Last Updated
04/25/2008
Certified Workstations
The following are system test results for Autodesk Inventor® running on various Workstations.
Testing done with the "System Verification" test
This test has three main parts:
Rebuilding parts
Updating Assemblies
Creating drawings with a base view and 2 section views of each assembly
See the pdf file for each test for detailed information.
The data used represents a general cross-section of Autodesk Inventor® applications.
Links to Autodesk Inventor® 2008 Workstation Certifications:
Historical Certifications
What to look for when configuring a workstation:
Memory: Plan for expansion. Start with 1GB, configured to use just 1 slot.
Make sure the motherboard has at least 4 slots, and that you can use just
1 slot. This allows for expansion to 2, 3, or 4GB without throwing any memory
away. If the motherboard has just 2 slots, put 2GB in the first slot.
CPU speed. Fast is better. If you are constrained by a budget,
a slower CPU with more memory will give better overall performance.
The size
and speed of the on-board instruction cache (L2) do impact Inventor's performance.
The bigger the better. Some new CPU's can will dynamically give more of he
cache to the busy processor. This is useful for Inventor 11.
CPU, 32 vs. 64-bit: Inventor is a 32-bit application. It runs on either
type, in 32-bit mode. However, it is clear that 64-bit is coming. If you
expect the computer you purchase today to be used for more than 2 years,
you might want to consider a 64-bit processor, with the 32-bit version of
Windows XP. On the other hand, the 32-bit processors are dropping in price.
Hard Drives: Big and fast is best, plan for expansion. Serial ATA in a
Stripped RAID 0 configuration is a good cost performance compromise. Start
with one
drive,
add more drives
if you need more speed or space. Since all drives must be identical,
make the first drive the fastest performance (RPM, transfer rate, and seek
time)
that
you
can afford. Note that the best drives also come with a longer warranty (usually
5 years).
Graphics card. Select a Green Certified card from this site. Look at the
cards memory footprint as well as its performance and cost. The memory footprint
may
be found by
clicking the compare or view keyword in the "Tested" column of the card display
table. Some cards may grab a lot of memory up front and use very little for
additional windows at the same time. Others may use very little up front,
but use more for each additional window opened. Cards with larger memory,
may use more main memory when a large number of windows are opened.
Using 3GB of address space with Windows XP SP2 and the 3GB option: I recommend
at least 3GB of physical memory. Check the comments for your graphics card
for special issues. If unsure, please verify from the card vendor
that your card and driver can be used in this mode.
School or economy configurations
- 512MB or 1GB of memory
- 80GB or more 7200 RPM EIDE hard drive
- Economy card from this site, $200 USD or less.
- The major computer vendors and others sell very good reconditioned systems.
These are often lease returns from major corporations. I have seen a number
of refurbished systems (with software) for around $500 (USD) or less.
- Note that the computer industry hardware always has a "sweet" spot.
For example, a 120GB 7200 RPM EIDE hard drive (today's hot selling size)
may
actually be cheaper than an 80GB drive (the hot selling drive from 6 months
ago).
A faster processor may be cheaper than slower one.
- Follow this link for tested "Entry Level" configurations with
onboard graphics chipsets.
