Computer Hardware Price Crash?

Muffin`

Muffin`

Muffin`

Caporegime
Joined
21 Apr 2004
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Location
Bristol
Has the cost of computer hardware for consumers crashed over the last few years? Everything seems so cheap yet when I'm bulk ordering Workstations for CAD users the prices have doubled, whats the deal with this, big boys being greedy?
 
The price of DDR2 RAM has plummeted in the past 12 months. It wasn't long ago that 2 GiB of PC2-6400 cost 100 quid. Now it's less than 30.

Workstations, depending on what they are, will command extra money do to multi-socket mobos, fully buffered RAM, and expensive "workstation" graphics cards, the Quadro or FireGL.
 
BillytheImpaler said:
Workstations, depending on what they are, will command extra money do to multi-socket mobos, fully buffered RAM, and expensive "workstation" graphics cards, the Quadro or FireGL.
Click to expand...

Specifically its the HP xw4400 I'm having issue with, we ordered E6600, 2 GB DDR II SDRAM - ECC - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 and no GFX card for £500. Because it's discontinued it's now twice the price (£900) to purchase one of similar spec, which appears to me to be ludicrous.
 
Perhaps you're just getting ripped off. How many do you need? Is building them in-house with enthusiast parts an option? You could get a screamer for £900.
 
That’s exactly my thinking, the company's opinion is that we get replacement parts delivered the next day, well OcUK is only down the road and we're hardly dealing with hot off the line hardware, so failure can't be that bad.

Can't really see even most of the CAD work justifying £400 for a Quadro 3500.
 
Most CAD stuff (mainly 3D modelling) looks crap and is probly too much for you average Gaming Graphics card!... 2D isn't as graphics intensive (unless its a wire model) but full solid modelling is a bit strenuous!..

I've tried Pro-Engineer on a workstation with a 8500GTS (512Mb clocked a bit) and it was stuttering!... when a FireGL (1024Mb stock, base model) was put in its place (probly 3 times the price) it was smooth as silk paning/zooming/orbiting!!...

For plain AutoCAD LT stuff any £150-£200 GFX will do, but start getting into 3D (Full AutoCAD, Pro-E, Solid Edge etc..) and you need to spend upward of £400-£500 easily!!...
 
Yes, the fancy workstation graphics cards are worth it if that's what you're doing. However, charging boatloads for the rest of the system isn't. A decent office PC with more (non-FB and non-ECC) RAM and a Quadro would be up to the task.
 
I understand the stressed of how the two differnt types of card render CAD. But I'd love to get a 8800GT to really see how it would handle. :D

But good point, I do wonder how it would handle NavisWorks or Bently with it looking slightly prettier. Other key compnent's would obviously be a fraction of the cost.
 
In short, "gaming" cards are paired with the "gaming" drivers and are optimized to give maximum FPS at all times and are especially suited for fullscreen 3D. "Workstation" cards paired with "workstation" drivers are optimized to give maximum accuracy and are especially suited for windowed 3D. They have a little extra hardware for handling windowing elements (or at least they used to).
 
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