computer freezing

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John Franzino
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computer freezing

Post by John Franzino »

Every time I work in custom layout on both of my computers the system freezes constantly. I have over 1 GB of memory but the more detail I add the more it freezes. Is anyone else having this problem?
Rick Palechuk
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Post by Rick Palechuk »

What type of video card are you running?
John Franzino
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Post by John Franzino »

I'm not sure, what ever came with the computer. It's a dell laptop only a yr old
Mike Snodgrass
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Post by Mike Snodgrass »

Mine is freezing up alot lately when I'm in the cabinet editor. Hopefully, we'll get the next build soon.
mikesand
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Post by mikesand »

Unless you have a \"M\" series laptop you probably dont have a video card.
John Franzino
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Post by John Franzino »

its a Dell inspiron. Will a video card help ?
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Post by DanEpps »

You cannot change the video card in an Inspiron but you might still have a servicable card. What model Inspiron is it?

Bear in mind though that the Inspiron line is designed as a general purpose home or low-end business notebook computer. To get better than just fair performance from a notebook you need a mobile workstation-class computer such as Dell's M90.

Your computer is just as valuable of a tool for your shop as any woodworking tool you own. Don't buy computers on price, buy them on capability and what they will do for your shop.
Kerry Fullington
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Post by Kerry Fullington »

John,
I ordered my Inspiron with an ATI Radeon 9700, 128 MB Graphics card two years ago so you could have a dedicated card.
Right click My Computer then choose Properties then the Hardware Tab and Device Manager. Click on Display adapters and it will tell you what card you have. You can right click the card and choose Properties to learn more about it.
Kerry
Kerry Fullington
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Post by Kerry Fullington »

Dan,
When I ordered my notebook Dell had just introduced the XPS series and was advertising that you would be able to upgrade the graphics card in those notebooks. Did that ever happen. I haven't looked to see if you can change cards in those notebooks. That would be a good thing.
Kerry
John Franzino
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Post by John Franzino »

It says i have an ATI Mobility Radeon X300
It seems that the more I add to the custom layout the slower everything gets. It seems to freeze mostly when I switch to cabinet editor and try to switch back. Will more memory help? I'm not ready to trash two computers just to use one program yet.
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Post by DanEpps »

Kerry

I think the \"upgrade\" is only at time of purchase. You have options for the video card in XPS notebooks but as far as I know you can't buy a separate card and upgrade it yourself.

John

Here is what ATI says about the Radeon X300:
Uses the high-speed bi-directional data transfer capabilities of PCI Express to store and access graphics data in system memory, leading to less dependence on dedicated graphics memory and a lower overall notebook cost
That means your video card uses system RAM instead of having its own dedicated memory for graphics processing. This card is also geared toward DirectX graphics with openGL as an \"afterthought\". eCabinets, like all CAD-type programs, uses OpenGL for 3D graphics.
John Franzino
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Post by John Franzino »

Thanks Dan for taking the time. My computer at the shop is a Dell desktop Dimension 2400. Can that be upgraded to run Ecabinets faster and if so what do I need to get? I'm a cabinet maker, not up to computer stuff
John
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Post by DanEpps »

John

The Dimension 2400 just doesn't have the horsepower to give good performance for eCabinets. It has a Celeron CPU which is a stripped-down version of the Pentium and an embedded graphics adapter.

eCabinets really needs a workstation-class computer for the best performance. I have a Dell Precision Workstation 380 with a 3.4 GHz Pentium D and 2GB RAM and it still bogs down at times. You can get some pretty good buys at the Dell Outlet on refurbished, scratch & dent or cancelled order computers. Just click on the Workstations links either for desktops or notebooks.

Ideally you want at least 2GB RAM and an nVidia Quadro video card with at least 128MB of dedicated video RAM. Workstation-class computers aren't cheap but you will get great performance from them.

Browse around the Dell Workstation Outlet and see what you can find in your price range. Post the specs for your choices and I will help you weed them out.
John Franzino
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Post by John Franzino »

Thanks for the help. I'm in the process of building a new shop so spending a couple of grand on a new computer is not an option right now.
If there is anything i can do to the desk top that would help let me know.
thanks again
John
DanEpps
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Post by DanEpps »

What is the configuration on the desktop--how much RAM, virtual memory size?

The information is easy to get. Click the Start button then Run. Type in cmd and press enter.

In the command window type in systeminfo and press enter.

At the top of the list will be information like this:

C:\\Documents and Settings\\xxxxxxx>systeminfo

Host Name: XXXXXXX
OS Name: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Version: 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
OS Configuration: Standalone Workstation
OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
Registered Owner: xxxxxxx
Registered Organization:
Product ID: 76487-OEM-0011903-00102
Original Install Date: 9/28/2006, 4:56:01 PM
System Up Time: 3 Days, 14 Hours, 52 Minutes, 6 Seconds
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Precision WorkStation 380
System type: X86-based PC
Processor(s): 2 Processor(s) Installed.
[01]: x86 Family 15 Model 6 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~
3391 Mhz
[02]: x86 Family 15 Model 6 Stepping 4 GenuineIntel ~
3391 Mhz
BIOS Version: DELL - 7
Windows Directory: C:\\WINDOWS
System Directory: C:\\WINDOWS\\system32
Boot Device: \\Device\\HarddiskVolume2
System Locale: en-us;English (United States)
Input Locale: en-us;English (United States)
Time Zone: (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Total Physical Memory: 2,046 MB
Available Physical Memory: 1,470 MB
Virtual Memory: Max Size: 2,048 MB
Virtual Memory: Available: 2,001 MB
Virtual Memory: In Use: 47 MB
Page File Location(s): C:\\pagefile.sys
Post that information. You can copy/paste it by right-clicking in the window and choose Mark. Then drag the mouse while holding the left button down to highlight the information. Press enter when you have it all highlighted. In your forum reply hold the Ctrl key and press V to paste it.
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