How can I get the most from my PC? It has a super high spec. but still seems to suck?

Question

The machine in question is a Dell Precision T5400

Intel Xeon CPU E5420 @ 2.5GHz 2.49GHZ, 8GB of RAM.

It appears to have a total of 8 processors but still crashes quite regularly and does not run SOLIDWORKS 2008 nearly as well as i think it should. It has a Nvida Quadro FX4600 graphics card and has WIN XP 64 Pro installed with SOPHOS anti virus.

It is my work PC and is linked to the office network.

I have full admin rights and have already tried using things like reg cleaners etc. to speed it up a little.

I really runs terribly and in my mind is not worth the money the company paid for it. Any advice on how I can get more out of it or what could be wrong???

Answer 1

it is a little strange, very big capacity and .....

maybe you should check if your works domain may cause any latency.

but u can try entering without domain and close anti virus.

are u sure that RAM is working full capacity 8GB?

maybe the problem is in the bugs of SOLIDWORKS 2008 you must wait for updates coming for that software.i have the same prob with CAD 4.

Answer 2

8 GIGS OF RAM WTF ROFLCOPTER THATS CRAZY GFX CARD IS OK A BIT OF AN OLD PC THATS JUST IT SORRY FOR THE CAPS MY CAPS LOCK IS BROKEN

Answer 3

have you looked on the event viewer in administration tools?

that should give you the log of the problem and then once you have one google it!

that's a mental PC

Answer 4

8 processors? xeon? are you trying to use a server for a desktop PC? that is just a terrible build for a desktop PC. server CPUs are ment to multi task not be speedy. you want to get more out of it use it for a server and not a desktop PC

Answer 5

What is with everyone saying it is not a desktop?  This is a workstation class desktop, it is normal for it to have high end server-grade components.  I also run a Dell Precision workstation that has a quad-core, 8gb, and linux 32-bit which DOES support the full 8gb.  I use it to run a virtual testing envrionment, which it excels at.

Anyway, one thing that sticks out - the Sophos AV is listed as "not supported" by SolidWorks and I wonder if it was disabled during the installation of SolidWorks (see http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services... )

Also the requirements mention having a page file that is double to your RAM size so you should have a 16gb page file (see http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services... )

Since you have a single quad core, and you have an 8-way SMP I would disable the virtual cores in the BIOS (disable the hyper-threading option) so you have a 4-way SMP it also causes issues with database software (not sure about solidworks :)

I am curious as what else your IT dept has installed, if nothing else seems to work then I would use the system recovery CDs to get a fresh XP 64 install, reinstall Solidworks, and see how it goes.  Then install office, and a FEW apps you need and maybe create restore points along the way so you can revert to if you find out what SW is causing the instability.  Hopefully your IT staff will support you on this, if not tell them you need a second PC or a laptop for all the other c**p they force on you and only use the Dell Precision for SolidWorks only...

hope this helps.

cheers

Answer 6

That is not a Desktop Personal Computer. It is meant to run many applications at the same time but, not fast. This type of computer is used to run a business, nothing more.  

Ifit runs slow on the network, the Network could be the problem.

That is not a "slow"computer by any means but, not meant for desktop PC use.

Answer 7

Here's a good blog entry about preventing crashes in SolidWorks.

http://dezignstuff.com/blog/?p=261

Answer 8

That is quite a build for a desktop. Your processor is a quad-core processor. As with any multi-core processors, there are scenarios where it runs more efficiently than a single core, but there are also scenarios where it runs more poorly than a single core. That depends on the task you are doing and the application that you are running. And unless that version of XP is 64-bit, 8GB of ram won't help.