Booooooooooging dooooowwwn

[CarpeNoctem]

hehe, i like my title way too much. Anywho.. here are the specs of my computer..

MSI 770-C45 mobo
Phenom II X2 BE 3.1GHZ (dual core)
ATI HD 4650 512MB GPU
8GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM
SATA 150 HDD 7200 RPM
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

My fellow co-worker has...

uknown mobo
Core2Extreme X9650 3.17GHZ (quad core)
NVIDIA 8800 GTX 800 or so MB GPU
8GB DDR2 1066Mhz RAM
Raptor HDD SATA 300 10,000RPM or the next highest
Windows XP Pro 64-bit


Alright... We are both 3D AutoCAD technicians and are working on the same drawings and same version of programs. Pretty much, his computer has little to no lag when he designs his 3D models. For instance, when he loads 6-7 drawings over the top of his, his zoom is smooth and has no lag.

When I model in 3D in the same situations I get much more lag. As example, when I zoom with 6-7 drawings loaded on top of mine, i get a 3-5 second lag for each of the many zoom steps.


I'm thinking this is due to the processor. POSSIBLY the video card, but I doubt it. What do you guys think could be causing my computer to lag more than his? I would like to upgrade and fix this problem without the hassle of taking a bunch of incorrect parts back.


*side note*
I used to use Windows XP, and it would crash ALL the freaking time (every 30 mins usually) using AutoCAD back when I had 2 GB's of memory. I upgraded to Windows 7, with the same amount of memory, and it NEVER crashed again. That's so freaking amazing. In 7 I used a total of 1.93 gigs of memory out of 2 gigs with all of my required programs open and no crashes (XP always crashed when I hit exactly 1.93 gigs of RAM used). I upgraded my memory to 8 gigs and using the same programs used a total of 4.1 gigs of memory. I'm thinking this means 7 disables the many unneeded processes to make up for the lack of memory (which is about time if this is a new feature). What do you guys think? Of the 4 years I've been modeling with AutoCAD, this has never happened. Anyone else have similar Windows 7 stories?

Anyways, besides being amazing and wanting to talk about it, my point is that CAD is running smoother and faster on 7 than XP so I don't think it's a factor.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Remeniz]

I'd say the extra two cores and the 12MB shared on-die cache on the Intel set-up will be a big advantage.

And I reckon the CAD program will make use of the extra cores available to it.

 

[Calibound88]

Your problem is that you have a Phenom XII and a 4650 and he has a Core2Extreme and a 8800gtx

 

[CarpeNoctem]

Cool thanks!

How would you guys expect an X4 with 6MB of L3 cache to perform compared to the Core2Extreme?

Do you know what about the graphics card models make his better? And also, would upgrading the graphics card and not the CPU help? Even if it's just a little. Or should I upgrade both? I have guessed that I lose almost an hour of work a day because of how long the zoom takes and how frequently I have to. And I'm sure you know... that's a lot of design hours wasted when considering longer amounts

 

[Computear]

Cool thanks!

How would you guys expect an X4 with 6MB of L3 cache to perform compared to the Core2Extreme?

Do you know what about the graphics card models make his better? And also, would upgrading the graphics card and not the CPU help? Even if it's just a little. Or should I upgrade both? I have guessed that I lose almost an hour of work a day because of how long the zoom takes and how frequently I have to. And I'm sure you know... that's a lot of design hours wasted when considering longer amounts

IMO, upgrade just the CPU, at least first, the difference upgrading from a dual-core to a quad-core on a multi-threaded application is pretty big.