Cadalyst - November/December 2008 - (Page 21)

cadalystlabsreview present all six budget-conscious workstations side-by-side, but note which models are overclocked. A Word — and an Update — about Overclocking As has been our usual approach for workstation comparative reviews, Cadalyst Labs permitted companies to submit systems with overclocked processors for this roundup. Two of the submitted systems in this review fall into the overclocked category. Overclocking can be defined as running a processor at a speed faster than that at which it is nominally rated by its chip manufacturer. Overclocking of CAD and engineering systems generates some controversy. Some feel that absolute performance — that is, benchmark test scores — should be the primary criterion for workstation evaluation. Others argue that factors such as longer-term system reliability and value are imperative to the overall decision-making process. Most CAD users likely prefer a balance of features. One thing is mutually agreeable: Comparing overclocked systems head-to-head with unmodified systems in a review that heavily emphasizes performance can result in some very good systems being rated relatively low, misrepresenting the value of those systems to CAD users. Cadalyst believes that hardware performance is important but shouldn’t be the sole factor in determining what constitutes a good CAD workstation. We expect this to be the last workstation roundup in which we directly compare systems that are overclocked with those that are not. Future comparative reviews will include overclocked systems from time to time, but those will be evaluated separately from workstations that aren’t overclocked. New guidelines going forward will include a requirement that any workstation submitted for a Cadalyst Labs Review must be available for sale on the vendor’s web site at the time of the review, at the speed, configuration, and price quoted in our review. Review Standards When Cadalyst invited workstation developers to submit systems for this roundup, we requested systems priced at $2,500 or less, excluding monitors and speakers. The products we received range in price from $1,429 to $2,499. Ultimately, vendors could configure submitted systems however they pleased, as long as they met the minimum requirements outlined in our roundup invitation. We requested systems with the fastest available single dualcore processor, whether Intel or AMD, and all vendors, at their option, submitted systems based on Intel Core 2 E8500 processors that are nominally rated at 3.16 GHz. We required a 3D OpenGL graphics card with at least 64 MB of onboard RAM and supporting at least 1,280 x 1,024 resolution with 24/32-bit color. All submitted systems include NVIDIA graphics cards, ranging from the Quadro FX 570 to the faster but more expensive Quadro FX 3700. At our request, each system has a minimum 4 GB of system memory and at least 120 GB of total hard drive storage capacity, either in single or multiple drives. Submitted systems also had to have a CD-RW drive and a DVD-ROM drive, with combination drives being acceptable, as well as a network card and a wheel mouse. Each system had to be preloaded with a 64-bit version of Vista with the latest service packs installed, though we did not specify the specific variant of the operating system. Performing accurate benchmark tests on Vista is difficult at best due to the extensive background processes that seem to be part and parcel of the operating system. I hope to refine the process as I conduct workstation reviews going forward. After we decided to test with Vista, we had to choose whether to test with or without various components, such as the Aero interface. Ultimately, we opted in favor of performance and repeatability, turning off the Aero interface and Desktop Windows Manager (DWM) and running the systems from an account that had Administrator privileges. Although this is not an out-of-the-box Vista configuration, we believe most CAD and engineering users will be using this approach to maximize system performance. Indeed, some of the systems we received for evaluation were preconfigured in this manner. Testing Procedures For the past few months Cadalyst has been updating benchmark tests and procedures, and this roundup reflects some of those efforts. Many, if not most, CAD users have been feeling the limitations of the 3 GB of memory in Workstations that Won’t Bust Your Budget: A Side-by-Side Comparison Check out Cadalyst.com for a comprehensive table that compares the features of these gentle-on-the-budget workstations, including detailed product specifications and performance data. www.cadalyst.com/1108workstation-table November/December 2008 cadalyst www.cadalyst.com 32-bit versions of Windows, so now seemed to be the time to move to 64-bit versions for testing. This capability gives applications access to greater stores of RAM and better memory management. Windows XP is no longer an available option on new workstations except as a downgrade, giving us yet another reason to move to 64-bit Vista for testing and evaluating hardware. All future Cadalyst Labs hardware testing will use 64-bit versions of Vista. After I receive a workstation, I check it for the appropriate amount of RAM and specified hardware, then install the underlying application software and the benchmark tests. With this roundup, for the AutoCAD component of the tests, we moved to v5.1 of the Cadalyst C2008 benchmark running under AutoCAD 2009 with Service Pack 1. This new version of the Cadalyst benchmark test reflects the new 3D capabilities of AutoCAD and works with AutoCAD 2008 and later. (C2008 v5.0 is still available to test systems running older versions of AutoCAD.) If you want to test your own systems, download the benchmark from www. cadalyst.com/benchmark. When interpreting the C2008 results, the C2008 total index score represents how many times faster a given workstation runs in comparison to a 1995 ALR Pentium Pro system. So if you see a C2008 total index score of 500, it really does mean that particular system is 500 times faster than the comparison system. Obviously, systems have become profoundly faster in the past 13 years! 21 http://www.cadalyst.com/benchmark http://www.cadalyst.com/benchmark http://www.Cadalyst.com http://www.cadalyst.com/1108workstation-table http://www.cadalyst.com

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

Cadalyst - November 2008 Contents Editor's Window CAD Central Tech Trends: Designed after Our Own Image Budget-Conscious Workstations — 64-Bit CAD Power for Less than $2,500 Cadalyst All-Star Awards 2008 SolidWorks 2009 — 3D MCAD Software IES Virtual Environment 5.9 — Building Performance Analysis Software View Point: A Design with Teeth CAD Manager: CAD Manager’s Survey 2008 MCAD Modeling: Ask for What You Want AEC Insight: AEC Software by the Clock CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes Hot Tip Harry: Hot Tips for Cold Days

Cadalyst - November 2008

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