Build For CAD Pro For Under $1,000 USD

[Serpius]

A friend of mine who is a CAD (computer-aided design) professional had asked me to build a new computer system for her.

 

She is willing to spend a maximum of $1,000 US dollars on this new computer build.

She will be getting her own monitor and other computer accessories. All she wants is a solid computer tower for her CAD related work.

She is NOT a gamer nor is she into any extensive multimedia editing.

 

Here is my recommended computer build that I have sent to her.

I am not very familiar with CAD, however, I reviewed the minimum requirements for this AutoCAD that she uses.

My recommended computer build below meets or exceeds all of the AutoCAD requirements.

Respectfully, give me your constructive opinion on my recommended computer build.

Make your own suggested computer builds if you wish.

 

(DO NOT go into a flame war with me... you have been warned. Please show respect to others that read this forum.)

 

UPDATED FROM ORIGINAL POST - Making a few adjustments after a few user's recommendations.

Forgot to mention in the original post that this user will have a number of USB devices plugged into the computer, therefore, to play it safe, I am selecting PSUs that have greater than 500 watts to accommodate the extra power consumption.

 

YES, I know the total cost of the computer build does go over the stated budget amount. I think I might be able to convince her to go over the maximum limit, but still be in reasonable range.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME Z270-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($107.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($151.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Transcend - SSD370 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($88.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card  ($269.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Zalman - Z3 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $1036.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-07 21:53 EDT-0400

[LienusLateTips]

Woah

 

I appeared

 

and the 580 has gone up in price:

 

Also if CAD likes NVIDIA and AMD equally 1060s are only like $240

[Serpius]

2 minutes ago, JDE said:

Woah

 

I appeared

 

and the 580 has gone up in price:

 

Also if CAD likes NVIDIA and AMD equally 1060s are only like $240

Where is the constructive opinion on the computer build?

 

I do not see it.

 

I have no control over price changes. This is not what this thread is about.

[LienusLateTips]

Just now, Buzzsaw said:

Where is the constructive opinion on the computer build?

 

I do not see it.

 

I have no control over price changes. This is not what this thread is about.

I'm just informing you. That's it. It was not designed to be constructive - it was to inform you of the price change.

[DocSwag]

You may want to consider an upcoming coffee Lake i5 instead. A lot of cad programs (auto cad included) have a lot of single threaded portions.

 

Also I would get a 1060 6gb instead for CUDA and because they're cheaper.

 

Also get a different psu, even though it's platinum it's still worse than others like the focus Plus, g2/G3, etc.

[Serpius]

1 minute ago, DocSwag said:

Also get a different psu, even though it's platinum it's still worse than others like the focus Plus, g2/G3, etc.

1

Regarding the power supply unit. The Rosewill Quark line is in the Tier 2 category in the latest PSU ratings. Power Supply Unit Tier List

 

Unless that list has been updated recently, that is what I went by in selecting the PSU. I don't care about the efficiency rating. I am more concerned about quality.

[DocSwag]

2 minutes ago, Buzzsaw said:

Regarding the power supply unit. The Rosewill Quark line is in the Tier 2 category in the latest PSU ratings. Power Supply Unit Tier List

 

Unless that list has been updated recently, that is what I went by in selecting the PSU. I don't care about the efficiency rating. I am more concerned about quality.

You can get tier 1 for a similar price.

[m0k]

i purchased laptops and desktops for my dads autocad work and i must say

1. autocad loves high clocked single thread performances for various tasks - and is generally very optimized for intel based systems

2. you do NOT need a 8GB video card

3. consider this https://pcpartpicker.com/list/29skYr

 

i would suggest excluding the high end video card completely and opting for a non-K core i7

and getting a used Quadro card instead 

[DocSwag]

@Buzzsaw

You can get a 550w focus plus gold, 550w whisper m, or 650w g2 for about the same price. They're all better PSUs (except for efficiency oc)

[LienusLateTips]

12 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

@Buzzsaw

You can get a 550w focus plus gold, 550w whisper m, or 650w g2 for about the same price. They're all better PSUs (except for efficiency oc)

Or RMx

[Serpius]

1 hour ago, mok said:

i purchased laptops and desktops for my dads autocad work and i must say

1. autocad loves high clocked single thread performances for various tasks - and is generally very optimized for intel based systems

2. you do NOT need a 8GB video card

3. consider this https://pcpartpicker.com/list/29skYr

 

i would suggest excluding the high end video card completely and opting for a non-K core i7

and getting a used Quadro card instead 

Re-read my revised original post with the updated computer build.

[Serpius]

1 hour ago, DocSwag said:

You may want to consider an upcoming coffee Lake i5 instead. A lot of cad programs (auto cad included) have a lot of single threaded portions.

 

Also I would get a 1060 6gb instead for CUDA and because they're cheaper.

 

Also get a different psu, even though it's platinum it's still worse than others like the focus Plus, g2/G3, etc.

Re-read my revised original post with the updated computer build.

[mnm0710]

I agree with the quadro comment. We've had terrible experiences testing gtx cards with solidworks, autocad, creo, etc.

 

theres a reason why autocad lists quadro cards as certified.  

 

I do understand budget is an issue but I would go for a low end quadro if possible even previous gen. That $200 difference between a 1060 and something like a M2000 will make a world of difference.

 

sorry I don't have answer to fit budget but just wanted to bring my thoughts from the CAD/Computing world

[Kenny477]

3 hours ago, DocSwag said:

You may want to consider an upcoming coffee Lake i5 instead. A lot of cad programs (auto cad included) have a lot of single threaded portions.

 

Also I would get a 1060 6gb instead for CUDA and because they're cheaper.

 

Also get a different psu, even though it's platinum it's still worse than others like the focus Plus, g2/G3, etc.

Yeah, I orginally wanted to suggest a Ryzen, but in all it's might glory, its single threaded performance is lower than an Intel i5 7th gen or i7 7th gen.

[m0k]

2 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

Re-read my revised original post with the updated computer build.

awesome 

some small changes that will help you save money and have more reliable parts

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Pd7X8K

1. dont need a z270 motherboard since you wont be overlocking

2. i got you a better brand SSD for $1 more

3. you dont need a GPU with this much Vram - so i opted for the 3GB version

 

you can also save some money and get 2400mhz ram, it wont make any real world difference to performance

 

[mnm0710]

3 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

Re-read my revised original post with the updated computer build.

I utilized the list from  @mok and modified it with a P1000. I'm still going to recommend quadro for this application especially since she won't be gaming. And mok's part list puts it closer to the budget.  Even going with a P600 is better.

 

and VRAM will be important if she is doing large assemblies in autocad and has to render as well. But obviously that depends on what kind of models she needs to build or work on.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rsGqtJ

Edited September 8, 2017 by mnm0710

[Serpius]

4 hours ago, mnm0710 said:

I utilized the list from  @mok and modified it with a P1000. I'm still going to recommend quadro for this application especially since she won't be gaming. And mok's part list puts it closer to the budget.  Even going with a P600 is better.

 

and VRAM will be important if she is doing large assemblies in autocad and has to render as well. But obviously that depends on what kind of models she needs to build or work on.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rsGqtJ

I will probably go with your suggested computer build.

 

She was asking me about one of her co-workers who is something like a 40% gamer / 60% CAD. What would be the best graphics card for that kind of setup?

I may end up building a new computer for that co-worker.

[DocSwag]

10 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

Re-read my revised original post with the updated computer build.

Throw out the z270 board for a b250 and it looks ok. Do note though that you should definitely consider waiting for Coffee Lake if that's an option as it should be launching beginning of October.

2 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

I will probably go with your suggested computer build.

 

She was asking me about one of her co-workers who is something like a 40% gamer / 60% CAD. What would be the best graphics card for that kind of setup?

I may end up building a new computer for that co-worker.

I would probably say a GeForce card since a low end quadro would absolutely tank in gaming.

[mnm0710]

3 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

I will probably go with your suggested computer build.

 

She was asking me about one of her co-workers who is something like a 40% gamer / 60% CAD. What would be the best graphics card for that kind of setup?

I may end up building a new computer for that co-worker.

 

1 hour ago, DocSwag said:

Throw out the z270 board for a b250 and it looks ok. Do note though that you should definitely consider waiting for Coffee Lake if that's an option as it should be launching beginning of October.

I would probably say a GeForce card since a low end quadro would absolutely tank in gaming.

 

I agree with DocSwag.  Any type of gaming would require a GeForce card.  It's a tricky thing mixing work and play here funny enough.  The best "balance" I think would be a high end quadro but obviously that becomes really expensive really fast.  If there's a decent gaming life involved and not a ridiculous budget, then get something to what you had specced out earlier - GTX 1060 and the like.  In that case I would try to stay in the 3GB/4GB VRAM because that will help with CAD.

[Serpius]

51 minutes ago, mnm0710 said:

 

 

I agree with DocSwag.  Any type of gaming would require a GeForce card.  It's a tricky thing mixing work and play here funny enough.  The best "balance" I think would be a high end quadro but obviously that becomes really expensive really fast.  If there's a decent gaming life involved and not a ridiculous budget, then get something to what you had specced out earlier - GTX 1060 and the like.  In that case I would try to stay in the 3GB/4GB VRAM because that will help with CAD.

Just got this info from this lady. She told me that she has setup an account with Newegg and wants to order everything through Newegg.

 

I had warned her that it the total cost will go over her budget a little bit. She was OK with it.

 

So, after getting all of the feedback from everyone in this thread. 

Here's the computer build that I will be doing for this lady.

 

F.Y.I. For this Gamer/Cad guy... I will do the identical build except I will use the GTX 1060 instead of the Quadro card.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($80.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($92.98 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: PNY - Quadro P1000 4GB Video Card  ($330.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Zalman - Z3 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($87.89 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1080.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-08 11:29 EDT-0400

[mnm0710]

1 hour ago, Buzzsaw said:

Just got this info from this lady. She told me that she has setup an account with Newegg and wants to order everything through Newegg.

 

I had warned her that it the total cost will go over her budget a little bit. She was OK with it.

 

So, after getting all of the feedback from everyone in this thread. 

Here's the computer build that I will be doing for this lady.

 

F.Y.I. For this Gamer/Cad guy... I will do the identical build except I will use the GTX 1060 instead of the Quadro card.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($80.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($139.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($92.98 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: PNY - Quadro P1000 4GB Video Card  ($330.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Zalman - Z3 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($87.89 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1080.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-08 11:29 EDT-0400

Sounds like a plan.  Did you need to get a CPU cooler or does the i7 7700 come with a stock cooler?

[TraskJ]

16 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

A friend of mine who is a CAD (computer-aided design) professional had asked me to build a new computer system for her.

 

She is willing to spend a maximum of $1,000 US dollars on this new computer build.

She will be getting her own monitor and other computer accessories. All she wants is a solid computer tower for her CAD related work.

She is NOT a gamer nor is she into any extensive multimedia editing.

 

Here is my recommended computer build that I have sent to her.

I am not very familiar with CAD, however, I reviewed the minimum requirements for this AutoCAD that she uses.

My recommended computer build below meets or exceeds all of the AutoCAD requirements.

Respectfully, give me your constructive opinion on my recommended computer build.

Make your own suggested computer builds if you wish.

 

(DO NOT go into a flame war with me... you have been warned. Please show respect to others that read this forum.)

 

UPDATED FROM ORIGINAL POST - Making a few adjustments after a few user's recommendations.

Forgot to mention in the original post that this user will have a number of USB devices plugged into the computer, therefore, to play it safe, I am selecting PSUs that have greater than 500 watts to accommodate the extra power consumption.

 

YES, I know the total cost of the computer build does go over the stated budget amount. I think I might be able to convince her to go over the maximum limit, but still be in reasonable range.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($289.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME Z270-P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($107.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($151.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Transcend - SSD370 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($88.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card  ($269.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Zalman - Z3 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $1036.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-07 21:53 EDT-0400

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't CAD work benefit from more cores? Would a Ryzen solution maybe work better here? In that price range, you could get a Ryzen 5 1600X for around the same price, and I've been told that the Ryzen processors make better use of more RAM. You'd also have 6 cores 12 threads instead of 4 cores 8 threads. Hope this helps! 

[Serpius]

3 hours ago, mnm0710 said:

Sounds like a plan.  Did you need to get a CPU cooler or does the i7 7700 come with a stock cooler?

According to the item listing on Newegg, the CPU comes with the stock CPU cooler. 

 

I have read a few reviews of the stock CPU cooler being a bit loud.

If that is the case, I will order a Noctua CPU cooler. 

 

I will order everything probably tomorrow once I get the OK from the lady.

[mnm0710]

3 hours ago, TraskJ said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't CAD work benefit from more cores? Would a Ryzen solution maybe work better here? In that price range, you could get a Ryzen 5 1600X for around the same price, and I've been told that the Ryzen processors make better use of more RAM. You'd also have 6 cores 12 threads instead of 4 cores 8 threads. Hope this helps! 

Not really. CAD likes high frequency single cores.  If you go on Autodesk's website for example it shows that multiple threads are only used in specific instances such as ray rendering.  The core CAD executables don't take advantage of multiple cores.

 

32 minutes ago, Buzzsaw said:

According to the item listing on Newegg, the CPU comes with the stock CPU cooler. 

 

I have read a few reviews of the stock CPU cooler being a bit loud.

If that is the case, I will order a Noctua CPU cooler. 

 

I will order everything probably tomorrow once I get the OK from the lady.

Nice! Good luck!

[TraskJ]

20 minutes ago, mnm0710 said:

Not really. CAD likes high frequency single cores.  If you go on Autodesk's website for example it shows that multiple threads are only used in specific instances such as ray rendering.  The core CAD executables don't take advantage of multiple cores.

 

Nice! Good luck!

I didn't know that, thanks for educating me!