Modest CAD workstation buy vs build help

[BiffsPC]

Hello, new to the site been watching Linus's videos lately. I have been getting back in to 3D CAD modeling lately and been looking at getting a PC (been a home MAC user for many years, do use a PC at work though) for CAD, video editing and maybe some light gaming. I have priced out a couple of systems from Digital Storm (they look decently built and I like the clean cable routing), but being in Canada not super keen on paying and exchange. Is there any custom Canadian builders out there? Or should i suck it up and try and figure out how to build my own system? I am pretty handy (mostly woodwork and DIY projects) so could probably do it, just have never built a PC before. 

 

I am looking to keep the build to approx $3000 or under.

 

Any advice help would be great. 

[Viper9]

You should build your own PC, I can send you a part list. I just need to know if your budget is 3000$ CAD or USD?

 

This is what you can get for around 3000$ CAD.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 3.5 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($1012.75 @ shopRBC) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler  ($59.99 @ Amazon Canada) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG X570 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($309.99 @ Amazon Canada) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($189.99 @ Amazon Canada) 
Storage: Corsair MP600 Force Series Gen4 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($249.00 @ Canada Computers) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB BLACK GAMING Video Card  ($974.99 @ Memory Express) 
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case  ($134.50 @ Vuugo) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($179.99 @ Memory Express) 
Total: $3111.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-08-26 14:36 EDT-0400

[BiffsPC]

My price would be Canadian, cools thanks for the suggestions. Any thoughts on Nvidia Quadro cards? I have heard the regular cards don't  place nice with AutoDesk software.

[dalekphalm]

4 minutes ago, BiffsPC said:

My price would be Canadian, cools thanks for the suggestions. Any thoughts on Nvidia Quadro cards? I have heard the regular cards don't  place nice with AutoDesk software.

Keep in mind that Quadro cards are significantly more expensive for comparable performance, but having a validated card can be worth it alone, if you ever need support.

 

In terms of actual requirements, it's hard to say, because the complexity of your designs will significantly change the requirements.

 

The most basic requirements for Solidworks, for example, is a Quadro P600 and any modern CPU - a P600 is equivalent to a GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti. The build that Viper listed would be massive overkill for some 3D CAD artists, but would be totally proper for others.

 

More power is better, in terms of actual performance (and rendering times), but even a low end machine can do some 3D CAD work.

[BiffsPC]

5 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Keep in mind that Quadro cards are significantly more expensive for comparable performance, but having a validated card can be worth it alone, if you ever need support.

 

In terms of actual requirements, it's hard to say, because the complexity of your designs will significantly change the requirements.

 

The most basic requirements for Solidworks, for example, is a Quadro P600 and any modern CPU - a P600 is equivalent to a GTX 1050 or 1050 Ti. The build that Viper listed would be massive overkill for some 3D CAD artists, but would be totally proper for others.

 

More power is better, in terms of actual performance (and rendering times), but even a low end machine can do some 3D CAD work.

Thanks dalekphalm i was thinking the Quadro P2200, based on its specs it should work for most everything i had in mind. I would also like the system to be pretty quiet, so was thinking maybe a water cooler for the CPU.

[dalekphalm]

2 minutes ago, BiffsPC said:

Thanks dalekphalm i was thinking the Quadro P2200, based on its specs it should work for most everything i had in mind. I would also like the system to be pretty quiet, so was thinking maybe a water cooler for the CPU.

Nothing wrong with that plan.

 

Keep in mind with water cooled PC's: The pump is not silent - you can get very quiet ones, but you'll not get one that is totally silent.

 

And, often people find that because the rest of the PC is so quiet, they actually find the pump seems louder than otherwise. It's definitely personal preference as to whether you'd notice.

 

Myself, I would go air cooled, and get a really good air cooler that can operate quietly when I'm not rendering at 100% CPU/GPU usage. Water cooling also increases the cost quite a bit, especially if you want to go full loop.

 

But if you're okay with those caveats, water cooling can work quite well.

[Viper9]

2 hours ago, BiffsPC said:

My price would be Canadian, cools thanks for the suggestions. Any thoughts on Nvidia Quadro cards? I have heard the regular cards don't  place nice with AutoDesk software.

Depends, if you wanna game with your PC has well you need a Geforce card. 

[dalekphalm]

33 minutes ago, Viper9 said:

Depends, if you wanna game with your PC has well you need a Geforce card. 

That's not true at all. Quadro cards can definitely game. Drivers can definitely be an issue if gaming is the primary purpose, so that's a consideration, but not necessarily a deal breaker.

 

GeForce drivers get game optimizations frequently and so you may get improved performance to some degree, possibly some stability increases, etc. But Quadro drivers will still certainly play most games just fine. Performance won't even be much worse/different for most games, compared to the comparable GeForce card (using the same chip/shader count, etc).

 

So for the OP, I would just decide whether Quadro support for CAD is more important, or is gaming with the most up to date game optimizations. Either can work, and there are advantages to both options.

[BiffsPC]

CAD and video editing would be the priority or any gaming. 

[Viper9]

16 hours ago, BiffsPC said:

CAD and video editing would be the priority or any gaming. 

You can download the studio drivers instead of the game ready one on Nvidia's website. 

 

You can go with a Quadro instead since they're validated for workstation software, but if you want the same performance has an RTX 2080 Super, you'll spend more money on the Quadro. 

[Roswell]

1 hour ago, Viper9 said:

You can download the studio drivers instead of the game ready one on Nvidia's website. 

 

You can go with a Quadro instead since they're validated for workstation software, but if you want the same performance has an RTX 2080 Super, you'll spend more money on the Quadro. 

Quadro is more than just validated drivers. It’s unlocked compute performance, ECC memory, etc.

[BiffsPC]

Hello all, I'm going to go with Quadro P2200 as it should handle everything i need it to do. I have used a Quadro M1200 in a work laptop before and it was sufficient for most tasks.

 

I did have some questions on AMD vs Intel does it matter? I have never had anything with an AMD chip before all our work stuff has always been Intel. A co-worker suggested a i9-10900K, what would be the comparable AMD chip?

[dalekphalm]

5 minutes ago, BiffsPC said:

Hello all, I'm going to go with Quadro P2200 as it should handle everything i need it to do. I have used a Quadro M1200 in a work laptop before and it was sufficient for most tasks.

 

I did have some questions on AMD vs Intel does it matter? I have never had anything with an AMD chip before all our work stuff has always been Intel. A co-worker suggested a i9-10900K, what would be the comparable AMD chip?

Realistically, no, either Intel or AMD will be just fine.

 

The i9-10900K equivalent would be anything from the Ryzen 9 series, such as the 3900X or 3900XT. These are actually 12c24t, whereas the 10900K is 10c20t. The Intel has a higher boost clock, but less cores. You can look up specific reviews of each CPU with the software you actually intend on using if you want a more specific comparison.

[BiffsPC]

2 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Realistically, no, either Intel or AMD will be just fine.

 

The i9-10900K equivalent would be anything from the Ryzen 9 series, such as the 3900X or 3900XT. These are actually 12c24t, whereas the 10900K is 10c20t. The Intel has a higher boost clock, but less cores. You can look up specific reviews of each CPU with the software you actually intend on using if you want a more specific comparison.

Ok perfect

[BiffsPC]

Any benefits from a Fully modular power supply?

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, BiffsPC said:

Any benefits from a Fully modular power supply?

Sure, mostly keeping the PC cleaner and not having to figure out how to cable manage all the unused cables. Most people just bundle them up and leave them at the bottom of the case, or try to stuff them into an unused corner or nook.

 

Having a modular one means you don't have to deal with that.

 

It also gives you options like using third party cables (different colours, etc). I don't care for that part so much, but I definitely prefer working with a modular PSU in terms of clean appearance and less clutter. Makes maintenance and repairs a bit less annoying too.

[BiffsPC]

Modular PSU it is then.  Thankyou