20 replies to this topic

[AJ Spino]

I just installed Windows7 on my MacMini w/BootCamp.  I have an Apple USB keyboard with numeric key pad, unfortunately after the install the numeric pad doesn't work.  Oddly enough the USB port on that side of the keyboard doesn't work either.  The other issue is no sound...can't listen to the training videos(I'm not sure if they even have sound).

 

Has anyone experienced the same thing after installing Windows?  Any help would be deeply appreciated.

[Mark Petri]

I am not a fan of Windows at all. I boot up to Windows 7 on my Mac and sometimes my mouse doesn't work. Sometimes my settings get messed up. Sometimes the printer doesn't work. Then, I will boot up in Mac and everything is fine. Only, I can't us SP on the Mac side. Sure wish they'd follow all the other CAD programs who make a Mac version.

[AJ Spino]

Have you tried a reboot?

Gave that a shot, but no dice.  I'll probably have to try tech support (Windows), I spoke to one of the SP techs earlier, but he wasn't able to provide any help as it's more a OS problem then a program problem.

[AJ Spino]

 Sure wish they'd follow all the other CAD programs who make a Mac version.

I'll second that motion!!

[Thomas Roman]

I may be only person on planet that never understood the appeal of apple products relative to their costs (cough.. gouging.. )...

and don't get me started on the gall and greed displayed by requiring a CC to open an Apple store account, unlike Google play store, Microsoft, Amazon, or rest of free world... we can't let our 8 year old use Apple products for this reason, as Apple requires CC information on file, then targets children's games for upcharges... we'll just get along with android, Google, Microsoft and Amazon thank you very much...

Oh... was I ranting?... sorry..

[Keith Almond]

No, Thomas, you're not the only one .... I'm right there with you.

[John Atchley]

I just sold my brand new IMac 27 5K because I was unhappy with trying to use SP through either Bootcamp or Parallells. Just too frustrating. Built myself a new PC

[AJ Spino]

I just sold my brand new IMac 27 5K because I was unhappy with trying to use SP through either Bootcamp or Parallells. Just too frustrating. Built myself a new PC

I feel the pain, spent the past two days looking for a suitable PC, strictly for SP...not tech savvy enough to build my own.  Anyone have a suggestion...maybe a small form desktop.  I have a decent monitor, just need the brains.

[Keith Almond]

We"re running 2014 on gaming laptops, and they are very high spec. Softplan seems to be running quite well, but I'd hate to think how slow 2016 will be on a low end small form factor machine. It's even likely that the onboard video on a machine like that won't even run Softplan. Check Softplan's recommended minimum spec. before you purchase anything.

[AJ Spino]

Thanks Keith, I'll start with SoftPlans requirements.

[Keith Almond]

Just as a further comment - if you go with the minimum requirements, you will probably regret it!

[AJ Spino]

Just as a further comment - if you go with the minimum requirements, you will probably regret it!

So you wouldn't consider something like this:

 

HP Business Desktop ProDesk 400 G1 Desktop Computer - Intel Core i5 i5-4590 3.30 GHz - Small Form Factor - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD - DVD-Reader - Intel HD Graphics 4600 - Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 

[Keith Almond]

The decision is obviously up to you. You get what you pay for. If the price is right, then I would certainly consider it. If you buy a budget system and it doesn't work well, you can always use it for something else. I don't know how it will work on that system, it may run perfectly. The decision is yours. I just want you to make an informed decision.

 

There are various threads on here about video. I do seem to remember that Softplan recommended a gaming video card. You wouldn't expect to get that in a small form factor unit. I have no idea how good the Intel HD Graphics 4600 chip is. It may even be brilliant.

[AJ Spino]

The decision is yours. I just want you to make an informed decision.

 

Thanks Keith, I appreciate your feedback.  I'll continue to research this further, I can already see I'll need more RAM and a better video card.  I was just hoping to get something quickly as my partitioned Mac isn't cutting it.  However,  I don't want to buy the wrong thing and end up using it be a paper weight...better take my time and do my homework.

[Thomas Roman]

My guess is a."good" off the shelf "gaming" desktop, from fry's or best buy, with 8 or 12 ram, and nVidia graphics card might start at $800.. "great" for $1000... "screaming" for $1250... just guessing... but generally I would search for ,"gaming" rigs, as the game requirement specs are similar to 3D architectural modeling requirement specs...

[Thomas Roman]

The above comments notwithstanding... know that I've also seen softplan run just fine with a far lessor rig, including 2016... , indeed, I feel softplan does a fantasic job of balancing the quality of the output against the processing power required to get said quality... IMHO, no one does it better...

[AJ Spino]

My guess is a."good" off the shelf "gaming" desktop, from fry's or best buy, with 8 or 12 ram, and nVidia graphics card might start at $800.. "great" for $1000... "screaming" for $1250... just guessing... but generally I would search for ,"gaming" rigs, as the game requirement specs are similar to 3D architectural modeling requirement specs...

Thomas, found this for about $800, might this work?

 

Processor

4th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-4460 Processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.4GHz)

Operating System

Windows 8.1 (64Bit) English

Memory

8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600Mhz

Video Graphics

NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 745 with 4GB DDR3

Hard Drive

1TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 64MB Cache

Multimedia Drive

Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (9.5mm)

Media Card Reader

No Media Card Reader, includes USB 3.0

Bluetooth

Bluetooth® tied to wireless card

Display

No Monitor

Fax/Data Modem

HDMI - Yes

Wireless Connectivity

DW 1506 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi

Audio

Internal High-Definition 7.1 Performance Audio with Waves MaxxAudio®

[Thomas Roman]

Hey, I'm no expert, but I think that rig will perform rather well...

can others confirm?

Sweet... a hi def blu Ray.player, and hdmi port... is your hd tv near by?

Perhaps others could chime in about price also, as I'm no export there either...

[AJ Spino]

Hey, I'm no expert, but I think that rig will perform rather well...

can others confirm?

Sweet... a hi def blu Ray.player, and hdmi port... is your hd tv near by?

Perhaps others could chime in about price also, as I'm no export there either...

I'm glad you and Keith pointed me in the direction of gaming PC's...I didn't have a clue regarding the needs of 3D.  

 

I too am curious as what others think of that configuration.

[Keith Almond]

Looks good to me too, although like Thomas, I'm no expert. The 4GB Video RAM is probably good.