Wanted to let folks know the Dell Precision T1600 is now available. (http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-t1600/fs)
I looked at the processor choices and I am not sure how they stack up. The Xeons are the E3-12XX series and the Core processor choices are the Core i3 21XX series. From the little I know about the latest processors, these don't seem like a great set of choices. Any thoughts?
Pete
Pete,
I am getting this system here soon. Going through final approval now, and I know they will be ordering at least a few immediately, including one for me. I will provide a full summary as soon as I can. In the mean time I discuss it in this thread:
https://forum.solidworks.com/message/219978#219978
#Edit: Also, we are getting the SSD.
Thanks Charles. I read through your other posts on the systems and the graphics options. I will post in this thread since the others are getting crowded. I also put in for an SSD - we'll see what IT says. They really gouge on the SSD option. I wonder if it is 6GB/s capable and the motherboard as well. Even though they gouge, its going to be worth it as this workstation will be used for FEA quite heavily. The SSD should lead to reduced solve times as we often end up with writing 10+ GB to the disc during a simulation. Also, I put in for the nVidia Qaudro 600, as others mentioned it was the only decent choice when starting from higher end configurations of the T1600. The other difference between your system and ours is that I am electing to go with the E3-1270, since it offers really good performance relative to the E3-1280 at a lot lower price. I don't think the small performance enhancement justifies the big price increase. I would rather spend that money on an SSD that will deliver more bang for the buck. My configured price was around $2,600. IT will get a discount through their account. We could save some by upgrading the memory outside of Dell (another area they gouge), but it is the whole warranty issue again. Last time we looked at a T3500, Dell offered the memory upgrade from 4 to 8GB at no addittional charge - in addittion to our accocunt pricing.
Thanks again for the information Charles,
I felt similiar in that the 1270 was the better price point compared to the 1280. In our recent order I just got the smallest HDD I could and then bought a 90Gb OCZ SSD on Newegg for $160. A lot better than the Dell upgrade price of ~$800 for their 250Gb SSD. Using eSata we were able to ghost over the drive in 20 minutes and be running on the SSD.
Paul,
Do you know how this affects the Dell Warranty?
Not sure if it effects the warranty. When we have problems our IT guys usually diagnose the problem before we turn to Dell support. That is why they are adamant we all run on the T3500, so swapping components is easy. We have already ghosted my drive and kept a copy of it, so if something failed we would throw the backup drive in and see if things ran from there. If it turned out to be the SSD we would solve it, otherwise we'd have Dell send the parts and/or tech out.
The OCZ Vertex 2 does have some mixed reviews on Newegg as far as booting up. It seems to run great for me with the expection of twice not coming out of sleep mode correctly.
I put in for the Dell SSD. IT noted the cost and asked some questions. They don't think it will help with performance. I think they are wrong. Really, they don't like the price. So we mentioned purchasing the SSD off the shelf. They said that would be expensive. We showed them ones for $200-$300 that would really fly. Now we are waiting. Sheesh.
Well here is the drive I put from Newegg, it was $160 a few weeks ago but $198 now:
It is the 3.5" form factor so swaps in easy. They have cheaper ones in the 2.5" form factor but then you have to use adaptor hardware.
After I changed my settings to never hibernate I haven't had any problems on waking the computer from sleep. Very happy with this drive.
Thanks for the Information Paul. An update: The machine from Dell has been ordered...
Intel Xeon E3-1270
8GB DDR3 Non EC RAM
nVidia Quadro 600
SSD (256GB)
Windows 7 64 bit
22 inch display
Price: roughly $1,900 with the discount
Wow I thought we got good pricing from Dell with our corporate discount but this is a great price. That SSD upgrade alone is a $800 upgrade over thier base. This is pretty much exactly like I was trying to get our IT guys to get, but with the ECC RAM. Nice machine.
Yes,
Its almost too good. I wonder if the SSD really made it into the order...
T1600/E3-1280/Quadro 2000/250GB HDD is on the way. We are going to install 128GB Crucial SSD (2.5") as system drive. Because we don't have the machine in front of us, what additional equipment is necessary to install?
Thanks!
Looks like the processors are a good set of choices. The Xeon E3-1270 is roughly equivalent to the i7-2600. The Xeon E3-1270 is looking to me to be the best bang for the buck for Solidworks on the T1600.
http://www.servethehome.com/intel-xeon-e31270-sandy-bridge-benchmarks-review/
Dell also offers an SSD option. Its pricey and on the larger side for an SSD (256GB). Can anyone comment on this SSD?