Not for gaming but engineering used build help needed

[Akiraslayer]

Hi LTT community, 

I'm in a hot water with my assignment at university. I currently have a macbook 2014 and it basically not suitable for engineering CAD software. Can you help with a good budget system build for CAD purposes only. Thank you so much in advance.

[porina]

What budget, and what software?

[Akiraslayer]

CAD like solidworks and ANSYS workbench. The budget will be around $600. Is the budget reasonable.

[SteinerW]

What are you doing in CAD? Are you doing any kind of physics calculations with it like load stress simulations? I'm not really sure what those CAD programs are used for. I use AutoCAD, but not much else.

 

 

[Akiraslayer]

1 minute ago, 3DGamerOnSteam said:

What are you doing in CAD? Are you doing any kind of physics calculations with it like load stress simulations? I'm not really sure what those CAD programs are used for. I use AutoCAD, but not much else.

 

 

Yeah most of them uses physics calculations, load stress simulations and also FEA.

[paprikman]

5 minutes ago, Akiraslayer said:

Yeah most of them uses physics calculations, load stress simulations and also FEA.

I'm actually familiar with ansys software.

For a good use of ansys, you cannot go with laptop, just because it takes too much time to compute. Also, some computation errors can show up. Invest in cpu as much as you can, i7 or xeon is prefered. Also, you need 8-16gb ram for that thing.

[Akiraslayer]

1 minute ago, paprikman said:

I'm actually familiar with ansys software.

For a good use of ansys, you cannot go with laptop, just because it takes too much time to compute. Also, some computation errors can show up. Invest in cpu as much as you can, i7 or xeon is prefered. Also, you need 8-16gb ram for that thing.

So with the specs that you recommended, its safe to say that i would not get a system within my budget range which is around $600. Can you recommend me a minimum spec since I'm still a university student and money is not a luxury factor for me. 

[SteinerW]

Do you have a monitor already or do you need one of those too?

 

For just the tower, You might be able to build a computer with a e3-1230-v5 and a RX 460 for 600. it is an 8 thread CPU.

[paprikman]

1 minute ago, Akiraslayer said:

So with the specs that you recommended, its safe to say that i would not get a system within my budget range which is around $600. Can you recommend me a minimum spec since I'm still a university student and money is not a luxury factor for me. 

I suppose, that you don't have time to wait for next generation skylake cpu's, you can go with 6700k (or non-k, it's up to the budget). 16 gb ram minimum is prefered, also you'll need at least 1tb hdd (solidworks software itself is about 14gb) for data storage. This can be that 'minimum' and will let to you spend less time on computations.

[WestcoastPCBuilder]

Ansys and solidworks seem to utilize CPU over GPU so i'd suggest getting the strongest CPU you can afford and 16GB ram.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/cJRTYr

 

Or you could check the used market, maybe find a used i7-3770k / 4770k for $100 less.

[SteinerW]

4 minutes ago, WestcoastPCBuilder said:

Ansys and solidworks seem to utilize CPU over GPU so i'd suggest getting the strongest CPU you can afford and 16GB ram.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/cJRTYr

 

Or you could check the used market, maybe find a used i7-3770k / 4770k for $100 less.

I would drop the ssd,

drop the case, get a used one for like 5-10 bucks.

change out the 6700 with a e3-1230-v5 (about 40 dollars cheaper)

the add in a GPU.

 

 

This is all assuming he doesn't need to buy windows and a monitor though.

[Akiraslayer]

3 minutes ago, 3DGamerOnSteam said:

I would drop the ssd,

drop the case, get a used one for like 5-10 bucks.

change out the 6700 with a e3-1230-v5 (about 40 dollars cheaper)

the add in a GPU.

 

 

This is all assuming he doesn't need to buy windows and a monitor though.

So basically you are saying i would not need a GPU? 

[SteinerW]

1 minute ago, Akiraslayer said:

So basically you are saying i would not need a GPU? 

No, I'm adding one. His doesn't have a GPU, it just uses the I7's iGPU.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/MxkXkT

 

The GPU would help a lot depending on the complexity of what you're making, but should make everything more fluid regardless.

[Akiraslayer]

2 minutes ago, 3DGamerOnSteam said:

No, I'm adding one. His doesn't have a GPU, it just uses the I7's iGPU.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/MxkXkT

Ahh thank you soo much. I think this is okay for my CAD "minimum spec" station.

[AshleyC]

Probably get something that's actually going to be good for your use, I noticed extra ram for cad software makes a massively noticeable difference so 16gb is the sweet spot and get the most cores you can get since software use is all about running multiple processes simultaneously. And go with a decent Quadro or FirePro... If second hand is an option then that would help your budget a lot. I think for now a 1/2tb hdd would be more advisable for your budget then later on when you get extra cash you can always get a ssd.

[AshleyC]

You are not alone though man :'D my PC isn't running due to hdd failure and gpu and my dual core laptop is getting its ass kicked in Adobe and autocad software  all the best!

[Vlku272]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DxnL9W
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DxnL9W/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($54.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($157.30 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: PNY Quadro K1200 4GB Video Card  ($274.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Logisys CS6801BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case w/350W Power Supply  ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $878.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 09:28 EDT-0400

 

Decent number crunching system for physics and stuff like that, quadro isn't necessary but will help. 

[SLAYR]

 

5 hours ago, 3DGamerOnSteam said:

No, I'm adding one. His doesn't have a GPU, it just uses the I7's iGPU.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/MxkXkT

 

The GPU would help a lot depending on the complexity of what you're making, but should make everything more fluid regardless.

Make sure solidworks/ CAD can actually use the 460 usually it needs a quadro or firepro workstation card at least.

 

EDIT: the rx 460 is NOT certified to work with solidwords here is a list that do.

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html

[JCBiggs]

You do not need a gpu to run solidworks.  It will run fine on integrated graphic just without open gl.  Unless you need graphics acceleration,  invest every dime into your processor.  

[SteinerW]

12 hours ago, Vlku272 said:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DxnL9W
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DxnL9W/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($54.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($157.30 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Video Card: PNY Quadro K1200 4GB Video Card  ($274.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Logisys CS6801BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case w/350W Power Supply  ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $878.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-09 09:28 EDT-0400

 

Decent number crunching system for physics and stuff like that, quadro isn't necessary but will help. 

if you're trying to save money, the cpu cooler isn't needed, nor is the case. Also going with a last gen cpu is dumb when you can get the 6th gen for the same price. You also really dont need an SSD.

[SteinerW]

11 hours ago, SLAYR said:

 

Make sure solidworks/ CAD can actually use the 460 usually it needs a quadro or firepro workstation card at least.

 

EDIT: the rx 460 is NOT certified to work with solidwords here is a list that do.

http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/videocardtesting.html

Unless its using software rendering to render 3d objects that you're working on, any gpu will help.

 

It might not help with accelerating the physics calculations, but it will help with rendering 3d objects.