What kind of specs are good for design software? (Indesign, photoshop, Coreldraw, Sketchup, AutoCAD)

[jmsellars1]

Hi guys,

Title says it all really. I'm going to be looking at building a PC at some point just to use for work, probably shared between me and my girlfriend. I only really need it for spreadsheets and standard office stuff, she's a designer however so will be using software such as: Indesign, Photoshop, Coreldraw, SketchUp and AutoCAD.

What kind of specs are best for this kind of PC?

CPU - I'm guessing a decent multi core CPU like a Xeon, i5/i7 or FX-8/FX-9 is best. Does any of this software like Intel or AMD any more than the other for whatever reason?

RAM - I'm guessing at least 8GB is best but is there a limit as to how much RAM is useful here? Would 16 or 32GB be worthwhile?

MOBO - Surely anything that fits my components is fine here, I doubt I'd need any special kind of motherboard for this type of build.

GPU - Would there be any benefit to discrete graphics here or would the integrated graphics on an i5/i7 be OK?

HDD - I'd probably get an SSD anyway even if it doesn't directly benefit this software but just out of interest, is fast storage useful for this kind of software?

Any other considerations? Only other thing I can think is that I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to quiet computers so low power consumption will be pretty important as well. For that reason I'm leaning towards an i7 with integrated graphics or a Xeon with discrete graphics.

Just in case anyone decides they want to quote any specific build, budget isn't strict but I wouldn't like to go over £1000 ($1500) including dual IPS monitors (Already have an OS). Obviously the cheaper the better though, don't want to spend the lot just for the sake of it.

 

[smorizio]

jm ask your tax person if you can write the cost of the pc off as a work expense. if you can i look into two pc.
for you a non gaming pc h97 mb and a g3258 and one 8g dimm. put it on a itx mb and small format case and a 256g ssd. if you need more storage you could add a small laptop drive or network storage for your files. if your in the us and near a micro center the g3258 are 50.00. for the work pc. use a 512g ssd as the boot drive and two 8g dimms (ddr3) and i7 4790k. and a asus a or ar mb. with two dimms on a standard 1150 mb she have two open slots to go up to 32g if needed. pick up two matched hard drives and smb backup software. use one drive for backup and pay for online backup storage. hard drives will fail...also there can be fire/flood and lighting hits thta can kill her work pc. with online storage you can get a new pc up and running and copy the data back into the new pc in a short time.
also put in a blueray burner there few dollars more then a standard dvd writer but they hold 7-9g now on one disk for large monthy/yearly backups. for video the 970/280x and look at the new amd line of gpu that are dropping. the newer gpu will use less power then the older 280x. there are newer digital power supply that a lot of vendors are dropping now. the newer cosair units have very low noise fans and fan profile that only turns the fan on the power supply when needed. there also the newer intel skylake cpu that are dropping in aug. they use ddr4 ram and newer 1151 mb. the older haswell cpu dont fit in the newer mb.

 

[jmsellars1]

Thanks for the reply, I'm not actually going to build it just yet so the main question really is how much RAM is required and whether or not there's any point in a graphics card.

 

[bambiboom]

Hi guys,

Title says it all really. I'm going to be looking at building a PC at some point just to use for work, probably shared between me and my girlfriend. I only really need it for spreadsheets and standard office stuff, she's a designer however so will be using software such as: Indesign, Photoshop, Coreldraw, SketchUp and AutoCAD.

What kind of specs are best for this kind of PC?

CPU - I'm guessing a decent multi core CPU like a Xeon, i5/i7 or FX-8/FX-9 is best. Does any of this software like Intel or AMD any more than the other for whatever reason?

RAM - I'm guessing at least 8GB is best but is there a limit as to how much RAM is useful here? Would 16 or 32GB be worthwhile?

MOBO - Surely anything that fits my components is fine here, I doubt I'd need any special kind of motherboard for this type of build.

GPU - Would there be any benefit to discrete graphics here or would the integrated graphics on an i5/i7 be OK?

HDD - I'd probably get an SSD anyway even if it doesn't directly benefit this software but just out of interest, is fast storage useful for this kind of software?

Any other considerations? Only other thing I can think is that I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to quiet computers so low power consumption will be pretty important as well. For that reason I'm leaning towards an i7 with integrated graphics or a Xeon with discrete graphics.

Just in case anyone decides they want to quote any specific build, budget isn't strict but I wouldn't like to go over £1000 ($1500) including dual IPS monitors (Already have an OS). Obviously the cheaper the better though, don't want to spend the lot just for the sake of it.

jmsellars1,

My idea for workstations is to consider having the expected performance doing the largest foreseeable project using the most demaning program. The best specification in my view would be use a Xeon E5, 16GB ECC RAM, and a Quadro GPU having at least 2GB, an SSD for OS / programmes / working files, with a mech'l drive for storage.

This kind of system if purchased new will cost more than £1000 in the UK, but you might be able to build it or buy a used system being nearly right and then upgrading here and there. I've bought used or nearly new system for years with very good results. Zum beispeil:

HP Z420 1 x Xeon E5-1620 / 3.6 GHz 32GB RAM,1TB HDD > sold for EUR 660.00 or approximately £478

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-z420-1-x-Xeon-e5-1620-3-6-GHz-32gb-Ram-spots-1tb-HDD-/161727116064?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item25a7aff320&nma=true&si=1j14Ydo803dBc5HhgKWd9eLBRnw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

> which would probably suit the job out fo teh box except the Quadro K600 is not brilliant. The K620 (2GB) though is very good for the cost.

I have a similar system: HP z420 (2013) > Xeon E5-1620 four core @ 3.6 /3.8GHz > 8GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > AMD V4900 (1GB) > Seagate 500GB
[Passmark system rating = 2372 / CPU = 9001 / 2D= 712 / 3D= 1353/ Mem= 2261 / Disk= 712]

Which I eventually upgraded to :

HP z420 (2013)(Revision) > Xeon E5-1620 four core @ 3.6 /3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000(2GB) > Samsung 840 (250GB) WD Black 1TB > > M-Audio 192 soundcard

> and the results were very good using Autodesk Building Suite, Adob CS6, Sketchup

Because the clock speed was high, I made Vray renderings from Sketchup very quickly and the 3D modeling was very good. Today I'd use a Quadro K1200 (4GB).

The other models to look for would be Dell Precision T3600, or better T3610 as those use the E5-v2 and 1866 RAM.

If you're adventurous you can go a couple of steps further back to the T7500:

PC DELL Precision T7500 CPU XEON 5520 12 GO DDR3 ECC 10600 1 TO SATA BE > sold for EUR 152.00
Approximately £110

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-DELL-Precision-T7500-CPU-XEON-5520-12-GO-DDR3-ECC-10600-1-TO-SATA-BE-/301571864875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_71&hash=item463715792b&nma=true&si=1j14Ydo803dBc5HhgKWd9eLBRnw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

> and you change the CPU to a Xeon X5690 which is 6-cores @ 3.47 / 3.73 GHz:

Intel Xeon X5690 ES Q4F1 3.46GHZ 12MB 6.4GT/s LGA 1366 6-Core B1 Stepping > sold for US $105.00
Approximately £67.44

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Xeon-X5690-ES-Q4F1-3-46GHZ-12MB-6-4GT-s-LGA-1366-6-Core-B1-Stepping-/361248554251?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item541c177d0b&nma=true&si=1j14Ydo803dBc5HhgKWd9eLBRnw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Add RAM (DDR3 1333 ECC in sets of three), a Quadro K1200, SSD, storage drive, and results should be very good. In the future, using a CPU / RAM /Fan riser you can add a 2nd X5690.

I did this with a Precision T5400 five years ago and that system was completely reliable. A few months ago I replace the The T5400 with aT5500:

Purchased for $190:

Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Original): Xeon E5620 quad core @ 2.4 / 2.6 GHz > 6GB DDR3 ECC Reg 1333 > Quadro FX 580 (512MB) > Dell PERC 6/i SAS /SATA controller > Seagate Cheetah 15K 146GB > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 1479 / CPU = 4067 / 2D= 520 / 3D= 311 / Mem= 1473 / Disk= 1208]

And spending about $700:

Dell Precision T5500 (2011)(Revised) > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (2GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D= 684 / 3D= 2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]

Pending upgrade: PERC H310 PCIe SAS /SATA RAID controller, 2X WD Black 1TB (RAID 1)(Converts disk system from 3GB/s to 6GB/s)

The used PERC H310 (cost $60) and will bring the disk system up to current speeds.

So, that's my approach to needing high perfromance on a budget.

Cheers,

Bambiboom

HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 /4.0GHz > 16GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 4918 > CPU= 13941 / 2D= 823 / 3D=3464 / Mem= 2669 / Disk= 4764]

Pending upgrade: HP /LSI 9212-4i PCIe SAS /SATA HBA RAID controller, 2X Seagate Constellation ES.3 1TB (RAID 1)

 

[bambiboom]

Hi guys,

Title says it all really. I'm going to be looking at building a PC at some point just to use for work, probably shared between me and my girlfriend. I only really need it for spreadsheets and standard office stuff, she's a designer however so will be using software such as: Indesign, Photoshop, Coreldraw, SketchUp and AutoCAD.

What kind of specs are best for this kind of PC?

CPU - I'm guessing a decent multi core CPU like a Xeon, i5/i7 or FX-8/FX-9 is best. Does any of this software like Intel or AMD any more than the other for whatever reason?

RAM - I'm guessing at least 8GB is best but is there a limit as to how much RAM is useful here? Would 16 or 32GB be worthwhile?

MOBO - Surely anything that fits my components is fine here, I doubt I'd need any special kind of motherboard for this type of build.

GPU - Would there be any benefit to discrete graphics here or would the integrated graphics on an i5/i7 be OK?

HDD - I'd probably get an SSD anyway even if it doesn't directly benefit this software but just out of interest, is fast storage useful for this kind of software?

Any other considerations? Only other thing I can think is that I'm a bit of a freak when it comes to quiet computers so low power consumption will be pretty important as well. For that reason I'm leaning towards an i7 with integrated graphics or a Xeon with discrete graphics.

Just in case anyone decides they want to quote any specific build, budget isn't strict but I wouldn't like to go over £1000 ($1500) including dual IPS monitors (Already have an OS). Obviously the cheaper the better though, don't want to spend the lot just for the sake of it.

jmsellars1,

My idea for workstations is to consider having the expected performance doing the largest foreseeable project using the most demaning program. The best specification in my view would be use a Xeon E5, 16GB ECC RAM, and a Quadro GPU having at least 2GB, an SSD for OS / programmes / working files, with a mech'l drive for storage.

This kind of system if purchased new will cost more than £1000 in the UK, but you might be able to build it or buy a used system being nearly right and then upgrading here and there. I've bought used or nearly new system for years with very good results. Zum beispeil:

HP Z420 1 x Xeon E5-1620 / 3.6 GHz 32GB RAM,1TB HDD > sold for EUR 660.00 or approximately £478

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-z420-1-x-Xeon-e5-1620-3-6-GHz-32gb-Ram-spots-1tb-HDD-/161727116064?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item25a7aff320&nma=true&si=1j14Ydo803dBc5HhgKWd9eLBRnw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

> which would probably suit the job out fo teh box except the Quadro K600 is not brilliant. The K620 (2GB) though is very good for the cost.

I have a similar system: HP z420 (2013) > Xeon E5-1620 four core @ 3.6 /3.8GHz > 8GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > AMD V4900 (1GB) > Seagate 500GB
[Passmark system rating = 2372 / CPU = 9001 / 2D= 712 / 3D= 1353/ Mem= 2261 / Disk= 712]

Which I eventually upgraded to :

HP z420 (2013)(Revision) > Xeon E5-1620 four core @ 3.6 /3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000(2GB) > Samsung 840 (250GB) WD Black 1TB > > M-Audio 192 soundcard

> and the results were very good using Autodesk Building Suite, Adob CS6, Sketchup

Because the clock speed was high, I made Vray renderings from Sketchup very quickly and the 3D modeling was very good. Today I'd use a Quadro K1200 (4GB).

The other models to look for would be Dell Precision T3600, or better T3610 as those use the E5-v2 and 1866 RAM.

If you're adventurous you can go a couple of steps further back to the Precision T7500. this has the advantage of having still completely usable technology, but at a lower cost so you can spend more on a great GPU, SSD and I recommend a pair of high quality 24" or 27" monitors to have good colour correction and be able see multiple applications simultaneously.

PC DELL Precision T7500 CPU XEON 5520 12 GO DDR3 ECC 10600 1 TO SATA BE > sold for EUR 152.00
Approximately £110

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PC-DELL-Precision-T7500-CPU-XEON-5520-12-GO-DDR3-ECC-10600-1-TO-SATA-BE-/301571864875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_71&hash=item463715792b&nma=true&si=1j14Ydo803dBc5HhgKWd9eLBRnw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

> and you change the CPU to a Xeon X5690 which is 6-cores @ 3.47 / 3.73 GHz:

Intel Xeon X5690 ES Q4F1 3.46GHZ 12MB 6.4GT/s LGA 1366 6-Core B1 Stepping > sold for US $105.00
Approximately £67.44

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Xeon-X5690-ES-Q4F1-3-46GHZ-12MB-6-4GT-s-LGA-1366-6-Core-B1-Stepping-/361248554251?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item541c177d0b&nma=true&si=1j14Ydo803dBc5HhgKWd9eLBRnw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Add RAM (DDR3 1333 ECC in sets of three), a Quadro K1200, SSD, storage drive, and results should be very good. In the future, using a CPU / RAM /Fan riser you can add a 2nd X5690.

I did this with a Precision T5400 five years ago and that system was completely reliable. A few months ago I replace the The T5400 with aT5500:

Purchased for $190:

Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Original): Xeon E5620 quad core @ 2.4 / 2.6 GHz > 6GB DDR3 ECC Reg 1333 > Quadro FX 580 (512MB) > Dell PERC 6/i SAS /SATA controller > Seagate Cheetah 15K 146GB > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating = 1479 / CPU = 4067 / 2D= 520 / 3D= 311 / Mem= 1473 / Disk= 1208]

And spending about $700:

Dell Precision T5500 (2011)(Revised) > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (2GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D= 684 / 3D= 2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]

Pending upgrade: PERC H310 PCIe SAS /SATA RAID controller, 2X WD Black 1TB (RAID 1)(Converts disk system from 3GB/s to 6GB/s)

The used PERC H310 (cost $60) and will bring the disk system up to current speeds. This is then a quite good performing system for about £650.

So, that's my approach to needing high performance on a budget.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 /4.0GHz > 16GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 4918 > CPU= 13941 / 2D= 823 / 3D=3464 / Mem= 2669 / Disk= 4764]

Pending upgrade: HP /LSI 9212-4i PCIe SAS /SATA HBA RAID controller, 2X Seagate Constellation ES.3 1TB (RAID 1)