Low Budget CAD Machine

[Real_PhillBert]

So I talked with my father over Easter and he agreed to have me build a new PC for him to do light CAD models for woodworking on. Most of the stuff he models is chairs, tables, desks, etc. basic furniture so he can make drawings and plans before he builds anything.

 

Anyway, he will need an OS, but no monitor or periferals as they already have those on their dying pc.

 

Budget is $1000 US

 

Here is what I came up with as of now.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($243.48 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler:  Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.24 @ Amazon) 

Memory:  G.Skill Value 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($67.99 @ Micro Center) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($56.98 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($149.90 @ Amazon) 

Case:  Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($94.99 @ Best Buy) 

Wireless Network Adapter:  Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($27.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $995.53

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-21 12:31 EDT-0400)

 

Is there any suggestions for improvement or changes I should make before I bring this list to my father?

 

Thanks

[aidenrelkoff]

wat is this for? a CNC machine? office machine? server? NAS? rendering? gaming? Animation? photoshop? thats a very weird build. A xeon with a 750 ti??? other then that im glad to see windows 8

[MrBucket101]

If you're going to be using CAD apps and the like, you'll probably benefit from 16GB of ram

 

also, you could get ECC memory.

 

don't really see room in the budget for a quadro though.

[Real_PhillBert]

wat is this for? a CNC machine? office machine? server? NAS? rendering? gaming? Animation? photoshop? thats a very weird build. A xeon with a 750 ti??? other then that im glad to see windows 8

 

You didnt read the OP did you? I am lazy and do not wish to retype the use but i promise you it is in the OP.

 

As for the 750ti, this Xeon does not support onboard graphics so an independent GPU is reqired, the 750Ti was my choice because its inexpensive, needs no additional power, and has enough oomph to get his basic modeling done.

[Real_PhillBert]

If you're going to be using CAD apps and the like, you'll probably benefit from 16GB of ram

 

also, you could get ECC memory.

 

don't really see room in the budget for a quadro though.

 

ECC memory for modeling furniture? I think that is a bit much. With his basic modeling use now he does not exceed 3gb of usage in his current system, so I think 8gb will suit him well enough.

 

I would be more comfortable with a quadro but there is no way to make that fit and keep things reasonably balanced. 

[aidenrelkoff]

You didnt read the OP did you? I am lazy and do not wish to retype the use but i promise you it is in the OP.

 

As for the 750ti, this Xeon does not support onboard graphics so an independent GPU is reqired, the 750Ti was my choice because its inexpensive, needs no additional power, and has enough oomph to get his basic modeling done.

Modeling done on a CNC machine or in animation.

btw i saw the modeling thing i just dident understand

also for the same price as that xeon a i7 would be better

[MrBucket101]

ECC memory for modeling furniture? I think that is a bit much. With his basic modeling use now he does not exceed 3gb of usage in his current system, so I think 8gb will suit him well enough.

 

I would be more comfortable with a quadro but there is no way to make that fit and keep things reasonably balanced. 

not to be douche-like but you asked for help and suggestions...then threw out most of the ideas presented.

 

Sounds like you have already picked out exactly what you need, just pull the trigger

[Real_PhillBert]

not to be douche-like but you asked for help and suggestions...then threw out most of the ideas presented.

 

Sounds like you have already picked out exactly what you need, just pull the trigger

 

I do not mean to simply throw out others ideas. In some cases, you are correct I simply do not like the options presented, in other cases (like your 16gb memory suggestion) are good suggestions they just fall outside of the needs of the user. I probably should have better explained in the op that I have looked at the ram usage. I use more than 8gb all the time with my modeling and analysis at work, so for users like myself its a good call, just unnecessary for him.

 

As for the ECC memory, it would probably be helpful, but for a pretty casual user I still think its too much. If you feel otherwise that's cool, I am interested in hearing your reasoning.

 

I am still very interested in ideas or suggestions as I have experienced in the past the good that a different set of eyes on a situation can do.

 

I thank you for your input, and apologize if I am coming off as a douche.

[MrBucket101]

I do not mean to simply throw out others ideas. In some cases, you are correct I simply do not like the options presented, in other cases (like your 16gb memory suggestion) are good suggestions they just fall outside of the needs of the user. I probably should have better explained in the op that I have looked at the ram usage. I use more than 8gb all the time with my modeling and analysis at work, so for users like myself its a good call, just unnecessary for him.

 

As for the ECC memory, it would probably be helpful, but for a pretty casual user I still think its too much. If you feel otherwise that's cool, I am interested in hearing your reasoning.

 

I am still very interested in ideas or suggestions as I have experienced in the past the good that a different set of eyes on a situation can do.

 

I thank you for your input, and apologize if I am coming off as a douche.

in all honesty, I threw the ECC memory out there just cause it was an option w/ the Xeon. I couldn't really find any other parts that you "needed"

 

hard to poke holes in the build so far, seems well thought out

[atrash]

You don't need a Xeon for light CAD work. An Intel Core i5-4430 with its iGPU will work just fine tbh. I've worked on with an i5-2500k and its igpu no problem before. And this will also save you from getting a dedicated graphics card and that overkill 550w power supply. I recommend the cheaper Seasonic SSR-360GP which can easily power up the whole system plus several hdds. I have no comment on the case as it's a personal preference.

 

Spend the extra money and get him an awesome keyboard and mouse so he can enjoy more while doing his cad work. Good keyboard and mouse is always a good thing to have when doing cad work.

[Real_PhillBert]

You don't need a Xeon for light CAD work. An Intel Core i5-4430 with its iGPU will work just fine tbh. I've worked on with an i5-2500k and its igpu no problem before. And this will also save you from getting a dedicated graphics card and that overkill 550w power supply. I recommend the cheaper Seasonic SSR-360GP which can easily power up the whole system plus several hdds. I have no comment on the case as it's a personal preference.

 

Spend the extra money and get him an awesome keyboard and mouse so he can enjoy more while doing his cad work. Good keyboard and mouse is always a good thing to have when doing cad work.

CPU: You are probably right, the Xeon is more than needed. I do my home CAD work on an old AMD Phenom II x4 820, so a xeon is more than enough. I could step down to a consumer CPU like the 4430 like you mentioned, and I am sure it would work fine. But in the recent years many CAD programs have gotten considerably more demanding to run. He is an electrical engineer by trade so he does not use CAD at work but can get access to professional level software for personal use on the weekend. This is why I have almost %25 of the budget allocated to CPU. If he starts using Creo 2.0 at home the demands on this PC will go up considerably. I want to be prepared for that.

GPU: I have done CAD work for quite a while on integrated graphics and it was certainly less than ideal. I would like to avoid this experience for him if at all possible. That is why I chose to include the 750ti. Its cheap and will work well. Its not a quadro, but that would certainly tear the budget up pretty good.

PSU: I should probably have looked harder for a more fitting PSU. I chose the CSM 550 not because the system needs that much power but because I wanted 80+ Gold to limit the amount of heat the PSU radiates into the case, and a semi modular PSU. The corsair fits the bill on that. As far as I see on PCPartsPicker that is one of the cheapest ways to fill my desires. If there is a better way to fill these goals I am very much open to it.

Case: I know I am spending too much on this case, but I am struggling a bit to find a case that is easy to build in, mATX, and has front USB 3 ports. I am not a case expert by any means, I know this one comes highly recommended so I went with it. 

Peripherals: I like the idea of convincing him to use a decent keyboard and mouse. I might try to get him to pick those up while he is at it in addition to the PC itself. 

 

thanks for the advice.

[atrash]

Real_PhillBert, on 22 Apr 2014 - 03:51 AM, said:

CPU: You are probably right, the Xeon is more than needed. I do my home CAD work on an old AMD Phenom II x4 820, so a xeon is more than enough. I could step down to a consumer CPU like the 4430 like you mentioned, and I am sure it would work fine. But in the recent years many CAD programs have gotten considerably more demanding to run. He is an electrical engineer by trade so he does not use CAD at work but can get access to professional level software for personal use on the weekend. This is why I have almost %25 of the budget allocated to CPU. If he starts using Creo 2.0 at home the demands on this PC will go up considerably. I want to be prepared for that.

GPU: I have done CAD work for quite a while on integrated graphics and it was certainly less than ideal. I would like to avoid this experience for him if at all possible. That is why I chose to include the 750ti. Its cheap and will work well. Its not a quadro, but that would certainly tear the budget up pretty good.

PSU: I should probably have looked harder for a more fitting PSU. I chose the CSM 550 not because the system needs that much power but because I wanted 80+ Gold to limit the amount of heat the PSU radiates into the case, and a semi modular PSU. The corsair fits the bill on that. As far as I see on PCPartsPicker that is one of the cheapest ways to fill my desires. If there is a better way to fill these goals I am very much open to it.

Case: I know I am spending too much on this case, but I am struggling a bit to find a case that is easy to build in, mATX, and has front USB 3 ports. I am not a case expert by any means, I know this one comes highly recommended so I went with it. 

Peripherals: I like the idea of convincing him to use a decent keyboard and mouse. I might try to get him to pick those up while he is at it in addition to the PC itself. 

 

thanks for the advice.

 

Well,I took into consideration that you only mentioned it will be use for 'light' CAD model. I've only worked with CAD/3D model for architectural projects and in my experience, even a dual core will work just fine but dedicated gpu is definitely needed if I want to render large 3D model. But if that's your case, then the Xeon and 750ti is a good choice.

 

As for the psu, I don't think any psu will produce/radiate that much heat for it to be any problem at all. That's what the psu fans are for,to blow heat out from the case. I would suggest the Rosewill Capstone Capstone 450w as it has better internals and longer warranty (7 vs 5) while still being able to hit that efficiency sweet spot.

 

For case, I think the Cooler master N200 is a great budget case. You can check the overview video of it on Teksyndicate YT channel

[Real_PhillBert]

Well,I took into consideration that you only mentioned it will be use for 'light' CAD model. I've only worked with CAD/3D model for architectural projects and in my experience, even a dual core will work just fine but dedicated gpu is definitely needed if I want to render large 3D model. But if that's your case, then the Xeon and 750ti is a good choice.

 

As for the psu, I don't think any psu will produce/radiate that much heat for it to be any problem at all. That's what the psu fans are for,to blow heat out from the case. I would suggest the Rosewill Capstone Capstone 450w as it has better internals and longer warranty (7 vs 5) while still being able to hit that efficiency sweet spot.

 

For case, I think the Cooler master N200 is a great budget case. You can check the overview video of it on Teksyndicate YT channel

 

The more I think about it the more I think you are right on the PSU, I am way over the top for the build. I looked at the Rosewill you suggested and PCP had it at the same price for the modular version. But I decided that there is money to be saved with a lower end PSU. So I went with a simply CX430. Saved $35 there.

 

The case is a good idea, this build doesnt call for a really nice case so I took your advice and adapted the cooler master N200.

 

Current build:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($243.48 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler:  Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.24 @ Amazon) 

Memory:  G.Skill Value 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($67.99 @ Micro Center) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($56.98 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($149.90 @ Amazon) 

Case:  Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($45.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($33.98 @ Newegg) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)  ($94.99 @ Best Buy) 

Wireless Network Adapter:  Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($27.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $915.52

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-21 17:19 EDT-0400)

[atrash]

Real_PhillBert, on 22 Apr 2014 - 05:22 AM, said:

-snip-

 

 

 I dunno if that psu is worth downgrading for or not. 430w rated @ 30c with only 384w on the 12v. Should ask other people for second opinion on it. Maybe @quan289 can help

 

Another part you can save on is the cpu cooler. The Hyper 212 EVO is $15 cheaper than the NH-U9B. But I'm a fan of noctua so i'll choose noctua anytime. 

[Real_PhillBert]

 I dunno if that psu is worth downgrading for or not. 430w rated @ 30c with only 384w on the 12v. Should ask other people for second opinion on it. Maybe @quan289 can help

 

Another part you can save on is the cpu cooler. The Hyper 212 EVO is $15 cheaper than the NH-U9B. But I'm a fan of noctua so i'll choose noctua anytime. 

 

I feel the same about the Noctua, I know its $15 more but I feel like its a better cooler lol.

 

Thanks again