You need to look at some of the more complex models your users are working with and see where the bottle necks are. Read through the link Joseph sent to get better acquainted with what you need to look for in terms of specific brands and models of the different graphics cards.
Depending on budget, my preference would be Xeon. You can get a dual socket motherboard and have a flexible base for starting with one CPU and adding a second in the near future. If CPU power isn't likely to be an issue before the next hardware refresh then an i7/i5 system may be fine. If you want the 6 core i7, you will want to get a board that has a LGA 1366 socket. You should be able to judge RAM by what the users are currently doing, then add an appropriate amount for growth. I would also use a fast SSD drive for the OS. And any CAD guy wall want a nice new pair of 24" or larger displays looking back at them. ;) And they do all have one of these <http://www.3dconnexion.com/products/what-is-a-3d-mouse.html> right? Right? -- Mike Gill From: Stefan Jafs [mailto:stefan.j...@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 8:08 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: CAD Workstation Spec I need to upgrade a few PC's running AutoDesk Inventor to Workstations, question is how much horsepower is economically / practically needed? How do I compare i5, i7 or Xenon processors in CAD situations? RAM is pretty simple, Windows 7 64 bit probably 8 Gb should be ok. A video card with 1 Gb of DDR3 ram should be ok I Think. Any recommendations? -- SJ ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
