Hardwarew - Whats everyone using for workstations?

[Chaznsc]

Greetings 2017,

We have a small fleet of workstations here and the majority are Dell T-level workstations with Xeon processors. We had a user here with issues I thought was perhaps bad memory but after going thru a days worth of testing that Spotify was gumming up the works. That noted, this machine is at least 2 years newer than mine and my workstation will open C3d much faster than his. I have the Xeon w3550 and his the Xeon e5-1603.

I am curious to know what you guys and gals are using these days. I need to sharpen my pencil with so many choices available.

Thank you for reading my dribble.

[dgorsman]

FYI, quoting processor ID numbers isn't as helpful as number of cores and clock speed.  While there *are* some benefits to newer generation chipsets, it helps to know if we're comparing a 4 GHz Core2Duo with a 1.6 GHz hex-core.

Oh, and in before "Ignore Xeon, build your own"    Sometimes you're limited to what IT has contracted.

[wang890]

we use intel 3770 to 4770 non K cpu with 16 to 32gb ram and most computers have a good 256GB ssd. quadro k2000 for my computer I have seen some 3000 and 4000 series video cards.

for workstation use quadro is the way to go. CPU xeon is a waste of money for civil 3d in my opinion. 4770 is faster and cheaper.

I had a dual xeon before and I didn't feel it is fast. felt like a lot of latency. it had 8 physical cores which is not very useful for civil 3d.

go with a cpu with huge frenquency is the way to go when modeling corridors. 16 gb ram is ideal. we have a guy with 32gb ram but the computer has a 5400rpm hard drive and it is so slow.

if I am IT and building computer on budget I would get those new intel Pentium which is unlocked so more future proof : )

[Chaznsc]

What motherboards do you like?

[cvlci_CAD]

My current workstation at home (used for Civil 3d and Adobe Premiere)

i7-6900k (8 core, 16 thread) @4.2ghz

64gb DDR4 @ 3200mhz

MSI Gaming Pro Carbon MB

Toshiba m2 512gb SSD (boot)

2x 1tb SSD (apps & storage)

MSI GTX 1080 Founders Edition

LG 34" ultra widescreen

(all told <$5000 for entire setup)

My PC at work is an i5 4570 @ 3.2ghz with intel graphics and 16gb RAM...

[AllenJessup]

We're limited to Dell purchased off out state contract. Currently I have

Dell Precision T3610, Xeon CPU 3.70 GHz
Win 7 Pro, 64-bit,32 GB RAM, Nvidia Quadro K4000
Samsung SSD 512GB
HGST (WD) 512GB drive

We're looking at upgrading next year. The only thing on the list so far is

Xeon® E5-2600 v3 Series - Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-2667 v4 (8C, 3.2GHz, 3.6GHz Turbo, 2400MHz, 25MB, 135W)

But that could change.

I'm looking at getting the biggest SSD we can plus 128 GB of RAM. We're running Leica Cyclone and Cloudworx along with IDSP. So we need machines that will handle heavy duty point clouds.

[jmayo-EE]

Sinc did some a bunch of research and unofficial benchmarks around 2013. Not sure of the yr but the core i7 outperformed xeons with C3D. Not sure if the testing has been done on the new models but in the last 6 yrs I have had two (sub $800) core i7 laptops that performed VERY similar to the $10k xeon monster I have at my desk.

I just did a post project review of a 3+mi utility run.

In the original project the base data was too large (1865 Ac) and a large C3D surface was both xrefed and dref into the sheets from that base file. Profiles ready to print were xref'd in the sheets. These files with no more than 4 shts take 3-5 mins to open.

I redid the project and cut the base down to the required 280 ac (defined by sheet viewports) and removed data that did not plot. I then set up the data shortcuts correctly in the shts w/o the redundant xref and used dshortcuts to make profile views in the sheets. These files open in 40 secs to 1.5mins...

No amout of hardware will help with poor data management. Minimize base files to only the data that plots, xref only AutoCAD data, Datashortcut all C3D data. All labels in the sheets.

For what it's worth that's my 2cents. As for the hardware, IMO, core i7 max speed per budget, max ram per budget, cheap to mid-range Nvidea card (CAD or game if it's on the supported hardware list), SSD.

[ITandCADguy]

What hardware to purchase depends on what you are doing.  No matter what, though, go with a SSD.

If you're just working on surveys, then about any i7 processor and 8 Gb of RAM will work.  And you can skimp a bit on the video card as well.

Middle of the road Civil 3D (site plans, sewer outfalls, small grading projects) might do better with 16 Gb ram and a fast i7 and a Quadro 3000 series.  However, if you are viewing in 3D (orbiting or object viewer), spend a bit more on the video card.

If you are working with point clouds like Allan, then all the RAM and Xeon processors you can afford is called for.

We use Faro Scene for processing point clouds, and it (just like Cyclone) will make use of all the cores on all the processors you have, plus all the memory you can throw at it, and still leave your computer useless while it performs a cloud-to-cloud registration.  In this case, I would recommend multiple drives as well.

Personally, I have a Dell Precision laptop with 3 drives.  One 250 Gb SSD for the OS and Program Files, a 500 Gb SSD for processing, and a larger spinning drive for bulk storage.

If you are doing Point Cloud processing, keep in mind that not all SSD's are created equal.  Look for a PCIe interface, as it can be 5-6 times faster than a SATA  SSD drive.

[jeff_rivers]

Windows 7 64 bit

Intel i7-4790, 3.6GHz, 8 cores

16.0 GB ram

NVIDIA Quadro K2000 4GHz2GB ram

Dual monitors,

#1 = 2560x1440, 28" diag,

#2 = 1280x1024, 20" diag

I have no part in selecting or approving the workstation specs, that's between our CAD Manager, IT, and what's on the State Contract.

I am satisfied with the operation and performance, although I would prefer both monitors be the 28" size.  

[rl_jackson]

SSD is a must. I build all my systems. 8gb is not a recommendation I would suggest even for survey work. Minimum is definitely 16gb. Personally an i7 does out perform a zeon. Not sure why Intel pushes that core short of the bottom line.