Computer Requirements for Boat Design

I am about to order a new computer and starting in boat design. Please comment regarding system requirements. All information greatly appreciated.

 

As usual, the bigger and faster the better.
That said, I do everything on a Pentium4 500MHz - with LOTS Of memory. Getting the software to run on that, with Win98, may be difficult these days, however, so stick with "bigger is better".
Steve

 

You may also want to think about the software you intend to run on it, as that will have an impact on hardware brands/types.
Rob

 

IMO whenever you buy a computer you should maximise the specification (not necessarily worrying too much about 'upgradability' because it is unlikely you should have to upgrade that machine before replacing it entirely with a new system) so, look for:-
a fast P4 >3Ghz
>1Gig RAM
a DVD Burner so you can back-up CAD data
>160Gig Hard Drive - or preferably a RAID array of 2 H/D's - one for the OS and your data - one for CAD data
A good to very good graphics card (ATI FireGL or similar NVIDIA >256Mb) - really you should make sure this is designed for work not gaming

Try to avoid deals on 'gaming' PCs because they wont necessarily run CAD apps fast - better if you can afford it to look at 'workstation' branded systems - Im not advertising Dell but have a look at their 'prescision' range of desktops - this is the ballpark in which you should be looking.

Monitors - if you can afford it get 2 (if your chosen software will support 2!) if you lack space or want an attractive setup get TFT panels (good ones mind) but you will sacrifice resolution - if you really want crystal clear hi-res images get a CRT.

Remember you can always get a more attractive deal from computer manufacturers than they advertise - even companies like dell - if you speak to a rep just demand some freebies you will usually get something extra!

cheers R

 

The system I run is this...

Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
752 Mb DDR Ram
40GB Hard Disk
DVD/CD-R/W Drive
Windows XP Pro/Linux Dual Boot

And that's on a Laptop. I have just built a desktop machine for less than £500 which is
AMD Athlon 3200+ (upgradeable to 3400+)
1 GB Ram (Upgradeable to 3GB)
400 GB Hard Disk (Across 3 Disks)
DVD R/W Drive
Cheap Graphics Card

The Ram Limits on motherboards tends to be about 3GB, but unless you're doing CFD on the machine there is no real need to have more than 512Mb of Ram installed. Disk space is cheap, so get as much as you can afford. That said, I suggest you use a small (about 10GB) partition for the windows OS (as you would for Linux), then even if the OS fails, your data should remain intact. Monitor-wise a good 21" CRT will serve you well, but if you're working on it for hours on end, a TFT screen will be kinder to the eyes.

If I were you, I'd build the machine yourself these days. If you really want to use twin monitors, I would strongly suggest picking up an older machine (pretty cheap off e-bay ) install Linux on it and use that (with the two machines networked) to handle spreadsheets/e-mail/word-processing etc.

Hope this helps,

Tim B.

 

Thank you gentlemen for taking the time to share your wisdom. I am currently researching prices, now that I know what is needed. What a great Forum!!!!

 

Expect to fork out a lot of $$$$$. Anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 for a good CAD machine.

For CAD some serious RAM is what will make the experience enjoyable. I have performance meters running constantly on my Toshiba laptop (P4 3.0 / 400MHz / 512MB) and rarely max out the processor, but the RAM is always full. Lots of hard drive space. And I'd like a separate drive for OS and for files. Liebermann had some really great CAD/graphics machines before they went under Chapter 11, something like those units would be ideal.

 

Hummmm... anyone who's spending upward of $3000 on a new computer (and I mean the box here, not the peripherals) is either spending too much or is really really in need of the power, which to be honest, CAD doesn't need a lot of. One thought though, if you're running MS Windows use an Intel chipset, for Linux use AMD. The two APIs seem to be optimised for those chipsets. I'd be surprised if you could spend $1500 on the box and not be overspecced.

Tim B.

 

At the moment I'm looking at the Dell Precision 380 workstation, but not sure which version, or custom details to choose. Any thoughts?

 

Tim- ya, I'd have to agree on that for the most part. The price range I mentioned was for something capable of decent FEA and CFD including a good set of monitors. If you don't need to run Algor or Fluent or anything like that the extra money doesn't get much benefit. (One machine in one of the school labs I use was about $6,000, dual Pentums, gig of ram, etc. and it takes about 6 hours to run a car through CFD- a bit of speed here, please, folks? )

 

Dell has about the best complete packages around. I build my own via www.tigerdirect.com . Actually, they have a local store so I got my equipment live and in person. But there online support is very good.

Best advice I can offer is get something to back everything up. I bought an external hard drive case and formatted an old hard drive. I have all my boat stuff in one main folder. It's just a matter of copy-paste to back up my files now.

 

Among my fellow students, about 1/3 use Dell, 1/3 Toshiba, 1/3 IBM/Mac/the rest. (Toshiba because the school sells them cheap, and Dell because they tease us with flyers and incentives.)

But easily two-thirds of the seriously screwed up machines I have to help fix the day before the essay are Dells. Invariably, regardless of model or use or software installed. I used to like them; now I have my suspicions about cost-cutting, lack of customer support, and faltering reliabliliy. If you go Dell, I would strongly suggest that you get a 'clean' unit with no preinstalled software (not even OS) and do the setup/configuration yourself, as Dell's OS and software tweaks seem to be to blame much of the time.

The best, most cost-effective computers I've used are usually custom-built ones from well-established local shops. Since these guys don't have a billion-dollar corporation to prop up you get a lot more computer for the money. And it's all tailored to your needs- graphics, CAD, music, whatever; rather than going best-approximation with the big guys.

 

Konaphil,
It would be good to buy something a bit more powerful but you don't HAVE to. If you startup and, as some others already have pointed out, don't plan to run CFD a lot, then you are OK. But of course, the faster the better

With nearly 20 years in IT, here's my 2 cents worth
Dell is an Excellent choice indeed, buy one

RAM is NOT the place to save money! Go for 1 GB

You don't have to go crazy on harddisk space but 40 Gb harddisk is not enough, 80 is minimum and OK, 160 is better but not necessary. If you decide to buy 160 Gb, then go for 2 80 GB ones and use RAID. If you fill that, then it is your discipline that needs adjustment, not harddisk size.

It is a very good idea to install a small second harddisk (or 3rd if you decide to use RAID) to use as a backup harddisk, 40Gb is more than enough, so is 20GB actually.

DVD burner is good but not necessary, if you don't buy a DVD burner, then a CD burner is an absolute must! DON'T miss out on the backups, or you may regret it for a loooong time.

Add $100 or so when you select the graphics card, good place to spend some money

If you have plenty of desk space, then don't worry about buying a flat screen monitor and spend the money on going up one size instead. 19" is OK.

Don't buy 2 monitors now, but make sure the hardware you select supports it and buy a second one later if you really feel the need for it.

A Dell Precision 470 for totally around $2000 would be nice but you are OK with the Precision 370 too.

Good Luck
Mikey

 

And as Marshmat says, and if you know how to install / setup OS, RAID etc, get a clean unit and do it yourself. If not, don't worry and don't let your kids play on it

Mikey

 

Once again, thanks immensely for your advice. In short, without the help and advice from you all, I simply would have ordered an inadequate computer. I have printed all your responses, and am researching availability, prices, etc. What a wonderful group. Thanks.