As a non-computer geek it the numbers look good, but what do they mean in the real world?
3.6 GHz looks like a fast processor. I'm still at 1.2ghz AMD but no real 3d for me.
You can't really compare processor speeds between classes of processors. Inside a given class of CPU (such as Pentium D), a faster CPU equates to better performance. But a 2.4GHz Athlon X2 will outperform a 3.4GHz Pentium D. Similarly, a 2.67GHz Core 2 Duo (currently $530) will slightly outperform the more-expensive 2.80 GHz Athlon FX-62 ($750).
Dual-Core - Who needs it? Only works when you are running two programs at one time right?
No. Single programs can take awesome advantage of dual-core processors. Unfortunately, Autocad does not seem to be one of them, and dual-core results in only a minor increase in performance in Autocad. If you regularly have other programs open in addition to Autocad, though, you will probably notice that they run smoother, and switching between apps will happen faster.
Unfortunately, it seems that all high-end processors are dual-core, so once you get to high-end performance, you will get dual-core no matter what. As of now, the best-performing single-core processor is (I think) the Athlon 64 4000+. If you want anything better than that, you basically have to get a dual-core.
It is a complete mystery as to why Autodesk does not write Autocad to take advantage of dual-core machines. Instead, they seem to expect everyone to just throw money at hardware, at get the highest-performing chips available...
Pentium D 960 - I'd have to look this up to see where this falls in the range of processors.
The very high-end of the dual-core Pentium class. This class is nearing the end of its life, though, and is being replaced by better-performing and cheaper Core 2 Duo chips.
2GB Ram PC2-4200, 2 gigs of anything has got to be good, right?
Possibly the best value in DDR2 RAM, but not the best in performance. Should work well, though. Just make sure you get the 1GB sticks, so you have expansion room. Sounds like Civil-3D really wants 4GB, at least until they fix the memory leak problems (which may be in the next service pack).
Ati FireGL v5100 MB, Humm what the heck is that? Need to do some research.
On the low-end of the midrange graphics cards. Looks like it's roughly about the same as a Quadro FX 1300 or maybe 1400. Should work relatively well for Autocad. Autodesk reports that Smooth Line Display causes stabiliity problems with ATI cards, so that feature is disabled, but all in all it should work well.
160 GB Serial ATA-150 7200 rpm, that's the high speed cable & the faster rpm drive right, that seems like a good thing.
The limiting factor in hard drives tends to be the raw speed of the drive, not the cable (although cable can come into play, and of course your MOBO has to handle the high-speed transfer). 7200 RPM is actually the slowest of the current drives, but some drive technology makes it difficult to directly compare RPMs.
No matter what drive you get, getting two smaller ones and putting them in a RAID 0 makes the pair act like a single drive, in something they call a "Striping array". As you write a file to the disk, one chunk gets sent to the first disc, and while that is writing, another chunk gets set to the other disc. Basically, both discs are used at the same time, so a RAID 0 can nearly double the performance of whatever disc drives you put in it. Since it sounds like Civil 3D is INCREDIBLY inefficient with its disc access, this is a key point.
I just ordered one myself, from components:
2.67 GHz Core 2 Duo
Gigabyte 965P-DQZ (Intel 945GZ Express chipset)
nVidia Quadro FX 1500 (256MB DDR3)
2GB PC6400 DDR2 RAM
2x36GB Raptor 10K Hard Drives in RAID 0
DL-DVD burner
Nexus Breeze tower with silent fans and 400W PS
Samsung 204B 20.1" LCD monitor
Windows XP + Office Basic OEM
UPS
Total price: just under $3000. Looks like I could have gotten two 19" monitors for the price of one 20", but I really like the 1600x1200 display. I'll probably add another 19" monitor as a second (along with another 2GB RAM), once I start using Civil-3D a lot. Should be here Tuesday. I can hardly wait!
