You are not logged in. Please login or register.
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → General Discussion → Building a cad computer
My computer is 5 year's old and it freezes up when trying to do some scad files so it is time to build a new one.
I am going with dual xeon E5 processors ( server processers). 256gb ram and a solid state hard drive.
Hopefully it will do my cad work tithout crashing.
I use an AMD FX 8350 with 64GB of RAM and it is more than enough for any cad file I throw at it.
Before you put all the money in those processors, I strongly suggest starting with a serious video card, as it will do 75% of all the heavy lifting. Going with lots of memory is great, and the Xeons will certainly give you access to all that memory, but I would first start by choosing a video card.
I'm not speaking of gamer cards, rather a CAD optimized cards, like the nVidia Quadros. I used to recommend both the AMD FirePro and the nVidia Qudro cards, but AMD's been lagging way behind nVidia in terms of miniport drivers and they're not as stable as nVidia at the moment.
A serious video card can set you back a couple of grand, but there's simply no substitute, and unlike a gamer card, it will not be obsoleted as quickly.
while i agree that a good video card should be added to the list as an essential - there is no need to spend a couple of grand on one. 
the video card I installed in my main 3d computer was under $100, but performs just fine - I can run Solidworks 2016 with no issues.
built in, on board memory is a key factor - the more the merrier. Active cooling is also a good idea.
You need to consider dual 'server' processors. They are not meant for graphics, or gaming, or really even enjoyment. They are basically for storing, retrieving, and manipulating data across large RAID arrays of hard drives. Your money would be better spent investing in a high end I5 or I7, or a high end AMD based machine with 32G of fast memory - solid state drives are nice too. Build a single processor machine and put the money 'saved' from single as opposed to dual processors towards a good graphics card.
My 0.2
the video card I installed in my main 3d computer was under $100, but performs just fine - I can run Solidworks 2016 with no issues.
Then I would say to you that you never seen the difference between a workstation level card and a "basic" video card.
I too use SolidWorks, and there's a world of difference between the the two cards. I used to have a GeForce GTX680, and I though it was pretty good, but them I came across a crazy deal on a Quadro K5000.
Let me say this: there's no comparison between the 2 cards. The user experience you get, the entire look and feel changes. Another thing you notice, is that a lot more computation work is dumped on the GPU. My CPU load dropped by as much as 20% when using this card, as the software now lets you use the GPU for a lot of tasks that were previously handled by the CPU.
I'm not saying you can't do any CAD work unless you have a good video card, and you don't need to spend $2K or more on one ( I merely stated that it COULD set you back $2K or more), you can find decent Quadro cards for Under $300.
But the trick is to get a CAD oriented card, as it unlocks featured in you apps that you didn't even know were there.
ok, so I guess I don't know the difference.
But, I also do not have the financial ability to drop several hundred, let alone thousands, on a graphics card. If you can, great for you, but not everyone can.
Then again, in the original post there was talk about spending money on dual Xeon E5 processors, 256GB of RAM, SSD drives, etc.
These CPUs start at about $350 each and go well over $3K, 256GB of registered DDR4 memory will set you back anywhere from $1500 to $3000 depending on configuration, and multiple SSD drives in a RAID configuration can bleed you dry.
So if you're already considering spending that kind of cash, what's a few hundred dollars for a video card?
What I was trying to do in my post is to get the OP to balance his spending spree by having him look at the video card first, as when it comes to CAD, it's one of the most important components of the machine.
Yes, it's true that lots of RAM and a good processor are key as well, but I would personally trade half of that memory for a good video card, because there is a "saturation" point with RAM, a point of diminishing returns if you will.
BTW, here is an example of what you're missing when you use a standard video card in Solidworks.
RealView Graphics is available because of the Quadro drivers, although I must admit, that drawing in this mode is sometimes distracting, but for visualization purposes, I can toggle RealView mode, and get near final rendering quality but with full, real time manipulation.
If you are designing for 3D printing which most of us here do and it is what we use CAD for then all the extra fluff is not necessary and a $200 card and multicore CPU is more than enough in even the most complex PRINTABLE objects.
Then again, in the original post there was talk about spending money on dual Xeon E5 processors, 256GB of RAM, SSD drives, etc.
These CPUs start at about $350 each and go well over $3K, 256GB of registered DDR4 memory will set you back anywhere from $1500 to $3000 depending on configuration, and multiple SSD drives in a RAID configuration can bleed you dry.
So if you're already considering spending that kind of cash, what's a few hundred dollars for a video card?
What I was trying to do in my post is to get the OP to balance his spending spree by having him look at the video card first, as when it comes to CAD, it's one of the most important components of the machine.
Yes, it's true that lots of RAM and a good processor are key as well, but I would personally trade half of that memory for a good video card, because there is a "saturation" point with RAM, a point of diminishing returns if you will.
in that context, yes, I would agree with you that a better video card would be a good, worthwhile investment.
I am running a refurbished, $250, Win7 tower that only has a dual core 3.0GHz processor. It had a whopping 4GB of RAM when I got it, which I upgraded to 12GB. And I upgraded the onboard graphics to a "better" video card - an AMD Radeon HD 6450 - not exactly high end, but far better than what it came with in the onboard setup. Both upgrades cost me maybe around $150 - $175 at most (not all at once).
You would laugh if you knew what I was using before this, LOL.
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → General Discussion → Building a cad computer
Powered by PunBB, supported by Informer Technologies, Inc.
