Whole new computer=whole new set up

[Guest lennixx24]

Hey there.

 

Long story short: we have 2 old computers running autocad 2002, because we have an old plotter, Synergix 8825, and it was/is going to cost us a ton of money to revamp our CAD department. Lo and behold! One of the dinosaurs died and now we are in a predicament.

 

I am basically looking for the best/cheapest middle ground for an entirely new set up. Preferably keeping autocad 2002 because we have had no problems with that. My main focus is what system requirements i should have in the (2) new computers and what plotters/scanners have been found to be the most convenient/cheap/useful.

 

We were holding off on purchasing new equipment and now we are in a bind.

 

Thanx.

 

Kip

[SLW210]

What is your budget?

 

What size plotter?

 

I use a $500 US Lenovo ThinkCentre (I added A Quadro Card =$200 US) to run 2011, should fly with 2002.

[Guest lennixx24]

Budget is variable, but I'm thinking within $5,000-$8,000.

 

The plotter we have now is a synergix 8825. I prints up to 45in i think, but we primarily use it for 24X36. A scanner is a must as well.

[SLW210]

Do you want a plotter/scanner combo or seperate?

[SLW210]

I prefer HP plotters, we use a Savin scanner.

[Guest lennixx24]

a combo would be nice, but not necessary. As far as HP, I've heard he ink is ridiculously expensive. How true is that?

[SLW210]

I'm pretty sure all prices on supplies would be comparable when doing a orange to orange comparison. InkJet plotters are cheaper to purchase and more costly for supplies and LED Toner plotters are more expensive to purchase and cheaper on supplies. Most comparisons between the two claim about $0.15 per sq. ft. for InkJet and $0.10 per sq. ft. for LED Toner (for monochrome) (LED is monochrome only and much faster). So you would need to determine the amount of plotting to see if initial investment would overcome the supplies price advantage.

 

You can purchase generic supplies, HP brand not required.

 

You might call or contact LARGE DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS, they should steer you straight.

[Guest lennixx24]

Hey there. As the title says, we got new computers and are now looking for new autocad software because i have heard the 2002 conflicts with Windows 7 and will cause constant shutting down.

 

Can anyone confirm or deny this? If it's true, what would be the oldest version of autocad i can find that will work with Windows 7? I'm looking to do this fairly inexpensively seeing as how i use a limited amount of autocad's tools for my particular job.

 

any news or advice would be appreciated. I'm basically trying not to spend $4,000 on autocad.

[ReMark]

You could try running AutoCAD 2002 under Windows 7 but if you are going to opt for a 64-bit system then you'll have to add another program called LongBow which should allow you to do it. The one drawback will be Express Tools. Since the code for Express Tools in 2002 was written in 16-bit it will NOT run, at all, on a 64-bit system. If you can live without that then you should be fine.

 

Is that $5000-$8000 for two computers and a printer as well?

 

BTW...to update yourselves you do NOT have to buy AutoCAD 2013 or even AutoCAD LT 2013. Instead, take a look at an AutoCAD-clone called DraftSight (by dassault systemes) which is free. It reads and writes the DWG file format up to 2010. Other clones worth looking at would be progeCAD, Bricscad and ZWcad. None of these are free however but they are substantially less than full AutoCAD would cost (about 1/5th of price).

[eldon]

I have just had to buy a new computer and here is some of the spec:

 

Chillblast Fusion Flash

Fractal Design Define R3 Low Noise Case - Black Pearl - USB 3.0 Edition

Intel Core i5 3570K Processor Overclocked to up to 4.7GHz

Akasa Nero 3 Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste

Asus P8Z68-V LE Motherboard

16GB PC3-10666 1333MHz DDR3 Memory (4 x 4GB sticks)

Chillblast AMD Radeon HD 6970 2048MB Graphics Card

240GB Corsair Force 3 Solid State Drive

1000GB 7200RPM Hard Disk - 6Gbps

Samsung Blu-Ray ROM / DVD-RW Combi Drive

BeQuiet 680W Straight Power Cable Managed PSU

Onboard High Definition Audio

56k Data/Fax Modem

Standard Chillblast Cable Management

23" Iiyama Prolite X2377HDS IPS Widescreen TFT Monitor 2 No

Logitech Corded Keyboard and Mouse

Windows 7 Professional 64 bit

 

I have VMware running a Windows XP virtual machine. I just got an Autorization code for my copy of AutoCAD 2002, and it goes fast.

 

Downside is that none of my printers work, so I am off shopping for a new one now.