First off, hello all! This is my first time posting here but I've been perusing for a while (for personal interests, not business as below). I'd say I'm above average when it comes to PC knowledge, but I'm hoping some of you gurus and enthusiasts would be willing to help me out.
I need to either build a new PC slowly over time or upgrade this old work machine (hopefully I can do both); IBM ThinkCentre m50 8187 primarily to run AutoCAD 2007 LT and AlphaCAM V8 (CNC programming CAD/CAM software) and of course the normal MS Office stuff, internet, etc... It's a work computer so I need to stay on the safe side, but I work for family so the rigidity of corporate regulations aren't as strict. So, if I can over-clock safely, I'd give it or other suggestions a try.
Current configuration:
Windows XP Pro sp3
Intel Pentium 4 3.00GHz (not hyper threaded, can I / do I want to change this?)
3 gigs DDR 2x1, 2x.5
NVidia GeForce 6200
40GB HDD 7200rpm
More Details: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/lenovo-thinkcentre-m50-8187/1707-3118_7-30413569.html
Just this week I began to hear the hard drive making odd noises during virus scans (everything's backed up, files and ISO w/ recovery CD). I got approval to get a new hard drive around $210, so the first decision is HDD or SSD?
Can this machine even properly handle a SSD without upgrading the motherboard and OS? I believe the MB does have 2 SATA connections from reading earlier. And I've read several articles on how to make Windows XP SSD friendly. From reviews and ratings I currently prefer the Intel 320 120GB model.
Approximate Purchase Date: Next week
Budget Range: ~$200 for new storage drive, $500 for new system all at once, hard to say what a budget would be if I could upgrade slowly until I had a "newbuild."
System Usage from Most to Least Important: AlphaCAM, AutoCAD, MS Office, internet
Parts Not Required: monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, DVD burner (could I use any other components from this PC in a new build? Power supply, cooling fan, etc?)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: SSD if it makes sense
Overclocking: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: AlphaCAM only uses a single core when run on a multi-core CPU (I have it on my personal laptop, Qosmio X505-Q896, i7-740QM) Regardless of the system, CAM runs into problems when "nesting" (optimizing parts on a sheet for best yield) and multi-drilling (optimizing machine movement when drilling small holes in parts). Either function can take several hours at present configuration. I make a point to begin multi-drilling at the end of the day when possible and let it run overnight. So, in the future I'd trade a quad-core for a dual core that has a faster clock speed per core.
Thanks in advance for any advice, and hopefully I haven't made a newbie mistake by overlooking the perfect thread that's already out there.
Cooper
I need to either build a new PC slowly over time or upgrade this old work machine (hopefully I can do both); IBM ThinkCentre m50 8187 primarily to run AutoCAD 2007 LT and AlphaCAM V8 (CNC programming CAD/CAM software) and of course the normal MS Office stuff, internet, etc... It's a work computer so I need to stay on the safe side, but I work for family so the rigidity of corporate regulations aren't as strict. So, if I can over-clock safely, I'd give it or other suggestions a try.
Current configuration:
Windows XP Pro sp3
Intel Pentium 4 3.00GHz (not hyper threaded, can I / do I want to change this?)
3 gigs DDR 2x1, 2x.5
NVidia GeForce 6200
40GB HDD 7200rpm
More Details: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/lenovo-thinkcentre-m50-8187/1707-3118_7-30413569.html
Just this week I began to hear the hard drive making odd noises during virus scans (everything's backed up, files and ISO w/ recovery CD). I got approval to get a new hard drive around $210, so the first decision is HDD or SSD?
Can this machine even properly handle a SSD without upgrading the motherboard and OS? I believe the MB does have 2 SATA connections from reading earlier. And I've read several articles on how to make Windows XP SSD friendly. From reviews and ratings I currently prefer the Intel 320 120GB model.
Approximate Purchase Date: Next week
Budget Range: ~$200 for new storage drive, $500 for new system all at once, hard to say what a budget would be if I could upgrade slowly until I had a "newbuild."
System Usage from Most to Least Important: AlphaCAM, AutoCAD, MS Office, internet
Parts Not Required: monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, DVD burner (could I use any other components from this PC in a new build? Power supply, cooling fan, etc?)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: SSD if it makes sense
Overclocking: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: AlphaCAM only uses a single core when run on a multi-core CPU (I have it on my personal laptop, Qosmio X505-Q896, i7-740QM) Regardless of the system, CAM runs into problems when "nesting" (optimizing parts on a sheet for best yield) and multi-drilling (optimizing machine movement when drilling small holes in parts). Either function can take several hours at present configuration. I make a point to begin multi-drilling at the end of the day when possible and let it run overnight. So, in the future I'd trade a quad-core for a dual core that has a faster clock speed per core.
Thanks in advance for any advice, and hopefully I haven't made a newbie mistake by overlooking the perfect thread that's already out there.
Cooper
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