My current set-up:
Dell Precision T3400 Workstation
Pentium E6550 Core 2 Duo (2.33 GHz)
8 GB RAM (DDR2, 400MHz)
Nvidia Quadro FX 1700
500 GB 7200 rpm HDD
Windows XP x64 SP2
22" Widescreen Dell Monitor
Solidworks 2011 SP2
I am looking to update to SW2011 SP5 as soon as its available and am considering a hardware upgrade at the same time. I did a quick look on Dell.com and it looks like a direct replacement for machine would run right around \$1200, not accounting for additional memory, and I would probably just transplant my graphics card. Extra memory would add a few hundred to the cost, probably around \$1500 total for a new workstation with my same video card.
Or I could upgrade my current machine. I did a quick check and I can get a 2.5 GHz quad-core for \$210 and upgrade to Win7 for \$140. Total cost of \$360 after shipping. I haven't checked on compatibility, but maybe I could add a 128GB SSD for \$250.
My primary use is basic modeling, but I am doing more PhotoView rendering (still and animations) than I used to and occasional simulations.
What do you guys think? I will try to post a performance score sometime soon.
SolidworksAdministration