[SOLVED] Workstation for Autocad

[BGIYYZ]

Hi everyone, I'm thinking it's time to upgrade my system and would like to get some advice. This computer is primarily used for Autocad (2D drafting mostly) and some Photoshop work. I built the original computer in 2012 and you can see the major components here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vhLnLP

Ideally, I'd like to reuse as much as possible, so the case, the power supply...even the hard drives (especially the SSD) and video cards if I can get away with it. I know Autocad is all about single thread speed so the latest and greatest multi-core monster CPU is probably un-necessary. I'm also unclear if I need to upgrade my video card as I don't do 3D work, though my current card is woefully old and very possibly won't plug into a modern motherboard. Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated. Budget is flexible, but I'm not interested in CPU's that cost thousands of dollars or anything like that.

 

[tennis2]

Please tell us:
What country you're shopping in?
What is your actual budget?

 

[BGIYYZ]

Canada and about $1500 CAD plus or minus.

 

[tennis2]

Ok, most people are gonna recommend Ryzen, cuz that's the rage these days. Unfortunately, AMD is pretty full of themselves on Ryzen 5000 series (pricing is way out of the ballpark). Their Ryzen 3000 series has sold well despite them being pretty lofty on price there also. I also see your H100 (of unknown age) which you could re-use. I know that it didn't come with an AM4 mounting bracket (you can probably get one from Corsair).
I'm going with Intel here. They've got better IPC (performance per GHz) than Ryzen 3000, and I think Intel 10th gen is price-competitive. I think Intel's 10th gen K series CPUs are a bit lofty on price and what you get from an i7-10700 is loads more than you "need". The only reason I chose that over a 10th gen i5 was just to fill up your budget....

Your existing SSD needs an upgrade, as does your HDD. If that 750GB is still enough for you, maybe just get the 1TB SSD I recommended below. Up to you.

I know you currently have 32GB of RAM, but that's plenty, we'll stick with that number.

I'm a structural engineer. I do a lot of AutoCAD work (2D) and I use a laptop (mobile 6th gen i7 with no dGPU) so I know it's not super demanding. Therefore, I'd say your "Photoshop use" is more of the driving factor for component choices, but it would be nice to know a little more about that. Are you just a hobbyist doing simple things, or are you a semi-pro doing tons of layers/effects? As with AutoCAD, system demand can vary GREATLY depending on individual usage. For instance, I've got a friend who's a graphic designer and I helped him pick out a laptop to do his work on (8th gen mobile i5 with 8GB RAM) and that's enough for his needs....

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-10700 2.9 GHz 8-Core Processor ($428.50 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490M GAMING EDGE WIFI Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($229.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($155.10 @ Vuugo)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $1078.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-05 17:40 EST-0500


Something even less "splurgey"
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($238.95 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B460M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($170.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($155.10 @ Vuugo)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $829.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-05 17:55 EST-0500

 

[BGIYYZ]

Thank you tennis2, I will have to digest all this.

As for your questions, I do architectural drafting, 2D, no Revit or any of that. Vanilla Autocad with a buttload of customized lisps to speed things up is the extent of it. Drawing sizes are usually no greater than 15MB.

Photoshop use is very minor and really just for fun. To be honest, my current computer is enough for what I do with it, so any upgrade will automatically be a step up. Basically, Photoshop really shouldn't factor into any decisions I make.

The Corsair cooler is from way back in 2012, so it ain't new. I'm not sure about it either in that it often will start spooling up and sounding like a leaf blower and when I check the temperature monitor for the motherboard, it is a completely acceptable 58C or so. I can't recall if it's always been so noisy, and was thinking that perhaps the thermal paste was toast, but I would imagine the cpu temps would skyrocket if that were the case.

I do want to ask, especially as Autocad is so single thread-centric, why a 2.9Ghz chip would be a better bet than my current 3.4Ghz? Obviously, the 10400 or 10700 are 8+ years newer, so there must be some improvements, but I find it makes it so difficult to decide what to do. Guess that's why I'm asking you guys!

Lastly, the video card. The one I currently use is a workstation level card, but again, is very old. I don't use my PC for gaming and I don't do 3D rendering or anything like that, so I'm assuming the old FirePro V4900 is still relevant. Do you think there would be any advantage to changing it?

 

[tennis2]

I don't have experience/ knowledge with workstation GPUs, so I'll have to punt on that.

To answer your GHz question, you can't compare straight frequency when talking about a current gen CPU vs an 8 year old one. IPC (instructions per clock or performance per GHz) has grown significantly over the past 8 years.

I should also add that the i5 is pretty cheap, and the mobo will support the next (11th) gen intel CPUs if you wanted to step up to an i7 next year-ish

 

[tennis2]

Here's what an AMD 5000 build might look like.

Also, added a new AIO in there because of your comment.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($599.00 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($214.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($179.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $1413.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-06 10:31 EST-0500

 

[BGIYYZ]

And what are your thoughts on Intel vs AMD CPU? The Ryzen you listed above is quite the pretty penny.

 

[tennis2]

Like I said....

Ryzen 5000 edges out Intel 10th gen in reviews thus far, but aside from their top-end 5900X/5950X, they're above the price/performance curve. Perhaps they're getting squeezed by TSMC on supply, hence the higher price tag..... The story of 2020.