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Ideas For A Computer Build

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Message 1 of 8
radar696
1529 Views, 7 Replies

Ideas For A Computer Build

I'n not sure if this is the proper location to ask such things so I'll throw it out there and see what happens.

 

I'm looking to build myself a new desktop this year and I'm looking of rsuggestions from those that have done it already.

I'm  not looking for cutting edge but at least a good base system that I can add to when the time is right.

I was only thinking of spending maybe $800 to $900 when all was said and done.

It could flex some as I'm intending to pick up pieces as I go until I can build a working unit.

 

I will be doing 3D work involving plant assembly systems using AutoCAD Architectural Desktop.

Currently ver. 2012.

So far it has only been general assembly areas but it could move over to clamp and weld systems that would involve much more tooling and robots.

There isn't any motion involved but we have been creating 3D dwf files to be able to perform 3D fly-throughs using Navisworks looking for interferences and elevation errors.

 

So for a processor I always lean towards AMD.

I'm sure there are those that favor Intel and I welcome your input as well.

 

Do I need to look at motherboards that will take 64 gig of ram?

Or will a 32 gig board be more than enough?

 

As to video cards I was just looking yesterday at some PNY NVIDIA Quadro cards.

I found one that has 1 gig of ram for $180.


I'm looking for someone that may have one of these cards so I can get some first hand knowledge.

Are they worth the extra exspense over a regular gaming card that would have more ram?

 

So just the 1st few points.

 

I'm looking for more suggestions and input.

7 REPLIES 7
Message 2 of 8
pendean
in reply to: radar696

Are you planning on installing Win7? Win8.1 or Win8 and ACA2012 don't really work well together.
Do you have HP printers and plotters? WIn8.1 will choke then with AutoCAD as well.
Do you plan to ever move from ACA2012? Designing a PC for 2012 is not a good way to address say ACA2015-2016 needs and functions ofr WIn8.1 needs. Keep in mind that Autodesk is moving to a subscription-only upgrade method starting Feb 2015.
Is $800-$900 really all you can spend? Again, low-end for today's software/OS or the future.
Message 3 of 8
radar696
in reply to: pendean

Win7 for sure.

As to AutoCAD I'm figuring ACAD 2012 but after I really can't say.

 

Besides that, I am in need of a new desktop either way.

 

$800 - $900?

Well you have to start someplace and those are the numbers that I'm most comfortable with at this time.

I'm always looking to upgrade.

Message 4 of 8
pendean
in reply to: radar696

Hop on Dell or HP or Lenovo websites, look at offerings in that price range. Read the details and options, pick a few you like, share the specs here for a critique and how, if possible, you might improve on it with a home build.

$800-$900 buys you a consumer PC, not a "workstation" Professional PC: probably what you are replacing, correct?

Message 5 of 8
ntellery
in reply to: radar696

Acad mostly wants a fast CPU. Most instructions are not multithreaded but regen and rendering are.

So faster single chip is better but it is good being able to free up one processor (ie on my dual CPUx4) for other things while it's rendering (via the task manager).  I doubt there are single chips systems around anyway. But a faster 4 is better than a slower 8 if you get my meaning.

You may be right on the AMD but I'm not sure you are. The Intel Pentium 3 or was it 4 focused on video (trying to compete with Mac?) and lost math processing power for CAD but they recovered very well with the Core line.  I have an i7 and I'm not up to date with the latest but I think Intel is back in the lead.

Stay very well clear of the cheaper Quadro's.  They are intended for 2d work, not 3d.  You'd be better off buying a cheap but fast gaming card.  IMHO Quadro's generally are a dead loss. There is no specialist driver support for Acad anymore. I recently bought a mid range quadro and found no driver suitable for acad and no care factor.  The Graphics card will drive on screen display so you can rotate a shaded view better.

I have a Nvidia Geforce GTX570 2GB.  It's ok (prob decent but I am always hungry for better performance).  I would research very carefully whether any Quadro card you are buying has specific drivers for Acad, otherwise it's all just sales hype. Go for a fast gamer.

Hopefully you are on 64bit OS.  32bit is a loss all around.  I have 16GB RAM.  Seems good for decent size residential projects. 

Unfortunately good info on hardware for ACAD is like mining for gold. very rare and maybe of dubious quality (inc. mine?). 

I think a good gaming machine will be good for CAD as they do much the same thing. Without specific graphic card drivers for Acad anyway. I enjoyed Toms Hardware.com back when I was building and overclocking my CAD station but they don't talk specifically about CAD, nor games these days but lots of good charts on H/W.

A good M/B is a ncessary as it's the highway everything else travels on.

 

ps. I presume you are keeping your monitor, kb and mouse. Your budget is not huge and it would be a shame to waste on items you already have and compromise on your base system.  Those large cheap monitors are very tempting though.

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Message 6 of 8
radar696
in reply to: ntellery

Sorry Dean but I said I wanted to build a new system and trying to build off of someone else's idea of a cookie cutter, middle of the road system is not where I want to start.

Yea I know I have a limited budget but like I stated earlier I have to start somewhere.

 

I'm not afraid to put something together and that is why I started this thread.

-----------------------------

 

Ntellery,

 

This is some of the info I was looking for, since I had a guy at the local Micro Center talking up the Quadro cards just a few days ago.

It's always possible that my budget may change, I'm working a new job that looks like it may have the potential of paying better soon.

As long as I continue to prove myself.

 

So anyway, I'm looking at picking up a decent tower and a decent power supply.

The motherboard is one place where I was concentrating since it is the heart of the system.

I can always upgrade the processor in a year or two.

I had forgotten about the math processing built into the processor.

I'm willing to take my chances with AMD over Intel, I think my dollar goes farther that way.

I have also been looking at boards that will take 64 gig.

 

Some of the latest video cards are way outside of my price range.


A nice 2 gig card though is something I can do though.

As to the monitor, well they continue to come down in price on a daily basis.

 

Everything is running 64 bit now so it's really a no brainer.

 

I'm still working on the research and gathering more info.

Message 7 of 8
dgorsman
in reply to: radar696

If this is going to earn money, you'll be looking at $1500 - $2000.  If you are *very* careful you can chop it down to around $1K.

 

When building from scratch, I'd recommend a modular power supply - fewer loose cables to deal with is always a good thing.  If you are getting a mid-to-high level gaming video card carefully check power requirements before you get the power supply - some of them require specific cabling.  SLI/Crossfire won't help with AutoCAD, in case you were wondering.  I'd also recommend a full-size tower over a mid-size one.  The extra internal space makes it easier to fit everything in, and most of those have the front-side connections at the top within easy reach when the box is on the floor.

 

Don't count on being able to update your processor.  In most cases newer generations will require a different socket, hence a new motherboard.  Faster processors of the same generation may be avaialble for a short time as clearance items but the increase in performance will be minimal.  You may have problems finding a desktop/non-workstation motherboard that supports 64 GB on a single processor (note the difference between 'cores' and 'processors').  Be wary of workstations which can support large amounts of RAM as they require more expensive ECC RAM modules.  Workstation-class processors (Xeon from Intel, I can't remember the AMD product line name) are more expensive than comparable destktop brands as well.

 

AMD vs. Intel is always a toss-up.  Very few comparisons are done logically comparing (small 'a'  😄 ) apples to apples.  The abstraction between them and the software makes it virtually impossible to tell the difference.  Same thing with gaming vs. Quadro/FirePro video cards.

----------------------------------
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"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.


Message 8 of 8
radar696
in reply to: dgorsman

Giving this a bump since some just posted the same question.

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