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Fight for Your Hardware Rights (MCAD Modeling Column)
1 May, 2008 By: IDSA ,Mike HudspethGetting the proper tools is well worth the war.
Most of us know the frustration of working for a company whose IT department manages the computer hardware. These people work hard to keep everyone up and running. They can be your best friends if you have a problem. But sometimes they can be quite the opposite. To make their job easier, they will frequently mandate a corporate-standard computer for everybody. That means they always know what to expect when something breaks. Unfortunately, 3D modeling professionals tend to need more digital horsepower than the standard computer provides. Sometimes, they need a lot more.
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So, what do you do? You fight for what you need. Of course, if you're going to fight, you need to know what you actually want. Let's look at some equipment that is worth fighting the good fight.
Where to Start
You can't get much more basic than the computer itself. It may sound obvious, but many people find it difficult to pay for a workstation-class computer when everyone else in the organization can work on something that is a fraction of the price. Why are workstations so much more? Simply put, they are better. They are configured to handle much more processing than your average run-of-the-mill number cruncher. They usually have more random access memory (RAM), bigger power supplies, more expansion slots, faster (and sometimes more) CPUs, etc. In short, they are more versatile. You can do more with them. While it's true that you certainly can run most 3D modeling and engineering software on a lesser machine, you usually won't see the throughput that you will using a workstation. You want a workstation.
Now that we have the computer decision out of the way, let's move on to something that will definitely make your life easier — memory. When it comes to RAM, more is most definitely better. Find out how much your computer can handle and then max it out! Everything you do will happen faster. You see, RAM is where the software you run resides while you're using it. Today's average computer comes with bags of RAM compared with those of the past, but most don't come with enough to simultaneously run a 3D modeling program, one or more Microsoft Office applications, a graphics program, and an Internet browser — at least not at a speed that won't leave you waiting for something to happen. (Here's a helpful hint: Contact the software vendor from whom you buy your applications and ask what its RAM recommendations are. You can use that recommendation in your justification.)
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