Business Grade System

[BillH2]

Back in May when I requested a recommendation for this you guys did a great job. So, since some of this stuff isn’t available, here goes again:

I need a current recommendation for a work horse business grade system. Case, Power Supply, System Board, Processor, Memory, Video Card.
No games but some Cadd work.
I am using Newegg, love their service.
Last time the recommendations were:
Case: Antec Lifestyle SONTA II Midtower
System Board: Intel BoxD945P Socket T (LGA775)
Memory Corsair 2G Value Select 2G DDR
Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 3.0G LGA775 Dual Core Processor

This system has worked out great. The system board is no longer available.
Thanks
Bill

 

[Dumbguy]

How much are you looking at spending?

 

[bydesign]

I assume this is a small business, because custom building for the workplace is bad on so many levels. You are much better off buying from a major player and getting the three year extended on-site warranty. Performance advantages with custom builds are not worth the trouble in most office situations. More paper work to track and constantly changing components.

 

[BillH2]

Targer price between $750 and 1K.
Thanks
Bill

 

[Dumbguy]

Does that include software costs or just hardware? If it's just hardware, it would be super easy to price out a business grade pc. Probably one that's suitable for some minor gaming as well!

 

[BillH2]

That would be just the hardware.
Thanks
Bill

 

[kamel5547]

Does that include software costs or just hardware? If it's just hardware, it would be super easy to price out a business grade pc. Probably one that's suitable for some minor gaming as well!

Business yes, CAD is a whole different animal. How much (%) time on CAD on average and which program (AutoCAD?, AutoCAD LT?, Microstation?...).

Here's what I've been getting for our full time CAD people (AUtodesk Civil 3D & AutoCAD 2007) lately:
HP XW4400
Intel Mobo
e6600
2GB RAM
Quadro FX1500
160 GB HDD
2 x 19" LCD's

Obviously that woun't fit in your budget, hypotehtically speaking if your doing about 50% CAD and not looking to overclock:
Intel Mobo
e6300
2GB RAM
Low end quadro or fireGL (or x1900/7900 based card, depends on complexity of drawings)
??? HDD (depends on whether you are storing locally or to a network)

I'm sure someone can recommend a power supply and case. Personally I think this might come in a bit on the high side for what your looking to spend, but its hard to say without knowing a specific CAD program or how much time is spent on CAD.

 

[WR2]

Intel BOXDG965WHMKR G965 Express $120
Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz $184
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $200
Western Digital Caviar 250GB $70
LITE-ON 18X DVD+R Burner $30
Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Mid Tower Case & 450Watt PSU $60 after rebate
ViewSonic Q19wb Black 19" Widescreen LCD $157 after rebate
POWERCOLOR X1650Pro 256MB PCI Express x16 Video Card $110 after rebate

 

[Dumbguy]

I second that.

 

[BillH2]

Intel BOXDG965WHMKR G965 Express $120
Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz $184
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $200
Western Digital Caviar 250GB $70
LITE-ON 18X DVD+R Burner $30
Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Mid Tower Case & 450Watt PSU $60 after rebate
ViewSonic Q19wb Black 19" Widescreen LCD $157 after rebate
POWERCOLOR X1650Pro 256MB PCI Express x16 Video Card $110 after rebate

Thanks, This is exactly what I was looking for. It seems that there are so many different combinations offered that you can't see fhe forrest the trees. This saves me a lot of time researching.
Thanks again
Bill

 

[belvdr]

POWERCOLOR X1650Pro 256MB PCI Express x16 Video Card $110 after rebate[/url]

I had the assumption that CAD programs had specific video cards they used, like the FireGL series and such. Maybe I'm wrong, but a standard 3D gaming card is not likely to provide the CAD acceleration required.

EDIT: Maybe it will, if the feature set is right. After looking at Autodesk's site, I would go with a card specifically designed for CAD, as those tend to have the features you need for that purpose. Looking at ATI's site, they list certain applications they are certified with. For business purposes, certification in hardware is always beneficial.

 

[WR2]

A dedicated CAD system with a larger budget might have got a FireGL or Quadro video card suggestion.

Most recent video cards (2001 and later) meet the AutoCad "recommended features" in the link you provided. ATI 1650 GPU Specifications

I did find a better deal on a video card: HIS Hightech Radeon X1650PRO 256MB $95 after rebate