Thanks for the replies so far guys.
I'll have a chat with him tomorrow to clarify whether he needs 2D or 3D power.
The budget he has set at the moment is £800. Could push it just a touch.
Meanwhile, based on the suggestions, I've put together a list :
Motherboard :
Gigabyte GA P35C-DS3R (has DDR2 and DDR3 memory options)
CPU option 1 :
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 - Retail
CPU option 2 :
Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q6600 G0 SLACR, 95W, S775, 2.40 GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB Cache, OEM
Memory option 1 :
4GB(4x1GB) Corsair QuadX DDR2 XMS2 Dominator, PC2-8500
Memory option 2 :
4GB (4x1GB) CorsairXMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800)
Graphics card :
512MB ATI FireGL™ V5600 PCI-E (x16) 128 Bit GDDR4, 2xDual Link DVI-I, OEM (Brown Box)
Sound :
Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series Retail
Case : Something simple, yet good. Maybe like this :
Gigabyte Triton GZ-XX1CA Black Midi Tower Case w/o PSU
PSU :
700w Tagan TG-700-U33 2ForceII Intel EPS12V V2.91
HDD :
2 x 750 GB Seagate ST3750330NS Barracuda ES.2, SATA II, 7200 rpm, 32MB Cache, 8.5 ms, NCQ - (RAID 1 setup)
CD/DVD :
Samsung SH-S202N/RSMN 20xDVD±R, 16xDVD±DL, DVD+RWx8/-RWx6, PATA,Lightscribe, Black, Retail
One problem with the above setup is the RAM - to be able to use over 3GB, he will need a 64-bit OS, and I am not sure his CAD software may be totally compatible with XP 64-bit !
The reason I have selected that Creative soundcard is because he mentioned something about wanting to convert his music collection to MP3/iPod format via the PC. I need to find out exactly what form of media he has it on now, presumably vinyl ?
He is also planning to use his fairly new HP L2045w 20" TFT - I presume that will be OK for his CAD use ?
Now, this setup I have put together does go over the budget, but it's open to tweaking.
Please feel free to point out where I may have gone for the wrong option.
