Hello,
I am a recent grad doing low level design and drafting work with SolidWorks. I want to buy a PC Desktop for home that I can (1.) stream movies, (2.) do low to mid level SolidWorks modeling, (3.) surf the web with a few windows open while watching movies without lag, and (4.) eventually play Call of Duty on after I talk my wife into it! On a side note...I am looking to eventually buy the Cintiq 21ux and install Autodesk Sketchbook Pro...I definately want to make sure there will be NO lag with all the layers and sketches for that setup.
I know that I wont have the best RealView capabilities for SolidWorks with a gaming card, but from reading other posts...it sounds like for what I will be doing, that the gaming cards I have in mind will suffice. One odd question I had is this...Can I have two completly different graphics card installed on the same machine and use them both for different purposes?, either by manually or automatically switching over between programs? Is there such a setup config?
I have looked at several desktop options, and would like the expert advice from the community. Here are my options so far...Keeping in mind that I'm not crazy about building one myself...(not enough knowledge, warranties, and I'm not worried about only saving 1-3 hundred bucks.)
1.- Alienware X51. Intel Core i7-2600 3.4 GHz
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 @ 1333 MHz
1GB GDDR5 nVIDIA GeForce GTX555
1TB SATA 6Gb/s 7,200RPM 32MB Cache
CONS that I have found: Tight space...will only be able to upgrade to 560Ti so far. Also, will only handle 330W power supply.
COST: $1,293.99
2.- HP Pavilion H8-1050. Intl Core i7-2600 3.4GHz. Intel H67 chipset.
10GB 1333 MHz DDR3. 1.5TB SATA 5400RPM. BluRay included. AMD Radeon HD 6850 (1GB GDDR5 dedicated)
COST: $1,399.99
3.- Dell XPS 8300. Intl Core i7-2600 (8MB Cache, 3.4GHz) 8GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1333MHz. 1TB Performance RAID 0 (2 X 500GB SATA 3GB/s 7200 RPM HDDs) AMD Radeon HD 6770.
COST: $1,297.99
4.- Performancepc.net build. Chassis- NZXT H2 White. OCZ ModXstream 700W. Intl Core i7 2600K 3.8 GHZ. 10-19% Overclock. Corsair H60 Liquid Cooling Push/ Pull. ASUS P8Z68-V PRO Motherboard. 8GB corsair vengeance 1600mhz. 64GB Sandforce 1222 SSD. 1TB Western Digital Cavier Green. Nvidia GTX 560Ti.
COST: $1,690.99
In Conclusion: I am worried about the Alienware for possible expansion and Pwr Sply issues that I might come accros. Neutral on the HP, and feeling pretty good on the Dell XPS 8300 from what I have read. And the last one, was a noobie's attempt to build my own...I think?
I am still worried about building myself and the self maintenance that might bring in the future, versus dropping it off at best buy for warranty repair. But I am definately not ruling that option out, provided I see a noticeable price difference and I am assured it will be somewhat easy to install stuff myself.
I look forward to hearing from everybody. Sorry it took so long, just wanted to make sure I covered everything.
Thanks,
Chance
I am a recent grad doing low level design and drafting work with SolidWorks. I want to buy a PC Desktop for home that I can (1.) stream movies, (2.) do low to mid level SolidWorks modeling, (3.) surf the web with a few windows open while watching movies without lag, and (4.) eventually play Call of Duty on after I talk my wife into it! On a side note...I am looking to eventually buy the Cintiq 21ux and install Autodesk Sketchbook Pro...I definately want to make sure there will be NO lag with all the layers and sketches for that setup.
I know that I wont have the best RealView capabilities for SolidWorks with a gaming card, but from reading other posts...it sounds like for what I will be doing, that the gaming cards I have in mind will suffice. One odd question I had is this...Can I have two completly different graphics card installed on the same machine and use them both for different purposes?, either by manually or automatically switching over between programs? Is there such a setup config?
I have looked at several desktop options, and would like the expert advice from the community. Here are my options so far...Keeping in mind that I'm not crazy about building one myself...(not enough knowledge, warranties, and I'm not worried about only saving 1-3 hundred bucks.)
1.- Alienware X51. Intel Core i7-2600 3.4 GHz
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 @ 1333 MHz
1GB GDDR5 nVIDIA GeForce GTX555
1TB SATA 6Gb/s 7,200RPM 32MB Cache
CONS that I have found: Tight space...will only be able to upgrade to 560Ti so far. Also, will only handle 330W power supply.
COST: $1,293.99
2.- HP Pavilion H8-1050. Intl Core i7-2600 3.4GHz. Intel H67 chipset.
10GB 1333 MHz DDR3. 1.5TB SATA 5400RPM. BluRay included. AMD Radeon HD 6850 (1GB GDDR5 dedicated)
COST: $1,399.99
3.- Dell XPS 8300. Intl Core i7-2600 (8MB Cache, 3.4GHz) 8GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1333MHz. 1TB Performance RAID 0 (2 X 500GB SATA 3GB/s 7200 RPM HDDs) AMD Radeon HD 6770.
COST: $1,297.99
4.- Performancepc.net build. Chassis- NZXT H2 White. OCZ ModXstream 700W. Intl Core i7 2600K 3.8 GHZ. 10-19% Overclock. Corsair H60 Liquid Cooling Push/ Pull. ASUS P8Z68-V PRO Motherboard. 8GB corsair vengeance 1600mhz. 64GB Sandforce 1222 SSD. 1TB Western Digital Cavier Green. Nvidia GTX 560Ti.
COST: $1,690.99
In Conclusion: I am worried about the Alienware for possible expansion and Pwr Sply issues that I might come accros. Neutral on the HP, and feeling pretty good on the Dell XPS 8300 from what I have read. And the last one, was a noobie's attempt to build my own...I think?
I am still worried about building myself and the self maintenance that might bring in the future, versus dropping it off at best buy for warranty repair. But I am definately not ruling that option out, provided I see a noticeable price difference and I am assured it will be somewhat easy to install stuff myself.
I look forward to hearing from everybody. Sorry it took so long, just wanted to make sure I covered everything.
Thanks,
Chance