[,4lex S.]

So, I have run inventor on at least 8 different computers, and here is what I have learned:

1) Get a desktop, a CAD computer only needs portability if you plan on taking it home, plus you can get much better performance for cheaper.
2) Its a system effort, the best CAD computer I have worked on is my current at work computer, it only has 2 GB of RAM, a moderate graphics card, and a pretty ok dual core threaded processer. But the mix of relatively good everything makes it a beautiful combination that can handle massive assemblies and all of inventors important features.
3) Use XP on a windows machine, I can't stress the difference between my home computer running vista and my work computer running xp. I can't speak for Windows 7 yet.
4) Specifically look at the graphics card you use, I don't know a lot about this, but certain medium strength graphics cards seem to work great. Someone who knows more about graphics cards can probably elaborate.
5) Optimize the program. You can play with graphics options inside inventor if you know what you are doing (or have some time on your hands).
6) The bigger the assembly, the more RAM you want. My boss had 8 GB like 2 years ago. Which is pretty crazy for then among normal users.