Suggestions for SolidWorks/Abaqus Workstation PC

[Snowman256]

Budget (including currency): $2000 USD

Country: USA

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Mostly SolidWorks (100+ part models), Abaqus/Standard, and CVX/MOSEK scripts for design optimization (projected to be about 1-2 days runtime)

Other details:  

 

I'm doing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, and I've saved up some money to upgrade to a more powerful PC as my models/simulations get more complex. I'm upgrading from a laptop with an Intel i7-8750H, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Max-Q 8GB, and 16 GB RAM. This has worked OK until now, but it lags when I try to work with SolidWorks models with >20 parts and I'm worried about continuing to push the CPU to 90+% usage for hours or days at a time for my FEA simulations/optimization scripts, so I want a desktop. I already have a monitor (4K, 27", 60 Hz)/keyboard/mouse in my lab.

 

I'd appreciate any advice/suggestions when planning a workstation PC like this! I had a few questions in particular as well:

• From my understanding, SolidWorks benefits from more RAM and a workstation GPU, Abaqus benefits (marginally?) from a workstation GPU, and CVX/MOSEK benefit from lots of cores/threads. Hence why I went with an Intel 13700K (16 cores, 24 threads) over an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D (8 cores, 16 threads) and an Nvidia Quadro over gaming GPUs, but does this make sense from a price-to-performance standpoint?
• Any tips on how much RAM might be sufficient? I've only ever had 2, 8, or 16GB, so 64GB already seems like a luxury - should I consider 128 GB if I can afford it, or should I put that money towards something else?
• Any tips on how much GPU VRAM might be sufficient? I can only find the 8 GB Quadro RTX 4000 or 8 GB AMD Radeon Pro W6600 on eBay right now - are there any alternatives or any 16 GB cards I should look out for?
• Any tips between an Nvidia Quadro RTX 4000 and an Nvidia Quadro P6000? They're about the same price on eBay, and UserBenchmark reports they trade blows. I'm worried about driver support for a 7-year old GPU, though - should I be worried about that at all?

I'm thinking of buying parts during Memorial Day next month, which might open up more options in my budget as well:

PC Part Picker list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4Pz9Vw

• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K ($415)
• GPU: PNY Quadro RTX 4000 ($480 for a used 8GB card on eBay)
• Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z790M-Plus D4 LGA 1700 ($190, Amazon bundles this with their CPUs)
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB DDR5-5600 CL40 ($225)
• Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 ($80)
• Power Supply: Corsair RM850x (2021) 850 W ($150)
• CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black ($35)
• Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower ($70)
• Total: $1645

I appreciate any advice! Thank you!

 

Edited April 23, 2023 by Snowman256
Added a question about the Quadro P6000 vs. RTX 4000

[brob]

1 hour ago, Snowman256 said:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K ($415)
• GPU: PNY Quadro RTX 4000 ($480 for a used 8GB card on eBay)
• Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z790M-Plus D4 LGA 1700 ($190, Amazon bundles this with their CPUs)
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance 64 GB DDR5-5600 CL40 ($225)
• Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 ($80)
• Power Supply: Corsair RM850x (2021) 850 W ($150)
• CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black ($35)
• Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh ATX Mid Tower ($70)
• Total: $1645

 

The cpu cooler is inadequate.

 

The case does not have a front panel USB-C port.

 

Going off of the pcpartpicker build that was linked, I have some suggestions. 

 

The i7-13700 has lower power requirements without sacrificing much performance.

 

The AK620 has excellent performance and is reasonably priced.

 

Faster memory improves performance of memory intensive apps.

 

The Samsung 990 Pro is the successor of the 980 Pro. It offers better and cooler performance.

 

The RTX A4000 is the successor of the RTX 4000. A nice performance bump and slightly less expensive (at retail).

 

A more realistic capacity PSU.

 

A better case. One with two fans and a front panel USB-C port.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor  ($349.99 @ Best Buy) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler  ($64.98 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL32 Memory  ($249.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ B&H) 
Video Card: PNY RTX A-Series RTX A4000 16 GB Video Card  ($918.00 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($103.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: ADATA XPG CORE Reactor 650 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2096.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-04-23 00:50 EDT-0400

[Snowman256]

@brob Thanks for the tips, I appreciate the advice! I didn't realize how comparable the i7-13700 was to the i7-13700K for $65 less, that definitely frees up more budget for an RTX A4000, faster memory, and better cooling! The used market isn't as great for RTX A4000 compared to the RTX 4000 at the moment in my area (~$830 vs. $480 at first glance), but I'll definitely keep an eye out over the next month or two to see good deals pop up.