Cadalyst - July 2008 - (Page 24)

cadalystlabsreview The Lenovo ThinkPad T61p doesn’t have the fastest performance numbers, but it does handle Cadalyst’s CAD and DCC benchmark suites without any problems, and it is certified for a broad range of applications. Its ability to run design software — coupled with its light weight, substantial battery longevity, and high-quality construction — will make the ThinkPad T61p a very attractive choice for many users. PolyNote C719ND Polywell Computers sent its PolyNote C719ND system, which is based on an Intel E6850 3.0-GHz dual-core processor that features a 4-MB L2 cache. The system Cadalyst received was fully populated with 4 GB of DDR2 800-MHz RAM and 200 GB of total hard disk space that consisted of two 100-GB hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration; a third hard disk is an available option for the PolyNote C719ND. Graphics on the PolyNote C719ND were accommodated by a speedy NVIDIA Quadro 1600M mobile graphics card that featured 512 MB of integrated onboard RAM. NVIDIA drivers v.6.14.11.6909 were preinstalled and used for running all the benchmark tests in the Cadalyst current test suite. The drivers supported the 17” WUXGA screen at a native resolution of 1,920 x 1,200, though a resolution of 1,280 x 1,024 was used for testing purposes. The large screen certainly contributed to the overall size of the PolyNote C719ND, which measured 15.88” x 11.92” x 2.13” and weighed a beefy 11.88 lb — definitely not a lightweight system. Connectivity options included a FireWire connector and four USB 2.0 connectors. An S-video output was provided, with a TV tuner card that supported HDTV available as an accessory. A USB docking station is available as an accessory as well. A 12-cell 6,600-mAh lithium ion battery provided power for the PolyNote C719ND. I ran the Cadalyst C2008 benchmark under AutoCAD 2008 with Service Pack 1 installed. Using the native AutoCAD 2008 OpenGL drivers, the PolyNote C719ND produced a C2008 total index score of 225 and completed the benchmark in 91 minutes. With the AutoCAD C2008 native Direct3D drivers, the C2008 total index score was 271 and was done in 74 minutes. Next, I tested with concurrently running AutoCAD 2008 sessions, each running a separate installation of the Cadalyst C2008 benchmark, which is how I currently test systems based on multicore processors. The combined C2008 score for these two benchmarks was 463, and the tests were completed in 1 hour, 35 minutes. Next up was MAXBench4 running under Autodesk 3ds Max 2008. I first ran the benchmark iterations using the native OpenGL drivers and produced an averaged high/low score of 93.84. Changing to the native Direct3D drivers, the averaged high/low score jumped to 177.85. Later, I installed NVIDIA’s MAXtreme 10.00.03 accelerated Direct3D driver and generated an averaged high/low score of 185.28. Polywell Computers 800.999.1278 www.polywell.com Price: $3,599 24 Polywell’s PolyNote C719ND mobile workstation comes with a fiveyear warranty for labor and one-year warranty for parts — and enough performance to meet CAD and DCC user needs. I ran the complete SPECviewperf 10 benchmark and obtained the following results: 39.01 for 3ds max-04, 44.67 for catia-02, 30.65 for ensight-03, 105.07 for maya-02, 39.69 for proe-04, 63.95 for sw-01, 15.26 for tcvis-01, and 13.55 for ugnx-01. All the benchmark numbers were generally good; however, compared with the virtually identical system from @Xi Computer, the performance numbers are slower — primarily as a result of the drivers that Polywell elected to use for this roundup. As is often the case, performance can be significantly improved by the choice of graphics driver. On the battery longevity tests, the PolyNote C719ND ran down to hibernation in 1 hour, 35 minutes when idle and 1 hour, 23 minutes when running a continuous loop of the Cadalyst C2008 benchmark under AutoCAD 2008. As configured upon delivery, the PolyNote C719ND is priced at $3,599, making it marginally the most expensive system in this year’s roundup and earning it an A– in the pricing category. Warranty coverage is a very good five years on labor and one year on parts, earning the system its only A+, although buyers should be aware that Polywell’s return policy is 30 days net with a 15% restocking fee. An extended warranty is available as an option. The PolyNote C719ND is on the heavy side, and I feel that performance could be improved significantly with the choice of other graphics drivers. But the good performance and overall quality ultimately outweigh the downsides. Highly Recommended. Ron LaFon, a contributing editor for Cadalyst, is a writer, editor, and a computer graphics and electronic publishing specialist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is a principal at 3Bear Productions in Atlanta. Read More at Cadalyst.com More information about the reviewed systems www.cadalyst.com/0708laptop-table More workstation reviews www.cadalyst.com/workstationreviews More workstation information www.cadalyst.com/workstationinfo www.cadalyst.com cadalyst July 2008 http://www.polywell.com http://Cadalyst.com http://www.cadalyst.com/0708laptop-table http://www.cadalyst.com/workstationreviews http://www.cadalyst.com/workstationinfo http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - July 2008

Cadalyst - July 2008 Editor’s Window CAD Central FIRST Robotic Beasts Draw Students to Engineering Power! Speed! Action! — Mighty Mobile Workstations are Packed and Ready for Adventure! Vico Virtual Construction Suite 2008 AMD ATI FireGL V8600 and FireGL V8650 — 1-GB and 2-GB Graphics Cards Gaining Independence and Influence The Current State of MCAD Rewriting the Rules of PDM BIM Goes Residential CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Pleasures of Customization

Cadalyst - July 2008

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