"In order to fine tune our product to the degree that we, and our clients, expect, we need to generate many 3D drawings quickly, without problems, until we have a satisfying design." Nick Mehl, Project Manager.

The architectural designers at Hobson Crow AIA, Inc. don't just build roofs and eaves. They build bridges - with their customers - offering the personalized client service that is the hallmark of successful small businesses. The AMD Athlon™ processor suits Hobson Crow's style.

A small firm in Austin, Texas, Hobson Crow AIA, Inc. caters to the construction industry. Most of its clients are individuals, rather than large-scale developers, project manager Nick Mehl said, and those clients enjoy the firm's personal touch.

"We are a small design studio that takes each project very personally. We operate on a few projects at a time and take a long time fine-tuning the product," Mehl said. "In order to fine tune our product to the degree that we, and our clients, expect, we need to generate many 3D drawings quickly, without problems, until we have a satisfying design."

Those objectives are better met now, as the AMD Athlon processor decreases the rendering time on 3D images.

"We like nurturing the designs. We can go through different designs in-house. We can indulge ourselves," Mehl said.

And Hobson Crow can indulge its clients as well. With the AMD Athlon processor's real-time graphical display capabilities, the architects can quickly bring up still images of the buildings in progress on the computer.

"You don't want a client standing over your shoulder waiting 5 or 10 minutes for an image," Mehl said. "Having that much speed is nice. It allows us to feel more comfortable about having clients in to check on their projects."

Processor is sure-footed

Mehl also touts the AMD Athlon processor's stability.

Until recently, the designers at the architects atHobson Crow AIA, Inc. Hobson Crow in Austin, Texas all often saw walls come tumbling down, experiencing frequent computer crashes they attributed to a weak system. The firm's employees lost valuable work time in the process. With the introduction of an AMD Athlon processor to the Hobson Crow 'staff,' walls are going up straight as the crow flies.

"Before we acquired the AMD Athlon processor, we had uncontrollable crashes in our CAD software. Up to 10 percent of our time per week was lost due to having a weak system that failed to perform or crashed. To date, we are not experiencing those problems. The AMD Athlon processor appears to be quite compatible with our graphics software. We have saved ourselves considerable time," said Nick Mehl, a project manager at Hobson Crow.Mehl.

The addition of an AMD Athlon processor into the architectural arsenal represents a technological leap forward for Hobson Crow, a firm that completed the switch to computerized drafting just one year ago. A high-performance computer was needed to effect the shift from hand-drafted blueprints to virtual architecture.

"We seek a very powerful computer system that will give us the power to handle our complex 3D CAD software."

Additionally, Mehl predicts the AMD Athlon processor has a long future at the firm.

"The microprocessor itself works well and has plenty of speed for our complex CAD software. This system will suit us fine, as far as I can see, for several years," he said.