New computer

[CCook]

I am looking to make a new computer purchase within the next month or so and I would like some input from the forum.

 

I plan on building the computer myself so that I get the things that I want and eliminate the fluff that comes with a prebuilt system.

 

I am currently running MR0904 and the files I am getting are starting to run in the 50+ Meg range.

 

I am looking at the AMD line of CPUs in particular the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX. Would I see a significant difference in speed between these processors?

 

What video card should I be looking at? I realize that I need to stay away from ATI but should I spend that money for a GeForce 6800 Ultra SLI or will a 6600 GT be adequate?

 

What other components should I be looking at to increase the performance of the computer when running MasterCam.

 

My budget for this project will be around $2,000 US

 

Thank you in advance for your advice. I will be able to check the forum in the evening.

Clarence Cook

[JRS MACHINE]

hey,

i have been building my own computers for a while also, if you are looking at the athalon 64's thats a good thing.very nice processor. but the only thing that i would worry about is the compatability with mastercam. mastercam is generaly run on a 32-bit platform (windows), and i would try to do some reading on problems with it, another thing is parts, i usaly use a company called tigerdirect, or one of the other big hardware companies. as for n-vidia, i am running a gforce fx 5200 right now with 256mb of video memory, its not the newest thing out there but it is a good stable card. try to stay away from onboard video controlers, they usally use shared memory, which means they take away from the systems memory,also try to get as much ram as possible and as much video memory as possible. i am using right now 2gb/256mb.... that will definetly boost your performance

 

 

john

[CCook]

I will do some more research on AMD added when going to the 64 bit format versus 32 bit. I remember there were only a few problems with software when it went from 16 to 32.

 

I was wondering if the latest video cards might be overkill for MasterCam sinces they seem to be marketed for the gaming community and not the business community.

 

I was thinking about 1gb ram but I don't know what the practical upper limits is on ram. I seem to remember that an earlier version on Windows (95?, 98?) couldn't use anything over 512 mb effectively.

 

thanks.

Clarence

[Chris Rizzo]

There's lots of other topics on hardware and vid card recommendations in the forum...do a quick search.

 

-64bit runs fine, I had a laptop with it.

-get a Quadro card if you can afford it, if not, there's no such thing as overkill gaming card. Mastercam is opengl intensive. you NEED a good card, mfg. by nivida.

-more ram the better, AT LEAST 512, most folks run a gig or more. get fastest ram you can afford.

-XPpro, or at least 2000 pro.

-sata harddrive

 

rest is up to you. again, do a quick search and you'll learn lots more.

[Kevangel]

I don't know if you have priced new computers lately or not, but I recently bought a new Dell to run Version X when it comes out for around $1,000.00 1 gig of ram, XP professional, 19" screen, vidieo card upgrade, etc.

[Bullines]

quote:

---

I will do some more research on AMD added when going to the 64 bit format versus 32 bit.

---

Since you probably have no 64-bit software at the moment, you won't be using all of the capabilities of the CPU. If you had a 64-bit OS (the 64-bit version of Windows XP is still in beta) then that would be a different story. And no, X won't be a 64-bit app.

[jeff]

We are in the market for a new pc also.

I asked my re-seller what the pc recommendations will be for X and he said the only OS X will run on is XP PRO and Win2000 PRO.

 

Jeff teh can't wait for new pc!

[CCook]

Thanks to everyone who replied. This will give me some food for thought.

 

I didn't realize that X will only run on XP Pro or Win200 Pro.

 

Thanks again.

Clarence Cook