What is the most important component to upgrade in a PC for CAD work?

[johnbro23]

I'm trying to get my parents to buy a new computer and I'll mainly be using it for CAD, but a little for gaming also. I can't spend more than $1100 or so, so I'm going to have to decide what to upgrade and what not to. So with that in mind, what do you think I should upgrade?

Processor?

Memory?

Video Card?

I'm definitely upgrading the Memory becuase I know a lot of CAD programs I use in school are memory hogs. I'm not so sure about upgrading the video card or processor. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[barneygumble]

I'm trying to get my parents to buy a new computer and I'll mainly be using it for CAD, but a little for gaming also. I can't spend more than $1100 or so, so I'm going to have to decide what to upgrade and what not to. So with that in mind, what do you think I should upgrade?

Processor?

Memory?

Video Card?

I'm definitely upgrading the Memory becuase I know a lot of CAD programs I use in school are memory hogs. I'm not so sure about upgrading the video card or processor. Do you have any suggestions?

Ram, Ram, Ram

 

[oriol]

u want a PC for CAD, processor, why OS Xp over work the prosessor so if u don't have enoght capasity XP will take it all. try to get the best Video card u can affort. memory is the cheapest thing so u can upgrade that later.



my two cents.

 

[johnbro23]

So you guys are saying don't upgrade the processor. I think the Dell 8400 comes with a 3.0 P4 w/ HT, so that should be good enough. I'll upgrade the ram to 1 GB (for now) and possibly the video card up to 256MB from the base 128MB. What do you think about that system? That will come to about $1200 (with the 19" CRT that I wanted)

 

[jestershinra]

So you guys are saying don't upgrade the processor. I think the Dell 8400 comes with a 3.0 P4 w/ HT, so that should be good enough. I'll upgrade the ram to 1 GB (for now) and possibly the video card up to 256MB from the base 128MB. What do you think about that system? That will come to about $1200 (with the 19" CRT that I wanted)

Very nice. It should suit you just fine. I would recommend getting the gig of RAM in as few sticks as possible, to minimize the amount you have to throw away if you upgrade.

 

[Phatpat]

On a related note, does anyone know if typical CAD programs (Solidworks, pro/e, Inventor) will benefit from a dual core cpu? I thinking about an AMD 4200+.

 

[Bibulous]

and get the largest monitor you can afford, hate to draw on a 19" screen

 

[snkTab]

and get the largest monitor you can afford, hate to draw on a 19" screen

yeah I was about to say don't forget the monitor. it might be better to lose effiency in speed if you are able to better grasp the whole picture because you can actually see the whole picture.

 

[Flynnstone]

Don't forget the graphics card. Integrated graphics is .. junk.
You want good 2D performance for drawing.
So a "real" video card is needed.
I'm not sure about 3D performance, it probably depends on the CAD program.
The CAD programs I use benefit from fast 2D performance.

 

[johnbro23]

Don't forget the graphics card. Integrated graphics is .. junk.
You want good 2D performance for drawing.
So a "real" video card is needed.
I'm not sure about 3D performance, it probably depends on the CAD program.
The CAD programs I use benefit from fast 2D performance.

Do you think 128MB of VRAM will be enough? Or should I upgrade to 256MB for $180. That doesn't sound like its really worth it to me.

 

[minimax]

CAD needs a fast CPU and in case of rendering also a fast GPU foremost. RAM is less important unless you want to do some serious multitasking.

 

[johnbro23]

CAD needs a fast CPU and in case of rendering also a fast GPU foremost. RAM is less important unless you want to do some serious multitasking.

Hmm thats about the opposite of what everyone else said...

 

[Peterkro]

All the suggestions are great.See if you can get a 3d Labs video card(used is your best bet they're expensive).

 

[MrCommunistGen]

Do you think 128MB of VRAM will be enough? Or should I upgrade to 256MB for $180. That doesn't sound like its really worth it to me.

In most cases the ammount of VRAM the card has is less important than the kind of GPU you are using. For example a Radeon 9800 Pro with 128MB will outperform a radeon 9600 with 256MB (at least in 3d) because the graphics processor is so much faster... these days companies try and sell the public on: BIGGER NUMBERS ARE BETTER... but oftentimes they boost specs on the cards that don't offer any real performance boost, but give them a way to make more money off of you. On a slow card, boosting frame buffer memory gives only a minor boost to performance, because it isnt a lack of memory that's causing the slowdown.

Though CAD is not an area I am very familiar with, I'm pretty sure that N'vidia's Quatro line and ATi's FireGL line are specifically designed for CAD work and would be better suited than a consummer card.

Thats all I have to say for now... I'll add an addendum to this if I get time.

-mcg

 

[johnbro23]

In most cases the ammount of VRAM the card has is less important than the kind of GPU you are using. For example a Radeon 9800 Pro with 128MB will outperform a radeon 9600 with 256MB (at least in 3d) because the graphics processor is so much faster... these days companies try and sell the public on: BIGGER NUMBERS ARE BETTER... but oftentimes they boost specs on the cards that don't offer any real performance boost, but give them a way to make more money off of you. On a slow card, boosting frame buffer memory gives only a minor boost to performance, because it isnt a lack of memory that's causing the slowdown.

Though CAD is not an area I am very familiar with, I'm pretty sure that N'vidia's Quatro line and ATi's FireGL line are specifically designed for CAD work and would be better suited than a consummer card.

Thats all I have to say for now... I'll add an addendum to this if I get time.

-mcg

Well, here's the choices Dell is giving me for the Dimension 8400:


128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE

256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) nVidia GeForce 6800 [add $180 or $5/month1]

256MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X850 XT PE [add $540 or $16/month1]

Keep in mind I'm trying to keep this under $1200... preferably under $1100.

 

[minimax]

Hmm thats about the opposite of what everyone else said...

rendering asks a lot of your CPU's FPU in rendering calculations. Also the GPU will do a lot of graphical calculations but not to the extent you need to sustain a certain framerate as in games, so VRAM is a smaller factor for 3D-applications.
And 512 MB DRAM is enough for any program. Only if you want to run multiple applications (as in CAD / VIZ / PS etc) 1GB would be recommended. I'm sure there are plenty of people that believe you need 2GB of DRAM to run Photoshop properly, but overkill = money down the drain.

edit: this is what you need for 3D drawing / visualisation mostly. If you do drawing in 2D like AutoCAD / Vectorworks even a low-end system can easily keep up.

 

[johnbro23]

rendering asks a lot of your CPU's FPU in rendering calculations. Also the GPU will do a lot of graphical calculations but not to the extent you need to sustain a certain framerate as in games, so VRAM is a smaller factor for 3D-applications.
And 512 MB DRAM is enough for any program. Only if you want to run multiple applications (as in CAD / VIZ / PS etc) 1GB would be recommended. I'm sure there are plenty of people that believe you need 2GB of DRAM to run Photoshop properly, but overkill = money down the drain.

edit: this is what you need for 3D drawing / visualisation mostly. If you do drawing in 2D like AutoCAD / Vectorworks even a low-end system can easily keep up.

I plan on working a lot in Viz, so I'm going to go with 1GB of ram. I think thats the safe way to go, and leaves room for expansion down the road.

So here's my specs, tell me what you think...

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630 with HT Technology
MS XP Home
2x256MB RAM from Dell
512MB RAM from Crucial*
160GB HD
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 48x CD-RW Drive
19 inch M993 (18 inch viewable) Flat CRT
128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE

Total (plus ~$80 for Crucial RAM):
$1075 D)

*I looked up Crucial's ram and it says it needs to be installed in pairs? Does that mean I can't just get 1 stick of 512MB, I have to get 2?

 

[minimax]

Looks like a solid system, although personally I'd opt for an Athlon 64. Less power as in consumption and more power as in rendering.

 

[minimax]

btw why not use your present emac, or you NEED 3D Viz / AutoCAD?
Your mac will run vectorworks / artlantis without any problem!

 

[CanadaRAM]

I plan on working a lot in Viz, so I'm going to go with 1GB of ram. I think thats the safe way to go, and leaves room for expansion down the road.

So here's my specs, tell me what you think...

Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 630 with HT Technology
MS XP Home
2x256MB RAM from Dell
512MB RAM from Crucial*
160GB HD
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 48x CD-RW Drive
19 inch M993 (18 inch viewable) Flat CRT
128MB PCI Express™ x16 (DVI/VGA/TV-out) ATI Radeon™ X300 SE

Total (plus ~$80 for Crucial RAM):
$1075 D)

*I looked up Crucial's ram and it says it needs to be installed in pairs? Does that mean I can't just get 1 stick of 512MB, I have to get 2?

Yes, RAM has to be installed in pairs. You only have 4 sockets in the machine, consider going with a 1 Gb kit (2x512) for 1.5 Gb total -- US$138 for the pair here
http://www.datamem.com/parts_that_fit_list.asp_Q_M_E_Dimension+8400_A_MF_E_Dell_A_C_E_

You can install another internal hard drive to use to backup/clone your main drive -- you stand to lose a lot of billable time if one drive goes down.

Consider the 19" CRT a stop-gap until you can afford a 20" LCD or better. (20" LCD = 21" CRT for screen area)

 

[johnbro23]

btw why not use your present emac, or you NEED 3D Viz / AutoCAD?
Your mac will run vectorworks / artlantis without any problem!

Well the thing is is that I don't know Vectorworks. I've tried it out, and I'm just overwhelmed. It's like I need to take a class to learn it. I've tried building simple things... I can't even figure out where 3d orbit is. Every time I shift my view, the axis that I'm drawing on does weird things. I figured out layers, I built a 4 wall building and realized I wasn't getting anywhere and I wasn't going to get anywehre until someone taught it to me.

 

[minimax]

Why not buy a book about vektorworks then? For $1075 you can surely buy some good books on it
To be honoust, I've worked a lot with AutoCAD and only shortly (during my traineeship) with Vektorworks but I really prefer it over AutoCAD. It has so many smart functions that let you draw quick and effective it blew me away.

 

[ReanimationLP]

Go to Newegg.com, configure yourself an A64 rig and build it. You'll get a ton more "bang-for-the-buck" by doing that