Hi All
I'm considering upgrading my current system and would like whatever input you might be willing to give me with respects to the kind of gains in performance I might expect to see. I'm currently using SW2006 SP3.0 and more than likely won't be upgrading anytime soon, so the 64bit versions of Solidworks or Windows aren't an issue. Most of the individual parts that I create are relatively small in terms of size and features. I do work with rather large assemblies though, some as large as 900MB+ with some 1200-1500 parts such as seen at the link at the bottom of the post.
Current System Specs:
Dell Dimension 8400
Pentium 4 3.4 GHZ
2GB Ram
Nvidia 256MB Video GTO 6800 (Yeah I know it's not a certified Video card, but it has served me well so far. )
Windows XP Pro SP2
Intended Upgrade:
Dell Precision M65 (laptop)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHZ)
2GB Ram
Nvidia Quadro FX 350M Turbocache
Windows XP Pro SP2 (32 bit)
I know the Precision M90 will blow the M65 away but I still want somthing reasonably compact.
Thanks in advance.
http://www.rans.com/drawing4S19.htm
I'm considering upgrading my current system and would like whatever input you might be willing to give me with respects to the kind of gains in performance I might expect to see. I'm currently using SW2006 SP3.0 and more than likely won't be upgrading anytime soon, so the 64bit versions of Solidworks or Windows aren't an issue. Most of the individual parts that I create are relatively small in terms of size and features. I do work with rather large assemblies though, some as large as 900MB+ with some 1200-1500 parts such as seen at the link at the bottom of the post.
Current System Specs:
Dell Dimension 8400
Pentium 4 3.4 GHZ
2GB Ram
Nvidia 256MB Video GTO 6800 (Yeah I know it's not a certified Video card, but it has served me well so far. )
Windows XP Pro SP2
Intended Upgrade:
Dell Precision M65 (laptop)
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHZ)
2GB Ram
Nvidia Quadro FX 350M Turbocache
Windows XP Pro SP2 (32 bit)
I know the Precision M90 will blow the M65 away but I still want somthing reasonably compact.
Thanks in advance.
http://www.rans.com/drawing4S19.htm
Looks like with the M65 I'd be taking a big hit on performance due to the FX350 M video card's dinky transfer rate. With the M90 I'd might actually be seing a increase in performance (anywhere from 125-150%). That's always nice to see, especially if you're going from a desktop to a laptop, of 'course my current desktop is 3+ years old.
Looks like the M90 really is the only way to go.
That's a shame to, I wish they'd put a better video card in the M65, of course I'm sure they're a little limited on space. I'll take a smaller display and maximum portability with a high end video card any day of the week. It's a laptop for crying out loud. what the heck dou you need a 17" display for? Your face is practically buried in the LCD by design. Just my opinion anyway. Thanks for the input guys.
In answer to your first question, the M65 with a 2.0GHz CPU would deliver roughly the same performance as your older desktop. Maybe a little faster.
Are you limited to Dell's? If yes, go for the M90. (Normally, I'd agree with Jeff and recommend the FX1500m graphics, but SolidWorks is recommending the FX 2500m or FX 3500m for SW2008.)
If you're open to other options, consider the Lenovo ThinkPad T60/61p with a 2.13 or 2.33GHz CPU. (The "p" models include FireGL graphics.) You can get a 14.1" or 15.4" wide screen display- and still come in under 7 lbs. Both performance and price wise, it's in between the M65 and M90. A customer just got one and it's a very, very nice system.
Be sure to pick a model with the v5250 graphics, which are fully supported by SW2008.
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILib...C24D2CBD23DF19644D3694
Thanks for ringing in. I gave up on IBM (Lenovo) laptops a while back after pricing them. Seems their prices have come down a little. The T60P looks like exactly what I'm looking for. Does anyone know how the ATI Fire GL v5250 performs in comparision to the Quadro FX 1500M or FX 2500M? Is it 256MB dedicated or 128MB with up to 256 shared similiar to Nvidia's Quadro FX 350M? I've looked for more detailed information on the net, but I'm having trouble finding any. The most I can find is on ATI's sight calling is unified graphics memory. Seems like a rather vague terminology. Most people on this board seem to prefer N'vida over ATI for SolidWorks. Seems to pass all graphics cards test though.
See http://www.deskeng.com/Article...Duo-200608181215.html. It compares the HP/Compaq xw8440 with other contemporary mobile workstations. The xw 8440 has the FireGL v5200.
The ThinkPad is still a nice machine. I was really impressed with the combination of a solid feel with very light weight.