GB, preferably more
- 1TB Hard Drive
Looking for the best set-up for the lowest cost. Dell is unacceptable.
roll your own.
get the new shuttle mini box, put an I7 and slap a quadro in it and you're laughing. ripping solidworks/autocad machine for a bargain price.
the bare bones box is about 160 at the moment.
I'm mechanically challenged. Building a computer from scratch is going to lead to an apartment fire. But thanks for the suggestion.
I should clarify, I need something already built. Hopefully for less than $5000, which is the estimate I currently have.
Intel Xeon X5660 Processor (2.80GHz 1333MHz 12MB Turbo SMT) - 95W
DOS (No Software Preloaded)
1333MHz ECC DDR3 RDIMMs
12GB DDR3 PC3-10600 SDRAM (4GBx3 RDIMMs)
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 (2GB Dual link DVI+DP+DP Stereo 3D)
150GB SATA 2.5" Hard Drive - 10000 rpm
$5100
I think this far exceeds your quoted figure!
That Xeon is quadcoreeeee.
2 dual-quad core processors seems like such an absolute overkill. Sure, if you were doing professional video editing, or were starting a recording studio. Key feature being real time playback/editing. You will not be doing any of that. If you think you will, just trust me. You won't.
I so no excuse for an architect to drop $5k on a machine that will cost half of that in 16 months.
Cherith, I thought you were unemployed? Did a credit card company send you a card that you absolutely must max out as soon as possible?
5K does seem like a lot. I just bought parts to upgrade my system, but, I am going really cheap!
Nvidia Quadro fx 600 vidio card with 1GB, $170. Quad core Athlon, 4GB ram, mother board, 1TB SATA drive and a new power supply, $265. Total $435.
Not cutting edge, but it should be sufficient for my needs.
@rustystuds - yep. still unemployed. Doesn't seem like that is going to change anytime soon, so I am starting to think the moving fund savings is going to become new computer spendings.
I largely want the dual-quads for rendering. If I have to wait anything more than an hour for a rendering, I get really impatient. Plus, the additional processors allow me to do other things while rendering without compromising the speed. Also, I figure a larger computer investment now will hopefully mean it lasts a bit longer. I just don't have faith that a single processor (unless it's a six-core) is going to be enough. Again, I reinforce that with technology I get really impatient at any sign of slowness.
I have to do something. My computer computer is having a hard enough time just running Firefox these days. It's had a rough 4 years so it's understandable. It seems like I need to start learning Revit (not that learning equates to professional experience...another discussion) and that simply is not going to happen on this machine.
Just wanted to see if there was anything besides BOXX for high-performance computers.
I newegged out my current architecture pc for around $1200 - i7 920, GTX 470, 6 gb of1333 ram, 750 watt corsair power supply, 24 inch monitor, air cooled so it can be overclocked and everything. It renders way faster than some rendering outfits who I've seen set up shop in an office and use measly laptops when a perfectly good render farm is sitting idle. Bottom line - you are asking for overkill.
I didn't think GeForce graphics card were Autodesk supported. Autodesk products are already flakey enough as it is, I don't think I want to make them any worse.
Again, that also requires a build. I would easily spend $5000 if I build it myself, because I will end up having to purchase everything at least twice once I break the first one. Plus I will have the continual stress of knowing I installed something wrong and at any minute the computer will explode, catch on fire, etc.
If you can trudge through the terrible website and deal with a gaudy gaming style case, you can get seriously good deals on pre-built gaming pc's (more then fine for rendering workstations) at http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/
Also, with the machine you are suggesting, I would add a 128gb+ solid state drive for operating system/application/virtual memory to your list of essential requirements. Hard drives with moving parts are one of the biggest bottlenecks in computers these days.
Hey Cherith, I am also in the process of looking for a new computer. I was just wondering why you are against getting a Dell? I was looking at one of the Dell Precisions. I also don't want to build my own computer. In the thread I started, someone suggested not spending too much on a computer, since it will be cheaper to get a new one in a couple of years with better technology, since it changes so fast.
The Dell Precision looked pretty good to me. I was just wondering if you had a bad experience with Dells that would make it "unacceptable."
Cheers,
Anouk
HP Z800 Workstation
Intel Xeon X5680 3.33 12MB/1333 6C CPU-1 HIGHPWR
Intel Xeon X5680 3.33 12MB/1333 6C CPU-2 HIGHPWR
NVIDIA Tesla C2050 Compute Processor X 2
HP Liquid Cooling Solution
NVIDIA Quadro 6000 6.0GB Graphics
HP 192GB (12x16GB) DDR3-1066 ECC Reg RAM
HP 600GB SAS 15K 1st HDD X5
Subtotal: $82,711.00
re: Dell
A: Dell doesn't provide many of the options I am looking for. In my mind, they make great computers for offices that are just doing AutoCAD, but for people with more diverse needs, they are not the company.
B: Everyone in school that had a Dell inevitably was plagued with computer problems, performance issues and very often replaced it with something else by the time we graduated.
Unicorn- Dang, if only I hadn't taken out all those grad. school loans. Although that's a lot of graphics and memory for comparable not very much processor. It will run fast, but rendering will not.
Being Black Friday, I would Suggest you wait until February, when you can go bargain hunting. You should also start checking pricing. Prices can change on a day to day basis and even on the time of day. Computer companies are smart, they have their thumb on when people buy so they will boost their prices to reflect peoples buying treands. Figure out if the prices are changing and figure out what time of the day is the best to buy.
Other than that well lots of luck putting...
@snook: I will keep that in mind, since I don't foresee that the computer purchase will happen in the immediate future.
re:Dell (part 2) Just speced out a Dell. Came out around $2500 (with the discounts- should be $3200). It's roughly half the computer I am secretly wishing for. Only 1 quad-core (i7) and only 1GB graphics card (which is an ATI... I prefer NVIDIA). Still, I guess if you can only afford a Dodge Neon (which is me) than you just learn to love it.
My bad, it's actually a six-core i7. That makes me feel a little bit better. Also bumped the graphics to 2GB. $2730. Discount is good until December 16th. Just have to get over the Dell Stigma. I equate it with shopping at WalMart. I guess a deal is a deal, regardless of who or what it is screwing.
I might be getting a Christmas gift to myself.
anyone running an i7-980X (6-core)?
@Cherith Cutestory - I saw you post in this thread about the HP computer, I have two big beefs with this system.
1) Single 1.5TB 7200rpm hard drive - A single hard drive is a huge mistake. Your total system throughput is severely limited by such a factor. I recommend a system SSD, maybe even two in RAID 0, for programs and scratch. Storage is either RAID 10 (aka, 0+1) or RAID 5 with 3 disks or more.
2) ATI Radeon HD 5570 - Despite being 2GB of graphics RAM, this is not optimized with Autodesk or any other design software. You need Quadro or Fire and support for OpenGL. Watch these videos on the difference between desktop and workstation graphics, Nvidia Quadro and AutoCAD 2011
The new Quadro 600, 2000, 4000 and 6000 are significantly faster than their predecessors at the same price. Even the 600 is giving the old FX 1800 a run for it's money, at $300 cheaper.
If you're not set on the HP or Dell, try Boxx Technologies in Austin, TX, they're your best bet for workstations made to your specs IMHO.
_____
However, if you're still open to the idea of building your own, and since you'll probably have all winter break to build it, I would suggest going that route for the cost/benefit savings. You will only get the discount you really want by investing in learning about computers and how to build them and repair them. Either you pay or learn to do it yourself, plain and simple.
For example, I just configured this system for $2500 using recommendations from here: Tom's Hardware - Workstation Configurations
_____
1x SUPERMICRO MBD-X8DAH+-F-O Dual Intel Xeon Motherboard
2x Intel Xeon E5620 2.4GHz Quad-Core Server Processor
2x Patriot 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333 ECC Server Memory
1x PNY VCQ600-PB Quadro 600 1GB Workstation Video Card
1x Intel X25-M 2.5" 80GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive
4x Western Digital RE4 500GB 7200 RPM
1x iStarUSA D-4P-B34SA-Blue/750w 4U Rackmount Server Case
Thanks knock out. I would love to get a Boxx, but it's way out of my price range. I did some reconfiguring last night, and opted for a NVIDIA GeForce GTX460 card instead. From what I have seen across Archinect is that the GeForce card will work just as well as the Quadro without the increased cost. I also figure that if it does indeed suck, I could probably figure out how to replace just that and get a decent Quadro card from a 3rd party.
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