Xara on Alienware

[pauland]

I think the thread gave a very wrong impression that very fast computers with high-end graphics cards are important when using Xara software, but that's not really a concern for people using Xara software alone.

Scotty described an 'old' computer which in fact would be a speed demon machine for many, if not most, Xara users.

Probably (depending on Xara usage) memory is probably of more importance than processing or graphics card grunt. People building large, graphics-laden websites, need to look to a 64 bit OS and more memory.

[PhilM]

Designer Pro can use multiple cores for rendering your documents, so it will run faster on machines with more cores.

Other versions of the program will not benefit much from multiple cores being present. For instance you won't notice much difference running XPGD on a Core i7 and a Pentium...

Phil

[ss-kalm]

Sorry should have mentioned ... I'm running XPGD9 not PRO

[CQDX]

I know you asked specific to Alienware but mentioned you don't game (neither do I, nor have I). Like you I considered Alienware 12/2012 but we needed to be able to support 4 monitors and all of the software we use beyond Xara as well as Windows XP software. Alienware came up short. My mindset quickly changed to a Dell Precision T3600 (and later changed laptop to a Samsung). So here is our current solution:

OFFICE MAIN PRODUCTION COMPUTER (Acquired 12/2013) -
Dell Precision T3600
Intel Xeon CPU E5-1650 3.20GHz
16 GB RAM
Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OS, SP1
Windows Virtual PC & XP Mode
AMD FirePro W7000 (4GB), 4 Display Graphics Card
4 Monitors

TRAVELING (SALES / DEMO) COMPUTER (Acquired 1/2014) -
When I travel to a customer I take our Samsung ATIV9. Fast booting due to solid state RAM. Small. Thin. LIGHT! Plus the display is a down and out killer that makes any graphic design/presentation look like a giant killer! This laptop is quite suitable for running XARA when needed. For a mouse I use the Microsoft Surface as it folds flat and is thinner than the laptop so bulk while travelling is a thing of the past.

My suggestion is start with all current software you use then think about what software might be acquired down the road. Your software will determine what hardware you need today as well as tomorrow. Then add-in what will best suit your business needs versus the desire for bling!