A friend of mines dad is looking to do a full Auto CAD system build for around $700 to $900. This build needs to also include a copy of windows 7 pro, 1TB HD, and 16g of memory. Does anybody have and suggestions for this build or ideas.
mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262 cpu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106011 video http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121649 power http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037 ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231486 HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533 win7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992
Some info on why this would make a good rendering computer would be helpful. Especially since preliminary research has said that AMD processors are terrible for CAD systems
Well, for the price range he gave, kinda had to sacrifice some performance. instead of ati card he can try nvidia gtx 660, but id go with 256 bit ati vs 192 bit nvidia http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125443
If you go the AMD route get the Vischera FX-8320 rather than the Zambezi 8150. A couple hundred Mhz doesn't overcome the improved architecture. If you want to go Intel the Intel 3350P is a good choice. Pair it with an H77 motherboard to save some dollars because you won't be overclocking (that's asking for disaster when you build a system for someone else). If you're going this soon the I5-3470 is $15 off and thus the same price And get faster, cheaper DDR3-1600 ram without the fancy heatsinks You can also find cheaper 7870ghz. Plus you can save some money on a well reviewed, higher efficiency PSU by getting a ~550W powersupply as well, no need for 700W here at all. (or get an even more more efficient one) I'd stick with the WD black because of the long waranty, but you can cut some $ by getting a Seagate Barracuda if you want. Going with lower cost options can probably bump your CPU up to the i5-3550 if you wanted. Any case that fits an ATX board and the drives you want and has a ~120mm intake and exit fans should be fine.
These builds look nice, but from what I have read AMD cpu and gpu dont perform as well as intel and nvidia when it comes to Auto CAD. I also found out a little more information on what exactly he was going to be doing mostly basic blueprint and no 3d rendering. After reading this and looking through Autodesk Auto CAD forums this is the build I was able to come up with. He also explained to me that he wanted to do multi-monitor and maybe some low end gaming. CPU: i5 3570k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504 Mobo:Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3P LGA 1155 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128556 Mem: 16gb 2x8 DDR3 1600mghz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233246 PSU: Corsair 500w 80 plus bronze http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027 HD: WD Blue 1TB Sata 6gb/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339 Disk Drive: ASUS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 OS: Windows 7 Pro 64 bit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116992 2 Choices on Cases: Corsair 200R: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139018 NZXT Source 210: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146078 2 GPU Choices: EVGA GT 620 1gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130791 EVGA GT 640 2gb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130795 Total is around $780 to $800
I'd still go with the CPU/Mobo(chipset, really)/RAM I listed. You're spending extra $ on things that don't help, like giant ram heatsinks and the overclockable CPU. On the motherboard, you might want to find something other than my listed part because of feature combinations but I'd avoid B75 and get H77. B75 lacks RAID, which he may want later (if just for a cache drive), and you don't want Intel Small Business Advantage. Crossfire isn't of any use here, either. (here's what the differences are between chipsets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1155) Wanting nVidia is fine. But the 620 or 640 won't come near a 7870 in anything at all. If you want to save the money, OK but then think about something else: You might just want to stick with just Intel-integrated...Then you actually do want the 3570K because it has HD4000 graphics. If he's just working on blueprints graphics is not going to matter. Audodesk says it passes http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servle...8254205&id=18844534&product=56&os=8192&hw=263 (Note, P4000 is the same as regular HD 4000 with 100mhz more turbo as far as any spec sheet I can find says) Here's the official guidelines: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/autocad_design_suite_standard_2013.pdf You'll not they only officially recommend workstation cards (Quadros and FirePros) most of the ones with real graphics power in the current gen explode your budget. Have a look at what Dell puts into a cheap workstation: http://www.dell.com/us/soho/p/precision-t1650/pd
Alright I changed the CPU/Mem to the one you listed. I also changed the motherboard also to a Biostar. The reason I went with the gt 620 or 640 was for multi-monitor setup and for maybe light gaming nothing like battlefield 3 just some low end gaming like league or sc2. CPU/MOBO Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1226839
looks pretty solid, i would guess you could save money on ram if you go lower end, i would maybe try to sneak an SSD too, or maybe an 8gb ssd acting as cache, would be super quick, cad would prolly love that. i have no evidence to back that up though. edit: i lied cheap ram doesnt exist any more. the $20 sticks i got for my server are now $60.
AutoCAD blueprints can be done on pretty much anything. Video card isn't very important without rendering and any RAM you get will suffice. I just I build it around the low end gaming with multi monitors and that will suit his AutoCAD just fine.
What version of Autocad will he be running? A lot of the specialized versions of autocad are object based now so you are basically drawing in 3D regardless that you are viewing it in plan view. For example I use Autocad MEP at my office. While some of the drawings we produce are 2D most of the ductwork, piping and equipment we show is all drawn as a 3D object even if it just looks like a flat blue print drawing. We are running mid range CAD workstations and I have to say it runs like shit most of the times on our larger jobs. I've actually had better performance on my home gaming machine than my cad work station. The system you priced out should be fine though. A SSD would be a nice addition. It doesn't improve Autocad's performance much but it does help it open faster which is a bonus because it crashes a lot. lol
Bishop... why didnt you send sparky to me, we've talked about the fact that my dad owns and operates a drafting business for designing and building oilfield pressure vessels in the West Texas area as a subcontractor for Kinder Morgan... I've been helping him build computers for AutoCAD for over 20years... like 486 days.... A few things... nothing could be more false than saying ATI is less ideal than Nvidia. Pros use pro ATI cards. End of story. That being said, I prefer Nvidia and I both my dad and I use them, instead. Works just fine. Cheaper too than those Fires and Quads. Reson being, you da=ont actually use the video card for processing.... yet. Its coming. Its very close to here, but not yet. You need as much CPU as possible. RAM requirements are entirely dependent on the actual function of AutoCAD you are using. If its 2d framing, just use your damned laptop. AutoCAD is a drafting operating system, for all intents and purposes... (I know it isnt, but with all the extensions and options and third party software that actually makes it run like you want... you see what I am getting at) If you're going to spend $4200 on a program, get a computer that will run it properly. I dont have enough time now to comment on the few decades of experience on what hardware seems to work best with what editions, but my dad and I have kep careful notes on system builds over time and I have a pretty good handle on this. I extend an open invitation to anyone looking for more information to contact me via TS and we can talk about options specific to your needs. I am more than happy to assist. PS - its pretty useless to ask what hardware you need for a program designed to do everything. What expansions and third party software are you going to use, what purpose does this autoCAD computer serve? Whats your real budget- including software costs? Why do you want AutoCAD, in other words?