> {quote:title=davevoith wrote:}{quote}
> Or spend $280 and just go with an Intel i7 Quad Core. Right now it's not worth it
I would disagree with that statement.
If you are getting an i7, I hope you are installing Vista x64 or Windows 7 on the machine. And both of those OS's operate better on quad-cores. And when the OS runs better, EVERYTHING on your machine runs better.
Also with the i7's, the MOBO architecture has changed, and there is no longer the FSB. This decreases the amount of conflicts between multiple cores when it comes to access to bus resources.
Finally, there are some low-level portions of Autocad that take advantage of the quad-cores, and while that doesn't help with things like volume calculations or corridor rebuilds, it helps make the general performance of the program smoother.
Personally, I would not get anything other than an i7 at this point for a CAD workstation. The i7's are cheap enough that it's possible to build a real monster CAD machine for $2000, and that includes a 22" widescreen LCD monitor.
-- Sinc
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Sinc