new cad system

[csimon]

building a new system for a student so give feedback on specs:

case: lian-li "pc-6077" = $122 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-112-044&depa=0
psu: antec 430w = $70 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-908&depa=0
mobo: abit nf7-s v2 = $87 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-166&depa=0
proc: 35w mobile +2400 = $91 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-439&depa=0
hsf: sp-97 = $60 http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/thsp1.html
as5 = $8 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-100-007&depa=0
sfII x 4 = $36 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-999-111&depa=0
ram: pc3200 dual pack 512 = $179 http://www.mushkin.com/epages/Mushkin.storefront/412fb02901435f3c2740c0a8010205bf/Product/View/991358
hd: raptor 75gb = $176 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-160&depa=0
key/mouse: ms wireless = $50 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=23-109-130&DEPA=0
monitor: samsung 172x = $559 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-001-160&depa=0
video: ati 9800pro = $197 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=14-102-268&DEPA=0
vga silencer = $16 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-186-110&depa=0
dvd burner: nec dual layer = $89 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=27-152-032&DEPA=0
os: wxp home oem = $90 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=37-102-141&DEPA=0
app: autocad 2005 = $358 http://www.thecadstore.com/tcs_products.asp?pid=00125-001452&link=edu
floppy: mitsumi = $12 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=21-104-101&depa=0
speakers: altec lansing = $40 http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-113-148&depa=0

so far total pre-shipping is: <b>$2231.00</b>

so are there any areas we can do better and keep it in the neighborhood of $2k? :thumbsup:

[edcentric]

I presume that this will be a dual use CAD/gaming machine.
It has been a while since I did PC based CAD (can you say 486), but I would look at dual hdd. A regular drive for the OS and the Raptor for drawing work.
Video is a big ???
You don't need much for CAD, but in order to make the machine a better all arounder I guess a 6800 is OK.

[csimon]

I presume that this will be a dual use CAD/gaming machine.
It has been a while since I did PC based CAD (can you say 486), but I would look at dual hdd. A regular drive for the OS and the Raptor for drawing work.
Video is a big ???
You don't need much for CAD, but in order to make the machine a better all arounder I guess a 6800 is OK.
yeah I want it to be a gamer as well as an opengl machine.

[TheBaron]

why is the $200 lian-li case necessary for a barton machine? they aren't as heat sensitive as the p4 is... unless you're planning to massively overclock that thing

[Omega65]

Building anything but a A64 system (for that price) is insane. Also why the Lian Li Al case, the looks?

[TheBaron]

keep in mind omega that his price includes a $550 lcd, a $250 license for CAD and a $300 gfx card. not bad if you keep that in mind

[csimon]

I like the case for coolness ...I want to be able to run this proc between 2.3 - 2.5ghz 400 fsb continuously with 2-2-2-11 timings ...so yes some overclocking will be happening here. Not sure where I will oc the 6800 to but it won't need to be too serious.

[Geeky1]

The price is a little high at like $2400 with autocad, but I could adjust it down to more like $2200 I think...

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
Chenming Beige Full Tower case, Model "901A-0-0" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811125466
$66.50


CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Lite-On 12X DVD±RW Drive, Model SOHW-1213S WHT, Retail
Item# N82E16827106949
$75.00


Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
Thermaltake 120mm BLUE LED Fan for PC case and CPU fan, Model "A2018" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811999122
$14.05


5x Thermaltake SMART CASE FAN II. Variable Fan Speed Control, by temperature sensor
Item# N82E16835999111
$8.70 ea. x5 = $43.50


Floppy Drives
SONY Beige 1.44MB 3.5Inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920, OEM
Item# N82E16821103109
$10.00


Hard Drives
2x Maxtor 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, MODEL 6Y120M0, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822144319
$91.49 ea. x2 = $182.98


Keyboards
MICROSOFT INTERNET KEYBOARD PS/2 104keys -OEM
Item# N82E16823109108
$14.00


Memory (System Memory)
2x Transcend 184 Pin 512MB PC-3200 ECC Registered Memory Module - Retail
Item# N82E16820208122
$107.00 ea. x2 = $$214.00


Monitors - CRT
ViewSonic P95F+ 19" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor –RETAIL
Item# N82E16824116219
$249.00


Motherboards - Server
MSI "K8T Master2-FAR" VIA K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for Dual/Single AMD Socket 940 CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813130436
$220.00


Mouse
Logitech MX500 Optical Mouse USB/ PS/2 -RETAIL
Item# N82E16826104129
$37.00


Power Supplies
Sparkle Power 530W Power Supply, MODEL "FSP530-60GNA" -OEM
Item# N82E16817103489
$74.00


Processors
2X AMD Opteron Model 242, 1 MB L2 Cache 64- bit Processor - Retail
Item# N82E16819103389
$233.00 ea. x2 = $466.00


Software - Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a - OEM
Item# N82E16837102141
$90.00


Video Cards
Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "A400 TDH" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16814122193
$286.00
$10.00 Mail-In Rebate

Total (Before tax): $ 2,042.03

[gtghm]

For Cad that video card is probably way more than he will need.
I've been using AutoCad for over 10 years and the rock bottom matrox cards do just fine. The only place that I could see him needing more is if he was gong to be doing a lot of rendering with autocad then I would look at a better card, but even then, the 6800 is probably more than he needs... If its that serious maybe the Phira (or however its called) by Matrox would be the better choice but that is a price'ie card.

I have used Acad on P3 rigs with 256meg RDRam with the standard Matrox cards with out any problems for years.

For a student I would scale it back some and look to save him some money, but thats just me... Save the money for condoms and beer... lol

"g"

[csimon]

For Cad that video card is probably way more than he will need.
I've been using AutoCad for over 10 years and the rock bottom matrox cards do just fine. The only place that I could see him needing more is if he was gong to be doing a lot of rendering with autocad then I would look at a better card, but even then, the 6800 is probably more than he needs... If its that serious maybe the Phira (or however its called) by Matrox would be the better choice but that is a price'ie card.

I have used Acad on P3 rigs with 256meg RDRam with the standard Matrox cards with out any problems for years.

For a student I would scale it back some and look to save him some money, but thats just me... Save the money for condoms and beer... lol

"g"yeah I beginning to lean more towards the 9800 pro and maybe extra cooling.

[csimon]

The price is a little high at like $2400 with autocad, but I could adjust it down to more like $2200 I think...

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
Chenming Beige Full Tower case, Model "901A-0-0" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811125466
$66.50


CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Lite-On 12X DVD±RW Drive, Model SOHW-1213S WHT, Retail
Item# N82E16827106949
$75.00


Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
Thermaltake 120mm BLUE LED Fan for PC case and CPU fan, Model "A2018" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811999122
$14.05


5x Thermaltake SMART CASE FAN II. Variable Fan Speed Control, by temperature sensor
Item# N82E16835999111
$8.70 ea. x5 = $43.50


Floppy Drives
SONY Beige 1.44MB 3.5Inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920, OEM
Item# N82E16821103109
$10.00


Hard Drives
2x Maxtor 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, MODEL 6Y120M0, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822144319
$91.49 ea. x2 = $182.98


Keyboards
MICROSOFT INTERNET KEYBOARD PS/2 104keys -OEM
Item# N82E16823109108
$14.00


Memory (System Memory)
2x Transcend 184 Pin 512MB PC-3200 ECC Registered Memory Module - Retail
Item# N82E16820208122
$107.00 ea. x2 = $$214.00


Monitors - CRT
ViewSonic P95F+ 19" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor –RETAIL
Item# N82E16824116219
$249.00


Motherboards - Server
MSI "K8T Master2-FAR" VIA K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for Dual/Single AMD Socket 940 CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813130436
$220.00


Mouse
Logitech MX500 Optical Mouse USB/ PS/2 -RETAIL
Item# N82E16826104129
$37.00


Power Supplies
Sparkle Power 530W Power Supply, MODEL "FSP530-60GNA" -OEM
Item# N82E16817103489
$74.00


Processors
2X AMD Opteron Model 242, 1 MB L2 Cache 64- bit Processor - Retail
Item# N82E16819103389
$233.00 ea. x2 = $466.00


Software - Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a - OEM
Item# N82E16837102141
$90.00


Video Cards
Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "A400 TDH" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16814122193
$286.00
$10.00 Mail-In Rebate

Total (Before tax): $ 2,042.03

I'll show him your system on monday geeky. really nice.

[Omega65]

Change Geeky1's XP-Home to XP-Pro. Home cant do dual CPUs.

[Geeky1]

Ooops. Forgot about that. *rolls eyes*

[csimon]

why is the $200 lian-li case necessary for a barton machine? they aren't as heat sensitive as the p4 is... unless you're planning to massively overclock that thing
ya the v-1000 was overkill really ...I got excited cause I finally saw it go on sale for the first time! LOL
I'm considering the 3077 now.

[csimon]

For Cad that video card is probably way more than he will need.
I've been using AutoCad for over 10 years and the rock bottom matrox cards do just fine. The only place that I could see him needing more is if he was gong to be doing a lot of rendering with autocad then I would look at a better card, but even then, the 6800 is probably more than he needs... If its that serious maybe the Phira (or however its called) by Matrox would be the better choice but that is a price'ie card.

I have used Acad on P3 rigs with 256meg RDRam with the standard Matrox cards with out any problems for years.

For a student I would scale it back some and look to save him some money, but thats just me... Save the money for condoms and beer... lol

"g"

which AutoCAD release are you using gtghm?
You know that AutoCAD upgrades once a year now right?
expensive for sure.
I paid roughly $1250 for each seat initially.
It used to cost me $250 per seat to upgrade bi-annually.
It now costs $295 per seat to upgrade annually unless you get the subscription for an additional $140 per seat.

So I am upgrading 21 seats at $295 + $140 this year and will only have to pay $140 per year per seat to get upgrades + whatever else.

[gtghm]

which AutoCAD release are you using gtghm?
You know that AutoCAD upgrades once a year now right?
expensive for sure.
I paid roughly $1250 for each seat initially.
It used to cost me $250 per seat to upgrade bi-annually.
It now costs $295 per seat to upgrade annually unless you get the subscription for an additional $140 per seat.

So I am upgrading 21 seats at $295 + $140 this year and will only have to pay $140 per year per seat to get upgrades + whatever else.

Thats why I'm running 2000 right now... Cost too much to upgrade.
Most of my copies have come from the companies that I have done work for.
I do the work, they in turn, supply me with a copy of the version of AutoCad that I need in order to do the work.

I have to admit that for my line of work, Telephone, we don't even come close to using the true power of AutoCad.

I do have a degree in Computer Aided Design and Drafting though, and have gotten in depth of some of the things that AutoCad can do so I know its power.... Truley the best progy out there for engineering. MicroStation blows....

"g"

[Komete]

I would really look into to going with a 64 system. You could save a ton to make up for the price difference by substituting some of your hard ware. You could drop the raptors and go with some Sata maxtor or WD hard drives. Getting a lesser video card etc...

In 2k5 we should start seeing apps coming out that will be taking advantage of the 64. Unless you're going for basement prices why by hardware for a cpu that is being phased out?

[csimon]

I would really look into to going with a 64 system. You could save a ton to make up for the price difference by substituting some of your hard ware. You could drop the raptors and go with some Sata maxtor or WD hard drives. Getting a lesser video card etc...

In 2k5 we should start seeing apps coming out that will be taking advantage of the 64. Unless you're going for basement prices why by hardware for a cpu that is being phased out?
unfortunately my knowledge of the 64 market and hardware is limited ...I'm looking into it though.

[ryko]

Here's another option...all prices are from newegg...

case: kingwin kt-424 = $90
psu: thermaltake 420w psu = $38
spkrs: altec lansing 4.1 = $27
keyboard/mouse: logitech cordless desktop = $39
o/s: winXP pro = $141
dvd burner: nec dual layer = $89
video: sapphire 9800pro = $197
hdd: seagate 160gb sata 7200.7 w/ NCQ = $116
ram: 1gb kit geil pc3200 = $189
mobo: msi k8n neo platinum s754 nf3 250gb = $128
cpu: amd a64 3400+ s754 - retail = $290
app: autocad 2005 = $358
monitor: samsung 173s = $369

total = $2071

or you could replace the cpu and mobo for ..

mobo: msi k8n neo2 platinum s939 = $149
cpu: amd a64 3800+ - retail = $649

...and the total would be $2451

[Geeky1]

Eww. Single CPU system. *gag*
;D

By the time you drop $2000+ on a system, you might as well go with dual CPUs. It makes a noticeable difference, even in apps that aren't SMP capable, since in that case you're only using 50% of your total CPU power, leaving the other 50% to do other things.

[ryko]

Eww. Single CPU system. *gag*
;D

By the time you drop $2000+ on a system, you might as well go with dual CPUs. It makes a noticeable difference, even in apps that aren't SMP capable, since in that case you're only using 50% of your total CPU power, leaving the other 50% to do other things.

If i had 2G's to spend i would get dual cpu's too, but some people might not want to deal with it....just offering a different opinion since you already coverd the dual opteron setup.... :cool:

[Geeky1]

heh. np... I just had to point out the advantages of SMP, even in an environment where a lot of your programs are not SMP capable. I love my dual CPU machines. All 5 of them. (ok, so only one of those is assembled and running at the moment, but I've got plans and most of the parts to put the other 4 together).

[csimon]

LOL ...I doubt the single cpu will get full use unless it folds!!! :fold:

[csimon]

this is so not fair ...we put this system together and booted it today ...it clocked all the way to 2.5g 400fsb 2-2-2-11 at stock volts 1.525v.
I am getting this chip guys ...and the smartfans are run thermally and haven't reached 1800rpm's yet. It is uber cool & quiet!!! :headbange