Speed!

[KeesW]

I am addicted to speed! I like fast 3D regens, sections, etc. I've had a fast PC for a long time and am considering a change to the Apple iMac because it is such good value. However, does it run Archicad as quickly as a well optioned Dell? Do I need to use a CAD graphics card, e.g. NVidea Quadro F series, to get such good performance? Is it worth having an SSD card as well as a normal hard disk?

My present PC's , about to be replaced, were custom built to match the performance of the then fastest full sized Macs - and were in fact running ArchiCad 40% faster! If I change to a Mac, I'll need to spend an extra $400 to get Windows 7 because I use a lot of PC software. Would Parallels do an adequate job - even running Archicad?

I know that these issues have been discussed before and in various places, and maybe there is no definite answer. The ArchiWiki site gives minimum hardware standards but I'd like something better. Some thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.

[Rod Jurich]

Kees, very happy with my , but have been using same for 16 yrs.
Current system as attached. I have a SSD.
Graphics card as supplied by Apple
ATI Radeon HD 5750:
Chipset Model: ATI Radeon HD 5750
VRAM (Total): 1024 MB



You may also watch this video to get some comparison.

[KeesW]

Rod
Thanks for that review - very relevant.

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Don't know about Parallels as I use VMware Fusion which runs OKish it is reliable as virtual machines go but I think all these virtual machines will hit the speed you are looking for.

I know it's not answering your question and this may be stating the obvious but with any virtual machine you need to be very careful that you are saving to a hard drive and not a virtual one.

Chris Dennehy