Motive_Force

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Hello All:

I would like to boost my performance on my workstation. Here are a few situations I would like to improve:

1) Windows XP takes 2-3 minutes to boot up.
2) SolidWorks 2008 is not as responsive as I would like
3) Faster number crunching for simulation such as COSMOS and also autorouting PCB boards using EagleCAD
4) Faster importing and exporting and file type conversions. For example importing a dxf into and solidworks drawing.


Here is my corrent workstation:
DELL PWS 380
CPU: Pentium D, 3 GHz
Motherboard: 800 MHz bus speed
RAM: 2 Gb
GPU: Quadro FX 3450/4000 SDI (256 Mb)
Hardrive: 1.5 Gb/s SATA

A few other notes: When I number crunch, typically one of my cores gets maxed out (task manager shows process using 50% of cpu). Most of the other times my processor isn't maxing out.

And finally we get to my questions:
If I add RAM and get a 3 Gb/s hardrive will I notice a difference in performance? Will this be the most cost effective upgrade that I can make? What do you think is the bottleneck in my system?

Thanks!

-Daniel
 

flyin15sec

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More ram would help a bit. But the real question, when was the last time your system was reformated or rebuilt?

Over time, XP just goes slower, with unnecessary processes and applications. I would just reformat and reload the OS first before any hardware change.

EDIT*** Well you got me curious. So I went and fired up my old P4 2.4ghz. From the time of the windows splash screen to the moment I could see the desktop and use the mouse 1min 45sec.

I then powered up my E2180 system. From the windows splash screen to the desktop and useable mouse 25sec.

Both system has 2gig of memory and are running XP Pro SP3.

Maybe it is time for you to upgrade to even a lowly E2180 processor.
 
It looks like your software only uses one core. That one is maxed, and the other is unused. Your CPU is the bottleneck at that time. That is, it is maxing out all right, even if it only shows 50% usage. To put it another way, a faster CPU would give you a direct benefit.

An upgrade to a quad (Q6600, Q9550, i920, etc.) wouldn't really help that much, since 3 cores would be idle. I would upgrade the CPU to E8500 or even E8600 and overclock it. Still, check all your software, maybe ask their support people too. A quad (Q9550 is my favorite, BTW, even though i920 is faster) should be better in the long term.

Adding RAM: check in Task Manager. When the CPU's first core is maxed, how much RAM is actually used? If it's 90% or close, by all means add more RAM. If not, you might not really need more. Still, it's very cheap these days.

A new HDD: yes, the HDD is often the bottleneck. Something like WD6400AAKS ($75) should make a big difference compared to any HDD bought several years ago. It's not the 1.5GB/s vs 3 GB/s thing, but the bit density and average read/write rates have made spectacular progress in the last 2 years..

The bad news now... If you upgrade the CPU, it's very likely you will need a new motherboard too. Ask Dell support.
 

Motive_Force

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Thanks for the suggestions! I should have also mentioned that I have crashed about 3 times in the last 4 months and it told me I didn't have enough memory.

Also I should mention that new computer for me didn't quite make it on to this years budget. So for sure I have to use this machine until January 2010.
 

Motive_Force

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Obviously I need to do more research. I thought my computer wasn't too bad.

Why would a new computer perform so much better when the specs of new computers are not so much different than mine? Is it the bus speed?

I wish it was more cut and dried to compare two computers.
 
Definitely get more RAM. I bet that lots of time your computer swaps on the HDD like crazy, and that makes things a lot slower. You only get crashes with "out of memory" messages when even swapping doesn't do any more because the RAM needed exceeds the physical RAM + the swap file size.
 

50bmg

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I am a CADD designer using solidworks and Unigraphics/NX on a Dell PWS 790. Win xp sp2 32bit, Intel Xeon 5160 3Ghz, 2G ddr2, Quadro FX 4500 512M.

Many of the forementioned upgrades may require a bios update; from pentium d to core 2, sata II, etc. Check with Dell for bios and driver updates.

HD SATA II/7200.11, will help.

Core 2 duo of any kind. I dont think you need overclocking for a workstation using solidworks. An intel core 2 duo e2xxx, e4xxx, e5xxx, e7xxx etc. Any of them will be an improvement over the pentium d. The older dell mobo may not have a bios update that will support the 45nm cpus. You may need to stick with the e4xxx. if you can find them. Try Tigerdirect.com.

update all your drivers, bios, etc. The latest graphics drivers may help a lot.

Clean up your hd; defrag, delete temps(CADD Software is bad about huge temp files), run anti spyware, etc.