Solidworks for home, and energy efficient

[chfong]

Hi,

I want to get a SolidWorks (2012 and later ) certfied workstation for home personal use,
with the most energy-efficient components with the price range $1000 to $1600.
The closer to $1000 the better. I want the Best value for the buck.
I'm an Industrial Designer in training / wannabe.. It's not for office, since it's not my day job (yet)..
I'm modeling small parts and assemblies; not large things like an airplane.
Speed is not so important. Quality, accuracy and smoothness is more important.
Spinning parts in a high speed would probably make me dizzy anyway..

It will primary be a SolidWorks workstation, maybe someday it will be used for Alias,
Pro-Engineer, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Inventor, Rhino, etc.. A BIG maybe..
I'm not into video games. But definitely into web surfing..
I don't know much about the motherboards, like what brands are good.

Approximate Purchase Date: next 30 days.. August 2012..

Budget Range: approximately $1000 to $1600 just for the main system unit
Before / After Rebates; rebates would be nice..
Before Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
SolidWorks - ( modeling , virtual prototyping, simulation )
surfing the internet,
watching TV shows from a TV tuner ,
watching DVD ,

Are you buying a monitor: Yes , monitor pricing is separate - $200 to $500.

Parts to Upgrade: planning to get a whole new system..
Solidworks is not compatible with Mac .. Damn it!!
BootCamp is not supported by SolidWorks..

Do you need to buy OS: Yes , windows 7 Pro

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I'm open..
as long they are reliable, dependable, etc..

Location: New York City, NY , USA

Parts Preferences: must be SolidWorks ( 2012 , 2013 ) certified

Overclocking: No ,

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe ...

Your Monitor Resolution: Don't have a monitor..
preferably 1920x1080, 1920x1200

Additional Comments:
must be Solidworks (2012 or 2013 ) certified.

perhaps :
Intel Core i3 or Core i5 ( what about AMD or Via ?? ) -
smaller number of cores is preferable. since I'm doing mostly modeling.
and I read that solidWorks is not heavily multi-threaded, except for the simulation.
6 to 16 GB RAM ( non ECC memory is fine , since it's for home use )
Solidworks-certified 3D professional graphics card. Beginners 3D cards are fine.. Not a 3D gaming card.
perhaps a Nvida Quadro 600 or 2000 or AMD/ATI FirePro 3800 or 4800
Win Pro 7 and Linux ( redhat/centos/ubuntu/mint ) dual boot..
two 250GB to 500GB SAS/SATA Hard Drives, ( one of them is a backup for the other)
3-6 USB 2.0 connections. ( got keyboard, mouse, 3D mouse, etc.. )
EnergyStar Power Supply. Perhaps 80 PLUS certified..

a good hi-res monitor would probably be another $300 to $600. 20-inch to 26-inch..
DisplayPort seems to be the new video standard these days.

I'm open to a laptop as well.. maybe a desktop replacement laptop??

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
running SolidWorks 2012 , later on SolidWorks 2013..
want to be supported by the SolidWorks company support folks.


Thanks,
CHF

 

[Lutfij]

hmmm,

seems to be a tall order I'm an architect and I need almost all of what you say. However I also like to game.

will post back with some suggestions, but first please read this and post accordingly

 

[TheBigTroll]

id get a

i5 3450
16gb 4x4gb gskill ares 1600mhz cl9 ram
p8h77-v motherboard
amd firepro v5900 or quadro 2000 (depends on the program)
2x seagate barracuda 500gb sata 6gb/s in RAID 1
seasonic M12II 520w power supply

you might want to fill out the form that Lutfij posted.

 

[Lutfij]

^ thas a good lineup, the PSU maybe meh... and some large drives cos of all the backing up needed for the renders and creativity softwares.

however, I think the monitors will eat a big chunk of his budget.

this system requirement page will help others steer themselves if others were to build a similar rig
http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/hardware.html
https://forum.solidworks.com/community/administration/blog/2011/10/04/whats-important-for-a-solidworks-workstation

 

[Lutfij]

okay here goes:
case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352025 - $120
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006 - $180

cpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116501 - $339

mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131822 - $340
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128559 - $250
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131818 - $270

ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226300 - $110

hdd:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 x2 - $140

gpu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195106 - $410
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195115 - $595
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195107 - $690

ssd:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-147-163 - $100

odd:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106352 - $20

psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182263 - $100

comes down to $1774 with the $595 card

here's what you do, give solidworks a shout out and see if the cards I listed above are compatible with your software.
Oh wait I needed to add the OS too?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116717 - $275

sorry to go over budget mate :/

 

[TheBigTroll]

you dont need a 650w psu. the m12II 520w is more than enough to power a system with a single GPU especially the ones that are listed.

might want to check out toms benchmarks about the workstation cards since they have quite a wide selection of programs that are used

 

[Lutfij]

^ hmm, I don't use a workstation card however, the thing with this ah heck solidworks is that it doesn't show anything from AMD's camp. Only ATi. SO thas a lil obsolete IMHO.

didn't check out nvidia though.

I listed the 650W modular PSU so OP can add more cards to his machine should productivity beckon him while he moves up in the world without having to build another rig from the ground up. And gold rated PSU's, sigh they're the cream of the crop ->under the platinums

 

[TheBigTroll]

you cant really crossfire a workstation card unless you have certified boards to do crossfire.

 

[Lutfij]

look again mate, it is crossfire certified two cards will run at x8/x8 . triple card setup, x8/x4/x4

 

[TheBigTroll]

hmm getting mixed up with nvidia quadros

still, technically it would be enough since the 7850 (same core as v7900) doesnt draw more than 108w at full load (should be lower since the firepro cards are better chips).

ok then. get a 650w if you do plan to crossfire workstation cards in the future.

 

[Lutfij]

personally, I think this workstation thingy is messy. I game as well as work - so my desktop is like a hydra.

I work on Adobe's CS 5.5 master suite and CAD + Maya + 3Ds max + sketchup on rig 1 in my member config.

still, technically it would be enough since the 7850 (same core as v7900) doesnt draw more than 108w at full load (should be lower since the firepro cards are better chips).

aiy! there's that W600 card that I was checking out. To see its power draw. only needs like 75 W max...hmmm
more here

*no offence OP if I threw insult to the software, just trying to help to my level best.
Power Draw - V7900

 

[TheBigTroll]

i was talking about the v7900. if it was a w600, a 400w might even cut it but the m12II is a better choice

 

[Lutfij]

if it was a w600, a 400w might even cut it but the m12II is a better choice

can't argue with that. But i was talking about how low a TDP that W600 had. Wondering what the next lithograph TDP will turn out to be? :O

 

[TheBigTroll]

probably 50w or so (assuming that performance doesnt increase which is stupid to say so). manufacturers will stick with 75w for most