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LCrosno
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My HP Pavillion g series from 2010 is not getting the job done anymore. Does anyone have a recommendation for a specific computer that would have what I need to run Chief Architect, efficiently and quickly? I'm so tired of waiting around for renderings to load, and sometimes 3D won't load at all.  

 

I also would really like a PC and not a Mac. I just like PC better.

 

THANK YOU in advance!

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The thing to do is to study what makes a computer "great", what factors directly effect performance and then with that understood, read the specifications of a perspective computer backed up by some knowledge and understanding.

 

Solid State hard drives give overall better performance over analog drives.

The better your video card is, the better, faster rendering you get.

Having enough RAM to support multi-tasking and general performance

You will get a number of opinions here, that is the purpose of the forum but the most reliable opinion you can have is your own after you get defined geeky terms and a better understanding of how and why computers do what they do.

 

DJP

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Laptops are often a separate discussion from desk tops.

In general they cost more. How you will use it is important to deciding what.

Occasional, short periods (under 2 hours) just some revisions-you can get away with less power than you might want in a primary machine. Using for shorter time periods you can also go thinner/lighter.

I only work on a laptop with multiple screens and end up spending a bit on my machines and putting up with heavier than I'd like (at this age anyway :)

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You guys are awesome, thank you so much. I don't want to go to Best Buy or somewhere like that because they might just sell me something without really caring what I need it for. I thought talking to people who do what I need to do would be my best bet. Thanks for all the help! If anyone else has any other info to add, it is more than welcome!

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To the ASUS owners, do you have the one with 8GB of RAM, or do I need higher?

 

I myself have never encountered a situation that required more than 8GB of Ram. There are only a few programs out there such as video editors or a situation where you may have a large number of programs running simultaneously (multi-tasking). I run Chief, Browser, Photoshop, MS Office, PDF and a few other minor programs all the time, my Ram usage has never been over 6.5GB. Even if there is a need then Windows will use a swap file to take care of things, many users would never detect the difference. If you are buying a desktop then you can always add more Ram if needed. If it's a laptop and you really think you need more RAM then order it that way; many laptops can't be upgraded later on.

 

Graham

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I myself have never encountered a situation that required more than 8GB of Ram. There are only a few programs out there such as video editors or a situation where you may have a large number of programs running simultaneously (multi-tasking). I run Chief, Browser, Photoshop, MS Office, PDF and a few other minor programs all the time, my Ram usage has never been over 6.5GB. Even if there is a need then Windows will use a swap file to take care of things, many users would never detect the difference. If you are buying a desktop then you can always add more Ram if needed. If it's a laptop and you really think you need more RAM then order it that way; many laptops can't be upgraded later on.

 

Graham

 

Those are exactly what I use as well.

 

What about the size of the graphics card?

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A little off subject (sort of), but if you custom build a desktop (which I personally think is the best way to go), consider putting one of these on the front. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/EXCELVAN-Dashboard-Multi-In-1-Internal-Connector/dp/B00OBA6JFU

 

I absolutely love it. 

 

I have someone trustworthy that could build one for me, but I'm seriously afraid my computer will die before he can get it done! It has really started slowing down over the last month.

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Those are exactly what I use as well.

 

What about the size of the graphics card?

 

2GB would be my minimum. There are cases were 4GB may be of benefit. A lot of testing has demonstrated that the performance difference between 2GB & 4GB video cards would not likely be user noticeable. Really only comes into play on certain video games or you are running a very high resolution monitor or multiple screens.

 

As you can see in Joe' specs he is running three monitors, one being hires, here the 4GB would pay-off.

 

Graham

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2GB would be my minimum. There are cases were 4GB may be of benefit. A lot of testing has demonstrated that the performance difference between 2GB & 4GB video cards would not likely be user noticeable. Really only comes into play on certain video games or you are running a very high resolution monitor or multiple screens.

 

As you can see in Joe' specs he is running three monitors, one being hires, here the 4GB would pay-off.

 

Graham

 

I rarely use my external monitor, so I'm thinking this is extremely helpful- and saved me money most likely!

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