Recommended spec for CAD?

[prosk]

Could you spec me a system geared towards running CAD software? These programs are mostly cpu intensive, right? Would I see a big difference between quad and dual core in processing times and opening files? What about the graphics card? Should I use a regular card (8800GT/3870) or one of those quadro/fireGL/matrox cards?

Please spec me a full system, up to £800, including everything (19' tft, peripherals etc). No need for extravagant gaming grade peripherals, just good quality and functionality.

Thanx for the help!

 

[ZXSpectrum]

Depends what package you are using.. You will struggle to get a decent CAD machine for £800 all in.. the bottom end Quadro FX or FireGL are £160 + on thier own...

Autocad is mainly 2D as is inventor. Solidworks, 3DS Max, Catia and Maya are all VERY GFX intensive as they use 3D modeling as well as CPU for rendering.

 

[crazyDAJT]

Could you spec me a system geared towards running CAD software? These programs are mostly cpu intensive, right?

Actually I think you will fined they are many RAM intensive, but it depends on what you are doing.

Use a professionally graphics card, this is important, if you don't,when you have large assembly's everything just freeze up as gaming ones cant hack it but they are about 3 times the price.

I have a NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500 in my workstation at work, that's about £500 of graphics card, but trust me you wont go back

as for duo core and quad core, it depends on the program, some utilise them some don't. i have a 2.6GHz ish duo core in my workstation and I see both cores maxed out much and i use solidworks which can use mutable cores.

a quick hard drive is usefull, but if your doing any proper work, never never store it on your local hard drive.

for £800 you are going to be pushed. I think my dell precision was about £1000 for the box and it absolutely rocks. (mod's please feel fee to delete but I don't relay think this can be classed at a competitor product).

I got two dell 22" off this website to go with it.

 

[crazyDAJT]

prosk, what you planing to run on it and why. is this a student thing or a professional thing.

I ask because as a student I did stumble though using Solidworks on a laptop, and i got buy with about 80% of stuff.

I tried this trick when i first started at work, small company and they needed to get a new computer and a solidworks copy, didn't get me very far as it was such a step up in terms of complexity, it took me about 10minuts to rebuild a model and about 20mins to save it.

 

[prosk]

It's for professional use. The system isn't for me so I'll have to ask my mate what CAD software he's running and get back to you guys.

All I know is that he's designing 3D stuff and the pc at work grinds to a halt when he opens a file.

If it was a pc for entertainment I could spec him out myself, but I know next to nothing about CAD.

Thanx for the help guys. I'm learning too

If the spec goes over £800 then so be it. I'm not gonna build my mate a pc that's not gonna do what he wants it to.

 

[crazyDAJT]

If its of a company, things are always slightly better as you don't have to worry about VAT, also remember this is investment, so most company wont bat an eyelid at a 1K PC.

the most important thing with 3D stuff is a pro graphics card as all the CAD systems are optimised for these and you really take a performance's hit if you don't have one.