Some of these graphics cards offer dual-head support, which can be a lifesaver for large blue prints. A couple of large monitors will provide plenty of screen real estate for open documents and tool palettes. Again, the type of work will inform what kind of monitor is best. Drafting requires sharp focus and crisp lines, while texturing gaming environments needs excellent color calibration. While LCD monitors are pretty, they don't offer the color control of a high-quality CRT. Cornerstone and Sony both make good professional quality monitors. Storage in a CAD station should be robust and fast. A couple 40GB drives attached to a RAID controller will offer good read/write times. A CD-RW is an inexpensive way to archive, or transport files between computers linked by too-small Internet connections.

Input devices are another area where a CAD workstation will differ from computers designed for other uses. As with a lot of CAD specifications, input devices should be chosen by the application with which they will be used. A tablet, such as those made by Wacom, is necessary for 2D work. While a mouse or trackball can work all right with 3D applications, specialized 3D input devices, like the LabTec SpaceBall or LogiCad3D Space Mouse, can help with productivity, once the user has adapted to them.

Complete CAD systems are offered by the top PC makers. HP has its Kayak line, Dell its Precision series, and IBM has the Intellistation. But there are smaller manufacturers that specialize in workstation level machines. Xi Computer has been at it for a while, and has recently branched into fast gaming systems. ARM Systems offers many configurations of its Versio series.