AutoCAD 2011 Workstation Specs/Deals Suggestions

[CJJ]

My company is looking to purchase some new CAD workstation machines. We're going to upgrade to AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011/Map 3D 2011 soon, and very few of our current workstations will even run '09 right now. We mostly have gone with Dell in the past, but the machines i'm pricing on their website all seem a little too expensive for what you get. I was wondering if anyone could help me find some deals or recommend other vendors. I've shopped around a little and I can't find anything I like for a good price, and I'd rather not have to build these myself because I'm always pressed for time and I'd like at least a 1-year parts warranty.

 

What I want: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OS, 6 or 8 GB RAM, Intel i5 (or comparable AMD), and a decent video card (I like the nVidia Quadro, but open to suggestions).

 

Also, if I found a great deal on a system that was missing RAM or didn't have a good video card, that would be OK since I can always add these myself.

 

If anyone has any suggestions, recommendations, or knows where I could find a great deal, please post! Thanks!

[ReMark]

No stated budget?

 

Two vendors you can check out are Xi Computers and Thinkmate High Performance Workstations.

 

www.xicomputer.com

 

www.thinkmate.com

Edited November 18, 2010 by ReMark

[nestly]

I think this is the link you wanted for Xi :wink:

 

http://www.xicomputer.com/

[ReMark]

Thank you for catching my error. I hope the link I posted wasn't to a porn site.

[CJJ]

No stated budget?

 

You know, the cheaper the better. I'm thinking parts alone would be $800/machine, which is lower than most of the vendors I've looked at.

 

Thanks for the links, especially Thinkmate. That's a very good website, you get a lot of control over the system they build, and decent prices. I price my system right at $1000 there, not bad. Have you ever purchased a machine from them, have any experiences with their warranty?

 

PS: please repost the porn site, I missed it.

[ReMark]

No experience to speak of with Thinkmate but I too am looking to spec my next machine from them.

[f700es]

Wow, I think (Thinkmate) they are a bit on the high side. $1,500+ for a dual core pentium system w/ 2gb of ram!!!

 

Dell Studio XPS 8100:

$999.99

intel i5 650 3.2GHz

8 GB DDR3

1 TB HDD

20" LCD

1 GB nVidia GT220

 

The thinkmate cooloing system looks nice but that is a bit pricey for the other parts, to me anyway.

Eh, I like Dells, I won't lie. I have used them for years and always have been good to me. Mine at home is over 6 years old and still going. I know some have had issues but I guess I have been lucky.

[ReMark]

Unfortunately Dell does not normally give the buyer a lot of latitude when it comes to high end graphics cards. We speced a computer from them without a graphics card then bought it from another source and installed it ourselves.

[f700es]

Sure, no option for say a quadro on screen for that one but you can call and request it. Done it before. They can check to see that the PS can handle the card as well.

[ReMark]

Maybe we insulted our rep. He basically said "no" without saying "no". Made it sound like too much of a hassle. Anyway, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty by tearing into a computer even if it is brand new. What could possibly go wrong?

 

A CAD computer for $1000? Our last one cost us $1800 and the one I'm on now cost $3100. Maybe we're paying too much?

[nestly]

Wow, I think (Thinkmate) they are a bit on the high side. $1,500+ for a dual core pentium system w/ 2gb of ram!!!

 

Actually, if you compare them Apples for Apples, the ThinkMate and Dell are

Edited November 19, 2010 by nestly

[f700es]

Well I like playing with the PCs as well so I am like you. I don't mind changing a card out myself. As for $1,000 CAD machine you have to remember that a good qudaro card will raise the cost up, maybe $700 or more. Also the cost of MS Office as well. Then you do get over $2,000.

[ReMark]

Yes, high end graphics cards and 15,000 rpm SCSI drives will drive the cost up (along with maxed out RAM). None of our machines come preloaded with anything but the OS. No MS Office or OfficeLite and no crapware. Lean and clean just as they should be. I think it eliminates a boat load of problems right off the bat and the systems tend to boot faster too.

[f700es]

Ah, I looked at the silent workstation series (much higher in price). The normal desktops are more in line with other systems. Good catch :wink:

That dual pentium system just sent me into sticker shock

 

Actually, if you compare them Apples for Apples, the ThinkMate and Dell are

[f700es]

Oh yeah, no doubt about that. Always the way to go.

 

Yes, high end graphics cards and 15,000 rpm SCSI drives will drive the cost up (along with maxed out RAM). None of our machines come preloaded with anything but the OS. No MS Office or OfficeLite and no crapware. Lean and clean just as they should be. I think it eliminates a boat load of problems right off the bat and the systems tend to boot faster too.

[Jwilson]

Well, our office here in Cambridge just invested in some HP desktops, and we use CADMAP 2010 and Topobase 2011 loaded with large rasters (for Othrophoto work) and they work great. No slowdowns, even when working with larger files.

 

Unfortunately, I can't tell you the specs of the workstations because they still have me working on a Dell Percision 690. It can handle CADMAP 2010 with no problems(we didn't load 2011 in because it was a little too buggy for the work we had to do) but it chugs along when we include the raster(which is ~3GB to load up - big map).

 

But I suggest going with an HP workstation if you find it at a decent price.

[CJJ]

Without a monitor or any software at all, I priced out the parts that I would put in an entry level CAD workstation and got well under $1,000. I'd prefer to buy from a vendor who will test everything and offer a warranty, and buying an OS off the shelf is always more expensive than from an OEM, not to mention the time I would save by spending a few more dollars for the vendor to build my PCs for me.

 

Dell's $500 markup just isn't worth it to me, the Precision T1500 machines I priced were all well over $1,300 for less than $1,000 worth of parts. HP also has a good value, and they make great printers and servers and high-end workstations, but they don't have a great track record for entry-level computers. They use cheap motherboards and power supplies, and overcharge for upgrades to RAM or video cards. Lenovo and Dell both make quality systems, but they both overcharge for everything, as well. I think this is a trend in the big-name OEMs, they all have great deals on slow machines, but overcharge a lot if you need some power in your rig.

 

The best quote I've gotten so far was from a local vendor we used in the past called Dramen. They were cheaper than Thinkmate for a very similar system. Our company has purchased a lot of machines from them in the past, but we've had some bad luck with the power supplies they use. I'm still leaning towards Thinkmate, but any other recommendations you guys have would be appreciated.