Up and Running with AutoCAD 2014

Appendix G

PC Hardware, Printers/Plotters, Networks, and the Cloud

This is another collection of topics that can easily span volumes, and indeed much has been written about all of them. We try to focus on hardware from an AutoCAD user’s point of view exclusively, which may be a less covered topic (if only slightly).

Software generally goes hand in hand with the hardware. And, while computers, like cars, have become so reliable that a “hands-off” approach works fine, remember that CAD in general, and AutoCAD specifically, is not ordinary software. It is a high-end, powerful application that places heavy demands on the associated hardware and does not run at its peak on a clunky PC. Much like the case where the owner of a Ferrari is more likely ...