Help with choosing CPU for Autocad Mechanical 2013

[Kia_ete]

Hello fellas,

as my older computer is really old (7 years old) and keep freezing all the time, I wanted to buy a whole new one!

about the CPU I am a little confused. I just saw this blog " http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=15224826&linkID=9240617 " which is mentioning that Autocad 2013 does not support multi-threading except for 2D regeneration and Mentalray Rendering, which brings up the question that what is the benefit of all new cpu's like Xeon with up to 16 Multithreads? 

I'm going to install Windows 7 64-bit with also Autocad Mechanical 64-bit on my new system. In another website which is this one : http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/workstations/workstations-xeon-autocad-video.html  is mentioned that Xeon E5 series are the best option for autocad. I don't know whether it is an advertisement for Intel or not.

anyways I was thinking to give like 500$ for cpu, I can surely go 100$ more when it's gonno affect everything so much, so I was wondering if anyone can suggest me with any kind of CPUs. I really appericiate it.

Best Thanks and regards

[dgorsman]

Partially right, in that extra cores (16?  Haven't seen that one, unless you are referring to a combination of multiple physical processors and hyperthreading) don't mean much to AutoCAD.  *But* AutoCAD isn't the only software you are running.  Even running just AutoCAD you also have the OS and a host of services you don't normally think about.  Add in a few applications like Excel for datasheets, PDF readers, browser, music... it all adds up.  Plus, its not all about number of cores.  The internal architecture and supporting chipset on the motherboard for newer systems give better performance than the theoretical "more cores" approach as well.

Xeons are built specifically to take a massively multi-threaded approach (including multiple physical processors), and thats needed for some applications (FEA analysis, for example).  For most CAD work its impossible to break the operations down into multiple simultaneous operations so multi-threading isn't practical.  So one of the few reasons to go with a Xeon processor over an i5 or i7 is you need large numbers, which means getting workstations from Dell or HP.

[Kia_ete]

thank you for your detailed reply dgorsman,

by the way I was wondering if you could suggest me a kind of CPU with the 500$ budget. like I said, I can go up to 600$ when I am sure this gonno really help. I really appericiate you answer.

best regards

[dgorsman · Accepted solution]

Gnerally speaking, you can get away with a second or third generation i5 or i7 or non-Intel equivalent, running around 3 GHz (I'd say nothing less than ~ 2.5 GHz, and only if you are really scrounging for savings).  No need to spend on a Xeon unless its your only option (e.g. Dell, HP), and no need for "extreme" overclocked/unlocked/gamer/etc. systems.  There are times where a 6-core will be of some benefit but for most purposes a quad-core will do just fine.

Within those parameters I can't say much about cost, given currency exchange rates and various options for pre-built and self-built systems.  Just remember, you're using a system where everything works together.  You can't skimp on one area and dump all the money into another (like going with an Extreme overclocked CPU and only 2GB RAM) and expect superior performance.  In general terms, you should get a "good" system for $1K - $1.5K with diminishing returns as the cost increases.

[Kia_ete]

thank you very much dgorsman.

regards