Yet another hardware questionon (2)

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1

greetings,

im in the process of closing in on a system:
(1) p4 2.0 processor 512 cache, 400 front side bus
1 gig ddram (upgradable to 2 gigs)
nvidia750 card
and the usual bells and whistles

my questions:

how critical is a second processor? is it more of a luxury then a necessity? or will i get frustreted within 6 months?

Im planning to run the usual suspects on the system...studitools, 3dmax, maya, proE, autocad, solidworks, and rhino

i know the 2nd processor helps with keeping more then one program running efficiently, but does it drastically improve work speed within a single program?

if i do feel the sytem is lagging, i can always drop another gig of ram into the box..will that offset the lack of a second processor?

also, regarding monitors...im thinking about either a 17" or a 18" LCD screen...what has been the experience working the above programs on an LCD?

thanks in advance for the help.

cheers/

2

Ram will not make up for a lack of two procs. I think for you the biggest benefit would be that with two procs you can render on one and work on the other. In that case you'll probably need the extra ram as well.

3

Yeah.. In the case of 3d apps and a workstation.. I would stick to dual systems.... You have the choice of dual athlon 2600s or dual xeon 2.8 ghz for dual now anyway......... both are pretty inexpensive now adays..
I went the dual xeon route after working on athlons and p4's at work and love them emensly!!