Upgrading Workstation

[JamesStewart-Moore1]

I have a budget of about $1,000 to upgrade my current workstation, and I would appreciate any input from the community on where my money will be best spent. I currently use ArcMap 10.6 to do all of my processing, however, I am planning to eventually migrate to using the 64-bit ArcPro (once I stop resisting change).

The majority of my work involves using the 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst extensions. I do a lot of LiDAR processing, including ".lasd to raster", as well as using raster calculator expressions to generate subsequent products.  These rasters are on the order of 10 GB in size, sometimes larger. Currently, my processing times seem long, i.e. ".lasd statistics to raster" might take 8 hours. Also, my drawing/rendering time is quite long. When I have a feature such as contours for a large area, it can take 30 seconds or so for the entire layer to render each time the frame is moved. 

My Current Workstation:

Dell T5810

Xeon E5-1603 v3 @2.8 GHz

8.0 GB 2133 MHz DD4 RAM

NVIDIA Quadro K420

256 GB HD (connected to network with  20 TB)

My thoughts are to upgrade to 32 or 64 GB of RAM and update the graphics card. From what I understand, the NVIDIA quaddro line is well suited to Arc. I have been looking at the Quadro K2200, but I am open to suggestions if there are better ones out there.

Where would you spend the $1,000?

[DEWright_CA]

You can never go wrong with more RAM; that is a great place to consider. Also consider the HDD; since Arc using a fGDB for it's scratch space the more you have that is faster (SDD) gives you some good flexibility.

[ThomasColson]

Don't waste the money! That E5-1603 belongs in a museum! I'm guessing your IT/chain of command is telling you that budget #. Point out to them if they want you to continue to be able to do your job....

Here's what I got recently for about 12 folks, there was a LOT of discussion with management and IT about the cost, and where we landed was an intelligent and meaningful conversation between management and GIS about what expectations management had about what GIS was going to do for them in the future, or not. What worked well for me was a detailed spreadsheet of Pro Performance on the current workstation, the rate at which Pro min hardware requirements increases (which is high), and a multiplier on top of that as Pro min requirement do not translate to a workstation that will actually do things like Lidar Processing, a return on investment calculation....I really put a lot of effort into convincing the chain of command what I thought we needed and in the end I got more than I asked for, and I've put a lot, lot of time into testing Pro and hardware in a realistic production environment that utilizes almost every Pro component. We set a target life span of these new workstation of 3 years, and in order to get them in service I actually had to volunteer at IT on my off days to get them imaged, as management thinks IT has nothing to do and cut one of their positions, the workstations would have sat there for a year otherwise. My hope is I might be able to get another "Pro" year or two on them with some small memory upgrades. I'm also having more frequent discussions with middle management to make sure they are programming GIS workstation budget into their 3 and 5 year budget plans for their employees that have GIS as assigned duties, where previously we programmed GIS workstations into the "If there's anything left at the end of the year" account. 

For real, I wouldn't put money into your existing antique. You're not going to be happy with it and Pro in 18 months, and your boss (or you) is going to be wondering about the quality of your budget advice. Your problems are a direct result of the age of the motherboard, lack of physical/virtual cpu cores, slow memory and bus speed, and 5000$ in upgrades aren't going to make those things any better. That memory speed is pretty low, and I don't think you can go to a higher frequency on that motherboard, so even with 64 GB of ram, it's going to be bottlenecked at the CPU bus. That video card is a dinosaur too, it's a geriatric 5 years old in the Pro universe, I don't have that model but I have had ESRI tell me another NVIDIA model was on the rails of "not supported" and it was a high-end, 5 year old card. So that splits your budget, 200-ish for a new vid card, 2-400 for memory, and leftover for a SSD, which in the end will result in ".lasd statistics to raster" might take 8 hours" shortening to "".lasd statistics to raster" might take 7 hours 55 minutes."

My two cents: Beg for the money for a new workstation, and re image your current one. Re imaging might get you into ".lasd statistics to raster" might take 6 hours."

eQuote Details

Description Quantity Price | OptiPlex 7060 MT 1 $3,089.77 Premier discount $1,019.62 ____________ $2,070.15 Module Description Product Code Sku ID OptiPlex 7060 MT Optiplex 7060 Mini Tower XCTO GEL2Q5H [210-AOKJ] 1 Processor Intel Core™ i7-8700 (6 Cores/12MB/12T/up to 4.6GHz/65W); supports Windows 10/Linux GVT4H1R [338-BNZW] 146 Operating System Ubuntu Linux 16.04 G3E9WNP [605-BBNH] 11 Microsoft Application Software No Productivity Software GEKH8UQ [630-AAPK] 1002 Memory 64GB 4X16GB 2666MHz DDR4 UDIM Non-ECC GY4K0NG [370-AEBU] 3 Hard Drive M.2 256GB PCIe NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive G24H537 [400-AWFT] [773-BBBC] 8 Additional Hard Drive No Additional Hard Drive G780XKR [401-AANH] 637 Video Card AMD Radeon™ RX 550, 4GB, FH (DP/mDP/mDP) G3YO86R [490-BEFU] 6 CD ROM/DVD ROM 8x DVD+/-RW 9.5mm Optical Disk Drive G589BYA [325-BCXM] [429-ABFH] 16 Additional Storage Devices - Media Reader Media Card Reader GQ5X8Z6 [385-BBNG] 10 Wireless No Wireless LAN Card GE7Y41P [555-BBFO] 19 Driver No Wireless GVHB6TP [555-BBFO] 7 PCI Card USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2 PCIe Card (Full Height) GGFP90O [382-BBFQ] 698 Chassis Options OptiPlex 7060 Tower with 260W up to 85% efficient Power Supply (80Plus Bronze) G67A9OF [329-BDSK] 116 Keyboard Dell KB813 Smart Card Keyboard (US) GNR9U8H [580-AFDH] 4 Mouse Dell USB Laser 6-Button Mouse GVN0A53 [570-AACQ] 12 Back Cover No Cover Selected GKN16CQ [320-BCGK] 376 Cables and Dongles No Adapter GKRDEM4 [470-AAJL] 592 External Speakers No External Speaker GTNM7E2 [817-BBBC] 200095 Non-Microsoft Application Software No Additional Operating System Software G9RTEX8 [640-BBJD] [658-BDVQ] 1003 Operating System Recovery Options OS-Windows Media Not Included GLA9OQ1 [620-AALW] 200013 E-Star Energy Star G6J34SM [387-BBLW] 122 Raid Connectivity No RAID GS3UFWA [817-BBBN] 1009 Network Card No Network Card G9MQCN3 [555-BBJO] 13 FGA Module No FGA NOFGA [817-BBBB] 572 Placemat MOD,PLCMT,QSG,7060,MT,DAO1 GR0FOKM [340-CDYY] 60 Systems Management Intel® vPro Technology Enabled GFTZC4U [631-ABQQ] 49 Protect Your New PC No Security Software NOSS [650-AAAM] 1014 Optical Software PowerDVD Software not included GI5LS2C [632-BBBJ] 597 TPM Security Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled) GJMDKT6 [329-BBJL] 297 Regulatory Label Regulatory Label 7060 Mini Tower GSX8752 [389-CXGK] 676 Processor Branding 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 vPro™ processor label GJW1R0P [389-CGJM] 749 Power Cord System Power Cord (English) GA5894N [450-AAOJ] 20 Hard Drive Software NO INTEL RESPONSIVE GH8DSLC [551-BBBJ] 707 CompuTrace Offerings + Stoptrack Label No Computrace GO1F2XY [461-AABF] 697 UPC Label No UPC Label G8WGTYN [389-BCGW] 292 Documentation/Disks Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide (English/French Multi-language) G7RB0GY [340-AGIK] 21 Canada Ship Options US No Canada Ship Charge G3IA0L8 [332-1286] 111 Packaging Ship Material for OptiPlex Tower G7G214X [340-CDWT] [389-BBUU] 465 Additional Video Ports Additional DisplayPort for Tower GN4XQKA [382-BBFU] 495 Transportation from ODM to region Standard shipment GQT8IGC [800-BBIO] 200080 Hardware Support Services 4 Years Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis G5R3XB7 [812-3886] [812-3889] 29 eQuote Subtotal $2,070.15 Promotional Discounts* $0.00 Shipping* $0.00 Shipping Discount* $0.00 Estimated Tax* $0.00 eQuote Total* $2,070.15 *The eQuote total, including applicable taxes and additional fees, may be viewable online.

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eQuote Summary Description Quantity Unit Price Subtotal Mobile Precision 5520 1 $2,646.79 $2,646.79 eQuote Subtotal $2,646.79 Promotional Discounts* $0.00 Shipping* $0.00 Shipping Discount* $0.00 Estimated Tax* $0.00 Environmental Disposal Fee* $0.00 eQuote Total* $2,646.79 *The eQuote total, including applicable taxes and additional fees, may be viewable online.

eQuote Details Description Quantity Price xctop5520hwtaa | Mobile Precision 5520 1 $3,950.43 Premier discount $1,303.64 ____________ $2,646.79 Module Description Product Code Sku ID Dell Mobile Precision Workstations 5520 Dell Mobile Precision Workstation 5520 XCTOG X5520TG [210-AKNC] 1 Processor Intel Core i7-7820HQ (Quad Core 2.90GHz, 3.90GHz Turbo, 8MB 45W, w/Intel HD Graphics 630) I77820H [379-BCRI] 146 Operating System Ubuntu Linux 16.04 UBUNTU [605-BBMN] 11 Office Productivity Software No Productivity Software NOPSW [630-AAPK] 1002 Dell Data Security No Dell Data Protection | Endpoint Security Suite Software NODDP [634-BENZ] 593 Video Card Nvidia Quadro M1200 w/4GB GDDR5 NVIDIA [490-BDQB] 6 LCD 15.6" UltraSharp™ FHD IPS (1920x1080) Wide View Anti-Glare LED-backlit w/Prem Pn Grnt, Non-touch FHD [391-BDBB] 760 Base Options Intel Core i7-7820HQ w/Intel HD Graphics 630 for Win10 & Linux only KDI7G [329-BDGX] 149 Palmrest Palmrest for English Keyboard PLSTGSA [346-BBTP] 55 Memory 32GB, DDR4-2400MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS 32G2D4 [370-ADHQ] 3 Primary Storage M.2 PCIe 512GB SSD Class 50 512HP [400-AOSN] [412-AAHG] 8 Secondary Storage No Additional Hard Drive NOHDDA [401-AADF] 637 Keyboard Internal Single Pointing Backlit Keyboard, English KYBDGSA [580-AEEY] 4 Wireless Dell Wireless 1820 Card (802.11AC Dual-Band Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2), 2x2 1820 [555-BDGM] 19 Primary Battery 6-cell (97Wh) Lithium Ion battery with ExpressCharge™ 6C [451-BCBU] 112 Power Supply 130w Power Adapter AC130W [470-ABVP] [492-BBXM] 1015 Systems Management No Out-of-Band Systems Management NOVPRO [631-ABEW] 49 Optimizer No Optimizer NOOPT [640-BBQT] 372 Operating System Recovery Options No Media NOMEDIA [620-AAOH] 200013 Energy Efficiency Options No External CD/DVD Drive NONE [817-BBBP] 122 Docking Station No External CD/DVD Drive NONE [452-BBSE] 271 Documentation/Disks Safety/Environment and Regulatory Guide (English/French Multi-language) EFDOC [340-AGIK] 21 FGA Module No FGA NOFGA [817-BBBB] 572 Packaging SHUTTLE Ship Material TSHTLE [328-BCLP] [340-ARFJ] 465 Placemat No Quick Reference Guide NOTSH [340-AASE] 60 Transportation from ODM to region Standard Shipment STND [800-BBGS] 200080 Driver Dell Wireless 1820,5520 1820 [555-BDIH] 7 Carrying Cases No Carrying Case NONE [460-BBEX] 118 Processor Branding Intel® Core™ i7 Label CI7SML [389-BLST] 749 Support Tech Sheet and Powercord No UPC Label NOLBL [389-BCGW] 292 Non-Microsoft Application Software UBUNTU UBUNTU [640-BBQQ] 1003 Mouse No Mouse Selected NOMSE [570-AADK] 12 TAA Information DIRSHIP [379-BBBW] 97 Label Regulatory Label Included REG [389-BEYY] 676 Stands and Mounts No Stand NOSTND [575-BBCH] 558 Canada Ship Options US No Canada Ship Charge USNONE [332-1286] 111 Diagnostic CD / Diskette No Resource DVD NRDVD [340-ADBJ] 50 Cable US Power Cord US25A [537-BBBD] 20 Hardware Support Services 3 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis NBD3 [804-9773] [804-9778] 29 Removable CD/DVD Drives No External CD/DVD Drive NONE [429-AATO] 105 eQuote Subtotal $2,646.79 Promotional Discounts* $0.00 Shipping* $0.00 Shipping Discount* $0.00 Estimated Tax* $0.00 eQuote Total* $2,646.79 *The eQuote total, including applicable taxes and additional fees, may be viewable online.

[JamesStewart-Moore1]

I am actually the one who came up with the budget. I work in a small geotechnical engineering firm and am a geologist by profession, but I happen to use Arc for the majority of my work. The owner of the company is my direct boss, so getting him to OK something that will help the company save time/money should not be an issue. I think that a system of ~$3k is something that I could easily propose without much resistance.

I am curious why you went with an i7 over a Xeon? Was this simply due to the budget you had to work with?

I am looking at a configuration of this system:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/workstations-isv-certified-dell/precision-5820-tower/spd/precis...

likely spending the $135 to upgrade to the Xeon X-W2135 for the 6 cores. The system comes standard with NVIDIA Quadro P4000.

Thoughts?

[DEWright_CA]

Working in a Engineering firm; you might be using more than just Arc on the machine; so going with the Xeon would be my recommendation (former Site/Civil Designer in AutoCAD & Microstation). There are plenty of places where the higher cache capacity and higher command-sets are used in software.

[ThomasColson]

In that case: 

List Price$5,227.29

Total Savings$1,576.59

Dell Price$3,650.70

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Option	Selection	SKU / Product Code	Quantity
Processor	Intel Xeon W-2133 (3.6GHz, 3.9GHz Turbo, 6C, 8.25MB Cache, HT, (140W)) DDR4-2666	[338-BNBN][412-AALF] / W2133	1
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro for Workstation (4 Cores Plus) Multi - English, French, Spanish	[619-AMSU] / 10P6T2M	1
Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook & more)	None		1
Microsoft Office	Microsoft Office 30 Day Trial	[658-BCSB] / 16MUI	1
Chassis Options	Precision 5820 Tower 950W PCIe FlexBay Chassis	[321-BDWC] / G5879SN	1
Graphics Card	NVIDIA® Quadro® P4000, 8GB, 4 DP (5820T)	[490-BEBH] / P4000	1
Memoryi	32GB 2x16GB DDR4 2666MHz RDIMM ECC	[370-ADVE] / 32G216	1
Systems Management	No Out-of-Band Systems Management	[631-ABML] / NOVPRO	1
Wireless	No Wireless LAN	[555-BBNI] / GW1SM6D	1
Operating System (Boot) Drive	Intel NVMe PCIe SSD (Front PCIe FlexBay)	[414-BBBV] / FFPCIE	1
Hard Drive Controllers	Intel Integrated controller (RST-e) with 1-2 Front FlexBay NVMe PCIe Drives,v2	[321-BDWI] / GCDH8PJ	1
Hard Drive	M.2 512GB PCIe NVMe Class 50 Solid State Drive	[400-AVDR][401-ABGX] / 512C5ME	1
2nd Hard Drive	No Hard Drive	[400-AKZR] / NOHDD	1
Lockable HDD/SSD Sleds	None		1
3rd Hard Drive	No Hard Drive	[400-AKZR] / NOHDD	1
4th Hard Drive	No Hard Drive	[400-AKZR] / NOHDD	1
Slimline Bay Options	Slim filler panel (no opt.)	[429-ABEP] / NOSLODD	1
Optical Drive	No Optical	[429-ABER] / NOODD	1
5th Hard Drive	No Hard Drive	[400-AKZR] / NOHDD	1
6th Hard Drive	No Hard Drive	[400-AKZR] / NOHDD	1
RAID for HDD/SSD & Front PCIe NVMe SSDs	No RAID	[780-BBCJ] / NORAID	1
Dell Ultra-Speed Drives (PCIe SSDs)	None		1
RAID Configurations for Dell Ultra-Speed Drives	None		1
Keyboard	No Keyboard	[580-ABIS] / NKB	1
Mouse	No Mouse	[570-AADK] / NMSE	1
Teradici Remote Workstation Access Host Card	No Remote Access Host Card	[340-ADBJ] / NHSTCRD	1
Network Cards	No Add-In Network Card (Integrated NIC only)	[555-BBJO] / NONIC	1
PCIe I/O Cards	Not Selected in this Configuration	[817-BBBC] / NOTHB	1
Serial Port/PS2 Adapter	Full Height Serial Card	[492-BCGW] / SERCDFH	1
Power Cords	US 125V Power Cord	[470-AAKG] / USPWR	1
Resource DVD	Resource DVD not Included	[430-XXYU] / NORDVD	1
Operating System Recovery Options	OS-Windows Media Not Included	[620-AALW] / NOMEDIA	1
E-Star	No Energy Star	[387-BBBE] / NOESTAR	1
Optimizer	Dell Precision Optimizer	[640-BBRC] / OPTMZR	1
Optical Software	No Optical Software	[817-BBBC] / NOSWODD	1
Dell Endpoint Security	None		1
Absolute Security - Standard	None		1
Cables and Dongles	No Accessories	[461-AABV] / NOACCES	1
Security Software	No Security Software	[650-AAAM] / NOSS	1
Driver	No Wireless LAN	[555-BBNI] / GW1SM6D	1
UPC Label	No UPC Label	[389-BCGW] / G8WGTYN	1

Support & Services

Option	Selection	SKU / Product Code	Quantity
Warrantyi	3 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service	[997-7163][997-7232][997-7242][997-7252][997-7272] / PPN3	1
Accidental Damage	None		1
Keep Your Hard Drive	None		1
ProDeploy Client Suite	None		1
HDD Partition - Standard	None		1
Drop in Box Accessories - Standard	None		1
Airwatch Application - Standard	None		1

[JamesStewart-Moore1]

I really appreciate all the feedback. I went with this exact configuration except I went with the Xeon W-2145 for the 8 core upgrade. I was not aware that both ArcPro and Desktop versions 10 and later were true multi-core. 

[ThomasColson]

So that's actually going to give you 16 virtual cores. I got dual 12 core xeons on my last workstation, having all those cores IMHO does more for Pro performance than memory. 

[DEWright_CA]

Pro is fully multi-threaded and 64bit aware; ArcGIS Desktop (ArcCatalog/ArcMap) is 32bit and not multi-threaded aware; but you are able to fake it really well using python/georprocessing tools.

[DEWright_CA]

This is actually the config I have right now; but with Dual-Xeons as a cluster of 3 machines. Very nice platform.