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Re: Recommended CAD /CAE Hardware
Re: recommended hardware -- chipster	Post Reply	Top of thread	Forum

Posted by: Cragyon ® 05/27/2005, 08:32:46 Author Profile Mail author Edit

I have felt that software has always been more demanding than most hardware can accommodate. Years ago, I was on Intergraph EMS, and to process a "visible edge" I would have to start the process the night before and hope the work station did not crash over night. I can't say much about specific hardware, other than as follows: When buying, always purchase a true CAD/CAE work station. Don't buy a off the shelf pc with a graphics card. Make sure the hardware has been tested with the software installed and is certified to work. Get plenty on memory, determine your actual typical needs and buy more than that. Be aware, that you can have all the memory in the world and you computer may still crawl at a snails pace. Fastest hard drive you can get, when you start swapping with your virtual memory you don't want to wait any longer than necessary. Get a large and high resolution screen. I don't care what some say, a large screen helps you get the job done faster and with less stress on your already stressed eyes. Plenty of video memory cache, graphics intense software needs lots of memory. Graphic is the biggest hog of them all. If you do a lot of 3D modeling, try one of those space ball 3D mouse things. At first they seem awkward, but you will soon see that you can manipulate the object in your CAD space fast and easy. If you have high demand 3D applications, be prepared to buy again in about three years. As technology rolls forward, you can buy more machine higher performing, and the cost of upgrading is far outpaced by the performance gains. I don't think your management wants to pay you to sit in front of your computer and watch it calculate. Don't forget about the network, especially if you work from a remote server. A slow network is nothing more than a bottleneck, and you productivity will suffer. All of us know, that time is money, and the faster we engineers and designers are able to expedite our responsibilities the more potential for profit you companies will have. With al this said, a true workstation may cost a couple of grand more, however two grand over three years is nothing compared to your productivity gains over that same period. A great investment, and everybody is much happier! Modified by Cragyon at Fri, May 27, 2005, 08:33:36

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