tomshardware.com (ugh) and anandtech have both reviewed professional graphics cards. the athlon is still the most bang for the buck. they will not reap the benefits from the athlon 64. the pentium 4 would really help, but it doesnt really matter what "processor" you get.
get the Western digital raptors, the 37 GB will do. add in a separate data drive if possible. they will also need some sort of archival system, so perhaps a cdrw burner. go around the sites mentioned above, and search for performance on autocad. shove whatever budget is left over into AS MUCH RAM AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY HANDLE. double check to make sure the 1200 does not include windows licenses, etc.
now, the problem is, they are only doing plans, not simulations. will they plan on doing 3d modeling of foundations and the like for their clients? if so, the video card matters.
get the Western digital raptors, the 37 GB will do. add in a separate data drive if possible. they will also need some sort of archival system, so perhaps a cdrw burner. go around the sites mentioned above, and search for performance on autocad. shove whatever budget is left over into AS MUCH RAM AS YOU CAN POSSIBLY HANDLE. double check to make sure the 1200 does not include windows licenses, etc.
now, the problem is, they are only doing plans, not simulations. will they plan on doing 3d modeling of foundations and the like for their clients? if so, the video card matters.
