Contrary to our previous announcement, SolidWorks 2011 WILL continue to support the Windows XP Professional operating system.

Intel Quietly Ships Faster Xeon 3500 Series Processors

Without much fanfare, Intel has begun shipping new and faster Xeon 3500 Series processors.  The new W3580 and W3550 CPUs run at 3.33 and 3.06 GHz, marginally faster than the 3.2/2.93 GHz W3570 and W3540 chips introduced earlier this year.  So far, Lenovo is the only major workstation manufacturer listing these chips as options and they are priced exactly the older and slower parts.

Intel has also been releasing more details on the forthcoming “Lynnfield” processors, which will be the Nehalem architecture for mainstream and consumer markets.  The consumer versions of the processors will be dubbed the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 and will require different (and much less expensive) motherboards from the current Core i7 and Xeon 3500 Series.  The Core i5 and new Core i7 look particularly interesting.  They will have only dual channel memory, which will reduce bandwidth somewhat, but will make up for it with faster turbo modes (important for SolidWorks performance) and lower power consumption.  It’s unknown whether Intel will come out with Xeon-branded versions with ECC memory support, but I hope they do.  This would be the optimal platform for entry and mainstream SolidWorks users.

The following are recommendations for new workstations for SolidWorks. See http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html for minimum requirements.

SolidWorks 2009 Hardware Recommendations 090812

Please contact Jim Zink at (763) 560-8600 x219 for more specific recommendations.

Mechatronics – The next big thing?

Mechatronics is the synergistic combination of precision mechanical engineering, electronic control and systems thinking in the design of products and manufacturing processes. It relates to the design of systems, devices and products aimed at achieving an optimal balance between basic mechanical structure and its overall control. While not new, mechatronics is still in the emerging technology stage and early adopters are still struggling with the widely disparate nature of the development tools used by mechanical and electronic controls engineers. That is about to change…

At SolidWorks World 2009, both National Instruments and Rockwell Automation previewed motion control simulation software that is integrated with SolidWorks Motion Simulation software to provide a unified simulation environment. This will enable mechanical engineers and electronic controls engineers to build digital prototypes of complex machinery and collaborate on optimizing designs early in the product development process.

I confess that much of this went over my head, but when two of the leading motion control and simulation vendors are involved in a multi-year collaborative development projects with SolidWorks, I sit up and take notice.

Desktop Engineering has published an excellent two part article on mechatronics in general and the NI LabView/SolidWorks solution in particular. See http://www.deskeng.com/articles/aaapmg.htm.

The presentation by John Pritchard of Rockwell Automation is included in the SolidWorks World 2009 Proceedings on the SolidWorks Customer Portal.

SolidWorks Corporation has newly certified updated drivers for both Windows XP and Vista for desktop nVidia Quadro FX graphics cards.  These drivers support the full range of desktop boards – from the three year old FX 540/1400/3400 generation to the newest products.  Download the new drivers from www.solidworks.com/sw/videocardtesting.html .  Be sure to follow installation instructions carefully.

How fast is your workstation?

Do you need to justify the expense of a new workstation or are you just curious to see how your system compares to others? Visit www.solidmuse.com and run some of the benchmarks posted on the site and then compare your results with those posted on the site. Anna Wood has done a terrific job of pulling together benchmarks that are easy to run and a results spreadsheet that makes it easy for users to compare their results with other users. The “punch holder” benchmark is the most popular, but the others are interesting, too.

Why no Core i7 workstations?

A quick look at the results posted on Anna’s website will show that the new Intel Core i7 processors deliver outstanding performance for SolidWorks – 20-40% faster than a Core2 processor running at the same clock speed. So, why aren’t there any Core i7 based workstations available from Dell, HP or Lenovo?

Odd as it may seem, Intel positions the Core i7 as a consumer product and the big three OEMs are following Intel’s guidelines and only offering the Core i7 in consumer-oriented gaming systems. A Xeon-branded version of the Core i7 will be available in late March or April.

In the meantime, users who want the best possible performance for SolidWorks can either build their own system or purchased a Core i7 workstation from “second tier” supplies, such as XI Computer.

Attention Shoppers! The Outlet Centers are Open!

Are you in the market for a new workstation, but on a tight budget? You may want to consider purchasing a refurbished system from either the Dell or HP Business Outlet. Refurbished workstations sell for 30-50% off list price and come with a full three year warranty (standard with Dell, optional for HP). The selection on both outlets has been really good lately.

Some examples of particularly good buys:
Dell Precision T3400, C2D 2.66 GHz, 2 GB RAM, Quadro FX 570 Graphics = $589
Dell Precision M6300, C2D 2.5 GHz, 4GB RAM, Quadro FX 1600M = $1,339
HP xw4600, C2D 3.0 GHz, 2GB RAM, Quadro FX 1700 Graphics = $809
HP 8530w, C2D 2.4 GHz, 4GB RAM, Quadro FX770M Graphics = $1,568

For help in selecting or configuring a workstation for SolidWorks,
call Jim Zink at 763 795-7975