If you could buy new hardware to work with ArchiCad?

[Anonymous]

I have finally decided to say goodbye to paper and pencil and I've bought ArchiCad! The computer is now dying and I am about to buy a new one. Beyond the "System Requirements-Windows" what would you "Oldtimers in ArchiCad" recommend? (I'll have a stand alone computer and later communication with a draftsman will be by internet. My work is entirely residential homes.) So far on my wish list is Pentium 4 (or D) Dual Core?,
1GB SDDR2 SDRAM, 250GB Hard Drive, 19" digital Flat Panel monitor, GeForce 6600 or ATI Radeon 9800 XT, single drive 16XDVD/CD burner. I plan to place my order on Thursday.
Thanks in advance,

Lee Bredeson
Magnolia Classic
Hilton Head, SC
(843) 815-6673
lee@magnoliaclassic.com

[Anonymous]

Couple things; first I'd like to recommend kicking the ram up to 2gigs. I just attended a demo session for archicad this evening and the number one hardware recommendation was ram. They say Archicad definitely benefits from increased memory. Secondly, I'd advise you away from a pentium 4, they are becoming old technology. I think a pentium D would be a good choice. As far as a dual core processor, Archicad won't benefit from it as a whole. I believe there are a couple things like light tests that do utilize dual core processors, but the program in general doesn't utilize them. There are only a few programs in general that are actually structured around dual core. It may be a benefit if you want to run other programs in unison with Archicad, however. Otherwise all looks good. Of course, you could always consider buying an Apple, which I believe Archicad was born on. The new MacBook Pro out-performs the G5's..

[Anonymous]

I definitely agree about the RAM. My new laptop seemed to make a big jump in performance when I added the second gig (of course it wasn't long before the upgrade so I this not based on extensive experience or careful testing). This seemed especially true in Windows.

I do think that multi-processor and/or multi-core is a big deal. Even though AC doesn't use more than one (except for Lightworks rendering - which is not insignificant), it does run significantly better when it has one all to itself. It becomes even more important when running multiple applications. Whether that is multiple sessions of ArchiCAD, or running along side Word, Excel, Photoshop, etc...

Whenever I have used multi processor systems I have noticed a significant boost in user productivity.

If you are only getting one machine you might consider a laptop. I have been buying only laptops since 1998 and have had no difficulty getting the work done. On larger projects I have often had the use of my client's workstations and I have noticed that, while the extra power is nice, productivity does not increase in proportion to CPU speed. For single residences (even big detailed ones) a modern laptop will work just fine. I worked on an 18,000 sf house with full traditional ornament (modillions, dentils, crowns, friezes, entablatures, paneling, etc. inside and out - not to mention the doors, windows, casings, baseboards, casework etc) on a computer with considerably less power than my current (new) laptop.

The added flexibility of a laptop can be a huge benefit. Besides live design sessions with clients (a portable projector really knocks them out) it allows me to work at times and places that I otherwise could not. This contributes considerably to my quality of life. And you can still tie yourself down to the desk when you really need to crank out some work on a nice big 23" to 30" display.

I haven't had the chance to test it yet (I will soon), but it seems that my CoreDuo machine is quite comparable in speed (real world usability not necessarily CPU benchmarks) to my clients' brand new HP workstations.

If you are really feeling adventurous you might even consider the new 17" MacBook Pro (I am VERY happy with mine). It costs a little more as a Windows machine since you have to buy the full retail version of WinXP. It is otherwise pretty much the same price as a comparably equipped Dell and is so much nicer to look at (and carry around).

[Dwight]

The fastest whatever it is..... probably a new mac/intel desktop before fall.

With ArchiCAD you need real estate more than computer speed: you need desk area. I have been getting along with a single 30" cinema display so far but with ArchiCAD 10 the dialog boxes are so extensive that you need more space.... so it means another display - probably a 23" cinema. The integrated plotmaker begs to be there on the screen, too.....

[Anonymous]

You can see my response here.

Please, it is not polite to double post.

[__archiben]

Matthew wrote:
If you are really feeling adventurous you might even consider the new 17" MacBook Pro (I am VERY happy with mine). It costs a little more as a Windows machine since you have to buy the full retail version of WinXP. It is otherwise pretty much the same price as a comparably equipped Dell and is so much nicer to look at (and carry around).

i'd have to agree with this. i've had my macbook pro for a couple of weeks now and am loving it! having OSX and XP pro installed on the same machine gives you the best of both worlds - i'm beginning to learn revit on the XP side of things at the moment.

my only wish is for a larger hard drive - having partitioned it for mac and windows systems i'm finding that i'm filling it up rather quickly. only 25GB to go!

~/archiben

[Laszlo Nagy]

I, too agree with both RAM size and dual-core recommendations.
There is one more thing I would do: even if you are buying a laptop, get a hard drive with 7200 rpm (resolutions per minute - how fast the disks of the drive spin). I have a 5400 rpm one and it is quite a difference compared to my previous computers' (a desktop) 7200 rpm performance.

I plan to buy 1 GB of RAM to make it 2GB, plus upgrade to a 7200 rpm hard drive and I believe that will make quite a difference.

[Anonymous]

~/archiben wrote:
my only wish is for a larger hard drive - having partitioned it for mac and windows systems i'm finding that i'm filling it up rather quickly. only 25GB to go!

I'm already thinking about upgrading to a Seagate 160GB. With all my clients' projects (the ones I am currently working on) I only have about 5GB of space left. I'm going to have to offload some stuff to an external drive.