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What do you think of my recommendations??

J

jplb70

Junior Member
Hi

My boss' buddy wanted to put together a workstation to use AutoCAD 2000. With a budget of no more than $1500.00 US. So he asked me to spec out an AMD and an Intel Box for the job. So far I just speced out the AMD box as follows:
A64 3200 $298
Asus K8V SE Deluxe $104
Crucial 512 PC3200 x2 $193
Western Digital SATA 120Gb $185
Radeon 9800xt 256 Mb $370
DVD/CD Burner $57.88
Floppy $12.00
Case $50.00
Total $1,243.00 (Aprox)

Do you think this will serve him well? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Also I haven't Speced out the Intel platform yet so suggestions on that are welcomed as
well.

Thanx
 
Change that graphics card now. Get either a workstation card or a newer X800.

Get at least 1GB of RAM in there, it will help a LOT.

You might look into opterons, but I don't think you'll be able to do it (workstation cards and extra RAM will eat into that extra $300).

Yeah, spend more on a quality case and power supply too, it'll help in the long run. The Antec Sonata, as suggested below will suit you fine.

A raptor isn't necessary, a larger hard drive will help you more I believe, but then again maybe not.

Add another 512-1500 MB of RAM, change the video card to an X800 Pro, get a Sonata, and you'll be set. You might go with a more powerful processor, but the small gain in performance for the extra $100 isn't worth it.

Oh, my mistake on the RAM. Maybe go to 2 gigs?

Ooh, and one more thing, get a better price on a drive. I believe you can get a 160GB drive for cheaper than that even.
 
I would go with the 3400+ and add a Ratptor to boot from. Also, don't skimp on the PSU. A $50 case can;t be good. Look at the Antec Sonata. About $100 I think. Yes I agree on the 1 gig memory, and the X800pro video.
 
It will have a gig of memory that's 512 meg sticks x2 = 1 gig 🙂
And I think you guys are right about the PSU.
Didn't know the X800's were widely available I'll look at that as well
Thanx guys keep 'em comming
 
I am utterly fascinated by the number of people who still use WD drives for everything. Aren't they the only manufacturer left who doesn't use FDB in all their drives? The only current WD drive that is worth getting is the Raptor 74G. I don't mean to be too critical, because any drive with a 3-year warranty is a decent buy, but Samsung/Hitachi/Seagate are all slightly faster, slightly quieter, seem to get less failures, and also are available with a 3-year warranty.

(not trying to yell at you specifically, it's just something I see all the time)

Also, 160GB drives are the best bang for the buck. They're about $10 more than the 120GB versions.

Specifically, $185 is a ridiculous price for that drive. I'd get the Samsung 160GB for $108.95.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-015

The CPU is also $16 less at newegg.

Corsair CL 2.5 would cost you $29 less at newegg. There's no reason to pay more unless you're going to get CL 2. Corsair XMS is $123 and OCZ Platinum is slightly faster for $115.

I don't know what DVD/CD burner you're talking about, but the $48.50 Lite-On 52X CD / 16X DVD is a very good drive for less.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-106-932

A R9800XT? Something cheaper would be more than enough for AutoCAD, but at least you'll be able to play Far Cry on your boss's machine, eh? 😉

The only problem I see with the 9800XT is that if you're going to spend almost $400, you're getting awfully close to the price of the X800 Pro, which is significantly faster.

And finally, a $50 case (whatever case that may be) probably isn't a good choice for that system you're building. The power supply by itself should cost $50. I wouldn't get anything less than an Enermax 370W or an Antec 380W for that system. If you don't want to spend a whole lot, the best deal you'll probably find is a Sonata for $114 with the power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-127

And the rest of you guys aren't paying attention. He already said he's getting 512MB x 2, which is 1 GB.
 
Actually, with the budget you're talking about, I'd get the Sonata case, ditch the drive for a Raptor 74G and a Samsung 160G, get the Radeon X800, and upgrade the memory to good CL 2. That should put you around $1480.
 
Agreed about the graphics card. I'd look into the FireGL series, they are supposed to be better for workstations.
 
i dont really understand y u need an x800 pro or even a radeon 9800xt for autocad use. if its just for autocan, then i recommend hte radeon 9800 pro and use the left over bit of money to get opterons, which will give you a significant increase in performance as you multitask.
 
Sonata for a workstation? No way; that's what I have and love it, but it's not known for being particularly roomy or cool. I'd get a something larger with better ventilation.
 
i still think the sonata is the best he can get for his money. it's quiet and looks really good and it also comes with a strong 380W psu.
 
If that's the 2.2GHz 3200+: awesome. Else get the 3400+. Speedy CPU/RAM helps quite a bit. With A64's ondie controller, CL2 vs. CL2.5 shouldn't matter enough to be worth the money. Just get Corsair, Crucial or Kingston and go with it.

Also, switch graphics cards. Either get an older Quadro, or a basic Leadtek one or something. Maybe a FX 5200. If there will be OpenGL-based 3d work, a genuine Quadro will be the order of the day. Without OpenGL rendering being done, any video card that has a good 2d output will do wonderfully.
Oh, and you don't have a PSU listed. Might I recommend a Enermax, Antec, Silverstone (Enhance) or Fortron?
 
Originally posted by: sisooktom
Sonata for a workstation? No way; that's what I have and love it, but it's not known for being particularly roomy or cool. I'd get a something larger with better ventilation.
Click to expand...
A64: runs cool.
HD: runs cool.
non-FX 5800 or better video card: runs cool.

Nothing else uses any serious power.
If you want better ventilation, though, I say go with a Enermax Noisetaker 370 PSU and a Evercase E4252 case. You can't beat the E4252's cooling.
 
Well upon reading what you guys have had to say I'm going with the Samsung HD the Corsair RAM and the Lite-on drive (thanx Tostada for the links 🙂 ) Haven't decided on the case\PSU yet and I found the X800 for 400. We are just going to go with the AMD platform screw Intel for now 😉. Oh yeah the cpu is the 2.2 version.

Thanx for the input guys
 
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