Hello all

I have just purchased a new pc with a quad core 64-bit processor. I am intending to use the machine with ansys. I have ansys 32-bit. I now have the decision of what operating system to use? Obviously I want to maximum the amount of ram (which can be the full 4 GB if I use Vista) but would XP Pro be better?

Any thoughts/comments will be appreciated.

Sam

Windows XP 64 bits in english!

Best Regards,

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Do you run 64-bit Ansys then?

Yes, with 8 GB of ram, ASUS P5K Premium motherboard, Intel Quad Core Q6600 processor, with 4 licenses, using ANSYS CFX-v11.0 with Service Pack 1. Quite rapid!

Be of good cheer !

Yes, if you want to use everything your hardware has to offer, install a 64-bit OS. And, of course, get a copy of the 64-bit version of the ANSYS package. You can find it at the Customer Portal.

You should also consider using linux.

I don´t think the linux is necessary. I prefer using Microsoft Windows Vista.

Best Regards.

Michael Boton

Hi,

There is little performance difference between windows and Linux these days for normal applications. Choose which ever you are more comfortable with.

The 32/64 bit question is much more important. If you want to run big models and have over 2GB RAM installed then go with a 64 bit OS.

Glenn Horrocks

What clock speed are you running on that system, Rogerio? I've got almost exactly the same system (but set up to also boot Linux), and it is quite happy to run all day at 3.2 GHz. It's an amazingly overclock-friendly combination.

How to do it (overclock)? The ASUS P5K Premium motherboard allows to do that. I don´t know about the clock speed. I think it´s 2.4 GHz.

Very carefully, if you get it wrong it's your own problem! But yes, the motherboard allows you to adjust most of the frequencies and voltages. It doesn't seem to be a problem at all to get the CPU frequency up to around 3 GHz, and the front side bus over 1350 MHz, with standard air cooling and without adjusting the voltages. You do have to make sure that the memory frequency stays within limits, fortunately, it is independently adjustable.

Thanks for the comments.

What should I do if I also use a lot of 32-bit software? Try and find the 64-bit alternatives? If I were to run a 32-bit operating system, would XP be quicker than Vista? I will only get 3.25GB RAM with XP whereas with Vista I would see 4GB.

Hi,

Most but not all 32 bit software runs fine on WinXP x64. I have no experience with Vista x64. I don't think there is a measureable speed difference between WinXP and Vista but I have never measured it.

Glenn Horrocks