I was wondering if we can get some decent computers for the laser area with a much better graphics card and bigger monitors… the current graphics card is so terrible that designing in them is almost impossible… it doesn’t have to be a 1080ti but anything would be a huge upgrade. 
Thanks!!
You can design on ANY other computer. Then load and print on the laser computer.
For practical purposes, the computers running the laser should not be a design computer. That means the person designing on that computer is holding up every else who might want to print.
The Laser Committee can comment further.
Here is this deal, my understanding is that the laser computers are not there for designing/graphics work. If someone is parked at the laser computers “designing” then that leaves others waiting to use the laser.
Realistically we should have several computers for doing this other work. However we come into the issue of space. I know that I would like to see a few designated computers for CAD/Design etc. Take for instance just last week, I had a drawing in F360 that I wanted to modify. The jump server F360 wasn’t working at the time. I had to then wait until I got home to make some changes.
True but we sometimes want to do last minute checkup on the files. As I’m loading my layer 1 to print, I want to check on layer 2. To me, now the graphics card is my impediment on speeding up that process.
Talk to the Laser Committee. Join the Laser Committee.
What’s the best way to talk to the Laser Committee about suggestions like Kim’s.
Usually they don’t upgrade the computer to design capable specs. As people then sit and design on them. Funny how that happens.
Or they browse the web for stuff to cut and then spend 30-45 minutes trying to make a bad design work.
Awhile back, there was a BoD agenda item for 4-6 work stations so people could design and prep for jobs on limited resources.
I was really pushing for that when we were hoping to expand into an adjoining space. Now that we do not have the added room, I am holding back while hoping that an expansion can happen.
Very true, there is not space for it at this point. And you know how hard any committee will push back when talking about taking their space.
That was pushed due to a pending dell grant that did not happen. I would push for the same agenda item again.
I don’t really understand this. If your layers are large, then it should take a while to cut each one - giving you plenty of time to load up the next layer on the computer. If your layers cut very quickly then they should also be (graphically) small enough to load up fairly quickly. I admit that I cut lots of jobs that are well under one minute, but consequently they also load up quickly.
And vector files don’t seem to be particularly graphics intensive …
It was an issue a year ago. Don’t be surprised if it’s an issue next year.
It will be an issue until we have more space.
So maybe two years then.
My layers are large but it’s around 5-6 layers each. It ranges from 5 minute cuts to 15 so that’s plenty of time. It’s how illustrator displaying the file is the problem. Let’s say you want to make a box from makeabox.io, the display is terrible that I can’t even make out the lines to move them around. There are some areas that are really fine and I want to make sure I’m cutting the right things.
A simple graphics upgrade would help so much.
Hi Kim,
This feels like this would be solved by just adding a GPU to the additional computers.
Kim you sound knowledgable around computer hardware I would put together amazon links etc. and then send them to @merissa for purchase it seems to me totally reasonable for any system that has an adobe license to have a GPU.
Robert
Thanks Robert! That’ll solve my problem.
I have an extra NVidia GTX 580 laying around that I can install on the ThunderLaser, so right now I wouldn’t need you guys to expense for that. As for monitors, will you guys be open to upgrading too? Something like below:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?sdtid=10539596&SID=44d3dc10972f11e7907c728b6ce44b6a0INT&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction--cables--na-_-na&Item=N82E16824025212&cm_sp=
Your link is broken, here is is fixed (and shortened in case talk doesn’t like something about it).
If we want to get about 5K nVidia K80’s I can get us a screaming deal…
Whereas that’s a lot of k80 horsepower, the V100 is the new hotness…