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BillL
02-14-2019, 04:02 PM
Doing investigation and would like to understand what others might be using. I have an i7 950 3.0X Ghz processor - quad core, adequate storage and a gamer invidia video card. All were pretty high end when purchased but the internals don't really compare for a xeon of similar clock speed. Internal cache is likely half of the xeon. My graphics card and processor are not even listed on the Solidworks site.

Are the group in here using a dedicated real workstation with graphics card and SSD500GB drives? If so I will have to go shopping.

Thanks for any help here.

Bill

cwilliamrose
02-14-2019, 07:06 PM
I'm running an old Dell workstation. The graphics card has been upgraded and that made a nice difference but the rest of the system is nothing special.

Jeffrey Meyer
02-15-2019, 08:31 AM
Hi Bill & Bill,

I'm using a Dell laptop Precision M4500 that I bought in 2011. 2.67 GHz quad core, 8 Gb RAM, 1 Tb hard disk (steam driven - not SSD), Windows 7.
It works just fine, I work with it professionally, and yes, like me it's getting a little long in the tooth so I'm considering replacement (the computer, not myself).

Jeffrey

cwilliamrose
02-15-2019, 09:00 AM
My CAD system's life history;

Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Precision T7600 (circa 2012)
Processor: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2630 0 @ 2.30GHz (12 CPUs)
Available OS Memory: 8150MB RAM
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: Q12U-1
Display Memory: 1683 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1960 MB
Shared Memory: 3818 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1200 (32 bit) (59Hz)
Monitor Name: Dell U2412M(Digital)
-------------------
DirectInput Devices
-------------------
Device Name: 3Dconnexion KMJ Emulator
Attached: 1

Device Name: SpaceExplorer
Attached: 1

------------------------
Disk & DVD/CD-ROM Drives
------------------------
Drive: C:
Total Space: 476.1 GB
Model: ATA WDC WD5000AAKX-7 SCSI Disk Device

DaleB
02-15-2019, 09:14 AM
Core i7-7700 @ 3.6 GHz, 16GB RAM, Windows 10, NVIDIA GeForce GT730 with a pair of 20" monitors. No problems so far doing the relatively simple stuff I've done. If you haven't already done so, moving to an SSD gave more of a perceived performance boost than most other upgrades I've done.

Jeffrey Meyer
02-15-2019, 09:25 AM
Looks like we've started a competition - who's got the worst computer:P

DaleB
02-15-2019, 09:36 AM
I think the point is that you may not really need a 36-core Xeon server with 512GB of memory to run SolidWorks. :)

cwilliamrose
02-15-2019, 10:04 AM
Exactly Dale. The computer before this one was perfectly happy with SWx 2005-2008 but by the time SWx 2012 came out it was time for new hardware -- it was almost unusable. My current system is still OK but for how long? When will I need to move to a newer version of Windows?

rwanttaja
02-15-2019, 10:53 AM
Mine is a custom box. Cooler Master tower, ASUS H87 motherboard, using an Intel i7-4770 CPU at 3.4 GHz. Windows 7 Pro. Nvidia GeForce GTX 750. Racing stripe down the side. 256 GB SSD, with a 2 TB conventional hard disk for data.

Bought it at a local computer shop. Prefer getting "no name" computers like this, as they then don't have any bloatware and if something goes on the fritz in the future, there are no proprietary parts. Lets me customize the build, and I can discuss the build directly with the technician doing the work. Been reliable.

Ron Wanttaja

DaleB
02-15-2019, 11:18 AM
Mine is a custom box. Cooler Master tower, ASUS H87 motherboard, using an Intel i7-4770 CPU at 3.4 GHz. Windows 7 Pro. Nvidia GeForce GTX 750. Racing stripe down the side. 256 GB SSD, with a 2 TB conventional hard disk for data.

Bought it at a local computer shop. Prefer getting "no name" computers like this, as they then don't have any bloatware and if something goes on the fritz in the future, there are no proprietary parts. Lets me customize the build, and I can discuss the build directly with the technician doing the work. Been reliable.

Ron Wanttaja
Ron, I'm with ya... since we started owning computers back in the early 80s, we've owned exactly two that were factory-built, if you don't count a couple of laptops. One was a Timex-Sinclair (bought when the price dropped well below what the kit had previously cost; I was an Army E5 with two kids, one on the way, and didn't have two nickels to rub together). The other was an HP box many years later. The rest have all been built by me, from pre-turbo XTs to the present one.

BillL
02-16-2019, 05:56 AM
Thanks Guys, I will repost with some exact specifications listing the items you (all) have mentioned. I decided to just try what I have and address the deficiencies. Right the greatest deficiency is between my ears. I downloaded Solidworks last night and finished this AM, thus the early post. It seems to load ok, but I'll progress through the first tutorials to see what is taking time. Then run the SW internal performance test to get a benchmark.

As a rough hardware listing:

Cooler Master tower
ASUS Motherboard - model to be edited
8GB memory, to be confirmed
i7 950 3.4 ish GHz - this number seems to change depending on if it is being worked or advertised :-) - benchmark about half a new i7 - 8700 for single thread performance.
1 TB HD, no ssd, but on Win10 boot, the HD communications are saturated, so an SSD is needed already.
Invidia GeFOrce 460 card -

All this stuff is old and subject to replacement or a new build, but it hopefully will be a good training ground.

Thanks to all posting, it was more about how little, how slow a computer can be used than how fast. The latter is easy. The sad part is I had a knowledgeable/trusted guy build this unit but the store closed. It was way faster/$ than COTS at the time. Glad to hear people still do that though.

DaleB
02-16-2019, 09:02 AM
Thanks to all posting, it was more about how little, how slow a computer can be used than how fast. The latter is easy. The sad part is I had a knowledgeable/trusted guy build this unit but the store closed. It was way faster/$ than COTS at the time. Glad to hear people still do that though.
Oh, heck yes. Based on my last experience, I'd say pick the processor you want to use first, then pick one of the dozens of motherboards that will allow you to use it, then shop for a deal on memory the motherboard supports, then pick out the video card, and look for a decent deal on a good, major brand, reliable SSD. If my motherboard or anything on it craps out, it's going to be inconvenient. If my SSD dies, it's a REAL pain in the tookus. Your backups are never quite as up to date as you need them to be.

Matt Gonitzke
02-16-2019, 01:55 PM
Bill, I have a pretty similar setup to you. I don't know how big of models you are planning on working with, but I had to double my RAM from 8 to 16 GB about halfway through designing a glider trailer. You'll get by if you have only a few parts open at once, but once I got to an assembly that had hundreds of parts in it, I started having issues. Graphics card may have also been partly to blame. I had an Nvidia GTX560, which like your 460 is pretty dated these days. I just upgraded to a GTX 1060. Haven't used solidworks much since then, but a massive all-around improvement in performance of other applications has occurred.

Cory Puuri
02-19-2019, 09:31 AM
Matt: When you are done designing that trailer, would you consider posting it to GrabCad and tagging it EAA?

RAM and Video card seem to be the big things as I take support calls on installation. I am a novice user of SW... several tutorials and designed a collapsible step stool. I am running an HP Zbook 15u with 16GB RAM and an AMD FirePro W4190M.

bigdog
02-21-2019, 05:11 PM
On the high end, I built my new work box with SW in mind. I7-7820, 3.6ghz, 64GB, 1TB SSD, 14TB NAS, Nvidia Quadro P5000 and 42" 4K monitor. So far nothing fazes it and hopefully won't for years to come. I can't believe how much I love the big monitor compared to my previous dual 22"s. My business partner is a gamer and built his the same but with Radeon video instead.

Matt Gonitzke
02-23-2019, 11:01 AM
Matt: When you are done designing that trailer, would you consider posting it to GrabCad and tagging it EAA?

Design is done (build too) but I'm not sure my models are really in good condition to put out for all to see, or if I want the whole world to be able to download them. Some aspects were only modeled well enough to build the trailer and are not "pretty" like most of the stuff I see on there.

7730
7729

Cory Puuri
02-26-2019, 02:30 PM
That is a nice looking trailer! I think people would love to have access to those plans, but I understand your concern about the world having access to the design.