PC for Autocad

[HMS-ratters]

I've been asked to put a build together for a pc to run autocad, it will be used for both 2D and 3D rendering but nothing on a large scale (drawings of workbenches and the like). What sort of system specs should I be looking at, I've built a few gaming PC's before and know my way around that market but I have not a clue what AutoCAD needs to run.

I've not been set a budget but of course I don't want to go overkill, just a build that will do what it needs to and a good pace

 

[MetalSparks]

1. A really good hyperthreaded CPU.
2. Either Nvidia Quadro or AMD Firepro GPUs.
3. Lots of RAM (16GB minimum for heavy video editing.)
*. (Optional) 2 SSDs in RAID 0 - extremely high read/write makes loading/rendering/saving files stored on the drive very fast and efficient.

 

[HMS-ratters]

So we're talking i7-4790 and above?
Are you sure the gpu isn't overkill, as I say there won't be any very complex drawings, it's all fairly simple stuff
And again we won't be doing any video editing at all
SSDs I can see your point, thanks

 

[MetalSparks]

For the CPU I'd recommend the i7-4790k (with a compatible Z97 chipset motherboard.)

I personally prefer Nvidia over AMD because Nvidia tends to require less power to run and runs cooler, which increases the card's lifespan.

For RAM you should try to stick to CL9 1600Mhz. The processors's memory chips are really only meant to support 1600Mhz anyways (higher frequencies can damage the chip,) and lower latency gives faster speeds.

Newegg currently has a Shell Shocker Deal for 2 240GB PNY Optima SSDs for $150 total after $20 MIR.

Edit: Whoops, didn't see your last reply.
If you're not making videos why use Autocad? Ahahah.
If that's the case you'd be fine with 8GB of RAM and a GTX 750 Ti.

 

[HMS-ratters]

Of course, Z97 obviously, (currently trying to do some editing on my fx-4300, not a good move )

What I was asking is, is a Quatro/Firepro really necessary for small loads? It sounds a bit steep for what it'll be used for.

And yeah, AMD handle their RAM better than Intel but that's no trade off compared to the single threaded performance, I always look for the low CL vs Mhz with any RAM,
(Btw I live in the UK)

 

[MetalSparks]

For GPU - no; I thought you would be doing video editing, not just 2D/3D modeling. XD ...however, Quadros/Firepros are better at rendering things for 3D applications than regular cards. There's a Quadro K620 selling on Newegg for the same price as some 750 Ti's, but you might get the same performance and more use out of the 750 Ti (gaming-wise) than that Quadro.

...oh, UK, I'm not familiar with Newegg's/other companies' prices for tech outside of the USA, but you should be fine with 8GB RAM, an i7-4970k, and a GTX 750 Ti.

 

[HMS-ratters]

Thanks for the quick replies dude! It pretty much sounds like what I thought it would be like, I kind of thought high end i5 with a beefier (GTX 7/960) maybe, but the cost trade off there is about the same, thanks again +1 top solution to you

 

[MetalSparks]

I'm glad to help!

The problem with the i5 is that there's no hyper threading, and i7s get a 75% performance boost with programs that utilize multiple cores and hyper-threading, but they produce the same temperatures as i5s.

The 960 is good, but it's not as good as the 770.

You can always buy a lower-tier GPU and upgrade the GPU and PSU later.

 

[bb_on]

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/syscert?id=18844534&siteID=123112
Consult the Certified List for your video card, don't stray from this list and try to spend more on the video card than you planned on. It has a huge impact.
The difference will be seconds per click, which will accumulate to weeks of lost billable time at the end of the year.

If you are doing Civil 3D, I have never seen it use more than 4GB even on massive subdivisions. If however you are rendering 3d Walkthroughs, use multi-core as stated above and lots of memory.

the fastest SSD for your C: drive (where Autodesk will want to install) has a huge impact as well.