256Meg is probably the minimum. 512 or a gig might be better. You probably want to have SP2 for W2K. I'd be suspicious of a possible memory problem on that machine. You might want to try running some memory diags on it (http://www.memtest86.com/).
Before I cut over to DXP I was using a PII-350, with a Voodoo 3500TV and 512Megs of RAM and Win98. Not that I'd really recommend to anyone that they run that combination, but it really didn't run all _that_ badly either. I'd look at Gforce and Matrox (G550) because they have dual monitor support, which you might eventually want. 99SE can crash sometimes, (especially if you don't sidestep some of the known issues) but what your experiencing sounds like way more than the norm. Maybe that ATI card too. ---Phil JH> Hey all, JH> I just subscribed, looking for a bit of help if possible.... I have just JH> started a new job, and I'm taking over an existing design in protel99. Now JH> I'm very familiar with protel, however I'm getting a bunch of problems.... JH> generally crashing out (have had the whole computer reboot on me once, and I JH> have had freezes, exceptions, out of range memory accesses, all the fun JH> stuff) JH> Basically the computer appears totally underpowered, its a PIII600 with just JH> 128Mb RAM. (We've just found another 128 meg stick lying about and put it in JH> this computer, which makes it run a bit more smoothly, but it has still JH> managed to crash) I'm operating on a PCB that is 6 layers and quite large. JH> (the PCB file is almost 8 meg) Oh, and it has an ATI video card, which I JH> read about in the archives... hmm... so I spoke to my boss and I'm getting a JH> new computer to work on, so I'm wondering what kind of specs are necessary? JH> My guess is I need a good FSB speed more than I need the fastest processor. JH> I'll need at least 512Mb of RAM. I'll need 7200rpm drive speed, for faster JH> sustained disk transfers, and I'll need an OK graphics card, but no need for JH> some super monster 3D engine.... JH> What sort of success has everyone on the list had with their computer JH> setups? JH> ie specs vs board size? and are there any manufacturers other than ATI to JH> avoid? JH> What features will help with screen redraw speed? JH> what features will help with DRC time? (about 15 minutes per DRC at the JH> moment) JH> How much RAM do I need to throw at the thing to stop it going to swapfiles? JH> thanks, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/proteledaforum@techservinc.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
