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This is our first workstation review since Autodesk released AutoCAD 2000, the first version that directly supports 3D OpenGL hardware acceleration. In addition, this is our first issue with expanded editorial coverage of "All Things CAD." To mark both events, we upped the ante on the minimum configuration for our 3D workstations. We asked vendors to send us their best workstation for serious 3D work. Our minimum requirements were:
Dual Pentium III or Pentium III Xeon processors (500MHz minimum)
256MB system memory
9GB hard drive
3D OpenGL-compliant graphics card with 16MB memory
32X CD-ROM drive
Network card
Three-button mouse
Windows NT 4.0 with service pack #4 preloaded
Monitor not included in configuration or price
Of the thirteen companies we invited to participate in this review, six agreed to submit workstations that met our requirements: Compaq, Core, Dell, Polywell, SGI, and Xi Computer.
To better gauge the performance of these high-powered 3D workstations, we expanded our benchmark testing. In addition to using the latest version of our C99-3D benchmark (v2.1) with AutoCAD 2000, we also ran tests using the latest version of 3dsBench (v3.0) with 3D Studio MAX R2.5 and Viewperf v6.1 with the ProCDRS-01 Viewset, which is designed to mimic aspects of PTC's CDRS application. For more details, see p. 59.
As the charts on p. 57 show, our six workstations represent a wide range of price and performance. Of particular interest is the price/performance chart. It shows a nearly straight line progression of performance related to price-it's the prettiest chart we've seen in quite a while. Okay, maybe we need to get out of the lab more often.
What about that second CPU? We disabled one of the CPUs on three workstations and reran 3dsBench with 3D Studio MAX, which takes direct advantage of multiple processors. The chart above shows that the performance delta varied 0-17%.
What's next?
At the beginning of the year we scheduled four workstation reviews in 1999 to help you make informed buying decisions in an ever-changing industry. This month's review marks our third roundup of progressively faster workstations, but you haven't seen anything yet.
The next generation of technology from Intel, which should be ready for a preview in our November workstation review, will push the performance bar even...