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CAD and graphics applications are characterized by loading large files. In this case the access time of the drive isn’t as critical as the transfer rate. A 40ms or 28ms drive would certainly be adequate, but the drive should be an ESDI drive and if possible should be used with a caching disk controller. A disk cache, software or hardware based, will usually speed up disk operations in a CAD/graphics system more than the same amount spent on a better quality disk drive. In a budget system an ST-506 controller could be used successfully but a 1:1 interleave is desirable.

The final element is of course the graphics adapter. The type of graphics adapter needed depends on the nature of your application. If you can avoid using colour then the speed of any graphics operating will be much higher. Indeed there is an argument for using monochrome for any stage in the application for which colour isn’t essential and then switching to colour for finishing. The minimum graphics standard needed for CAD/graphics is VGA or Super VGA. The main problem here is in getting the speed needed to redraw the screen in a time that makes interactive graphics interactive. A better solution is to use an intelligent graphics adapter either based on TIGA or 851/A and even here an MCA or EISA bus would still be an advantage.

Intel have introduced a special version of the 386 and 387 co-processor-the Rapid CAD chip set-optimised for graphics. Benchmarks show that replacing a 386/387 pair by Rapid CAD chips halves the time it takes to render a complex image. For simple images the speed gain is much less. Another way to look at this is that RapidCAD converts a 25MHz 386 into the equivalent of a 33MHz machine and 33MHz into a 25MHz 486. Rapid CAD can be fitted without any modifications to the machine.