CAD workstation build < $3000 USD

[brettko]

First build, so I appreciate all the help. I use AutoCAD, CS Studio, Intellibuild, Mitek Sapphire, and basic office type programs. The software you don't recognize is engineered lumber, wall panel, and/or truss design software. Think parametric modelling. I have Windows 10 Pro 64, 3 24" monitors, keyboard, and mouse. I also have a NAS with 4 4TB drives in RAID 10 for my files. I often have a few things running at the same time so RAM is important. I don't play games, but I might in the future. Budget is $3000 USD, but I'd go $4000 if it made a big difference.

EDIT: I put this together. Part List The Quadro P4000 was not a choice so I selected the P5000. Knock $1100 off and I can get the P4000 from Amazon.

 

[kanewolf]

An NVIDIA Quadro P4000 graphics card, a 1TB NVMe SSD would be my two specific recommendations. The Intel X99 motherboards are getting a little dated, but will give you the best memory bandwidth. If you can wait a while for the X299 motherboards and CPUs that might be the best answer.

 

[logainofhades]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($312.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - R1 Universal 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($88.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($241.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($479.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake - Core X31 ATX Mid Tower Case ($82.48 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.98 @ NCIX US)
Other: PNY Quadro P4000 NVIDIA Quadro P4000 8GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Full Height Video Cards - Workstation ($899.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $2364.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-10 11:49 EDT-0400

 

[brettko]

Thanks for your input. What's your reasoning behind the AMD Ryzen?

 

[kanewolf]

Thanks for your input. What's your reasoning behind the AMD Ryzen?

It is lower total cost than an X99/i7 combo. It has more CPU threads than an i7.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend a Ryzen build for a "make my living off this PC" type build. They are too immature.
But they will save $$$ compared to the Intel competitors.

 

[brettko]

Thanks for your input. What's your reasoning behind the AMD Ryzen?

It is lower total cost than an X99/i7 combo. It has more CPU threads than an i7.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend a Ryzen build for a "make my living off this PC" type build. They are too immature.
But they will save $$$ compared to the Intel competitors.

Good to know. I make my living off this so I will keep that in mind. Right now I have a Dell m3800. It just doesn't cut it anymore, and I'm always in the office so I don't need a laptop to be my primary PC. Money isn't a big issue if I can expect to get 3-4 years out of it.

 

[logainofhades]

Ryzen's problems mostly stem from overclocking and trying to run higher ram speeds. It has gotten a good deal better, ram speed wise, as new bios updates keep coming. Probably wouldn't tinker with a make a living pc, much anyway.