Hello All. I would like to build a Workstation to run SolidWorks so I can work from home. From what I have read and experienced, a SolidWorks machine is all about the processor. So I have tried to put the most money in the processor and the hard drive, and tried to save money on the other components.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (August) BUDGET RANGE: ($1600 max)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (SolidWorks, COSMOS, possibly Dragon Naturally Speaking)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (no preference)
PARTS PREFERENCES: (intel)
OVERCLOCKING: No for now, maybe in 2 years
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: (1440x900)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (OpenGL is against my religon)
Here is my preliminary parts list:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B
Intel X25-E Extreme SSDSA2SH032G1 2.5" 32GB SATA II SLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD)
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
EVGA 512-P3-N973-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Note: I am fully aware that this is not a SolidWorks supported video card. Here are my reasons:
1) I don't believe in Synthetic benchmarks
2) My friend runs SolidWorks with a GTX+ and it screams. After seeing his machine I think the GTX+ is overkill. He can rotate large assemblies at light speed with no chunking.
3) I have read an article which I cant find now that said in non-synthetic tests, the GTX+ actually beat GL cards that were 3x expensive.
4) I would much rather have the $350 in my pocket than the customer service. If my EVGA breaks, I can buy a new one and still be ahead cash wise.
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - OEM
Also I plan to get XP, Office, and Outlook.
This is my first build.
Is this a good build? Is there something that needs to be improved performance wise? Is their any place I can save money without sacrificing reliability?
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (August) BUDGET RANGE: ($1600 max)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: (SolidWorks, COSMOS, possibly Dragon Naturally Speaking)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (no preference)
PARTS PREFERENCES: (intel)
OVERCLOCKING: No for now, maybe in 2 years
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: (1440x900)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (OpenGL is against my religon)
Here is my preliminary parts list:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B
Intel X25-E Extreme SSDSA2SH032G1 2.5" 32GB SATA II SLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD)
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
EVGA 512-P3-N973-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Note: I am fully aware that this is not a SolidWorks supported video card. Here are my reasons:
1) I don't believe in Synthetic benchmarks
2) My friend runs SolidWorks with a GTX+ and it screams. After seeing his machine I think the GTX+ is overkill. He can rotate large assemblies at light speed with no chunking.
3) I have read an article which I cant find now that said in non-synthetic tests, the GTX+ actually beat GL cards that were 3x expensive.
4) I would much rather have the $350 in my pocket than the customer service. If my EVGA breaks, I can buy a new one and still be ahead cash wise.
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - OEM
Also I plan to get XP, Office, and Outlook.
This is my first build.
Is this a good build? Is there something that needs to be improved performance wise? Is their any place I can save money without sacrificing reliability?