# $1000 CAD build advice



## david2 (Jan 25, 2013)

I'm planning on building a new system, it will be used for CAD(SolidWorks, Zemax, etc), maybe PhotoShop/Illustrator, watching HD movies, and other general computing tasks. It will not be used for gaming. I do not plan on overclocking. The main objectives are to run the programs I listed, be compatible with new programs as long as possible, use high quality upgradable parts and keep the cost reasonable(<$1000).

I was wondering what people thought of the components I've come up with and if there are any incompatibilities or suggestions people have.

I also need advice on a cheap (~$20) DVD player/writer and was wondering if I should wait on the Quadro 600 for the new Kepler chip?

Lian Li PC-7H case $120
Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboard $115
Intel i5-3470 $190
PNY VCQ600-PB Quadro 600 $150
Corsair 1x8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM $48
Crucial M4 256GB SSD $170
Seasonic G-550 power supply $86

Thanks,
David


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## de.das.dude (Jan 25, 2013)

get an FX 8350 with the Gigabyte GA 970A UD3

the CPU will be better for 3d rendering, for only 9$ more. also, i feel AMD platforms a bit more "snippy" in CAD.


CPU: FX 8350 $199.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A UD3 $114.99

memory CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB)  $48.99
SSD Crucial M4 256GB SSD $170
AMD 100-505649 FirePro V4900 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 Workstation Video Card X2 $320 (crossfire)
SeaSonic S12II 430B 430W ATX12V V2.3/EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $59.99
NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $39.99


with the money left over you can buy 90CFM fans from CoolerMaster for the nzxt case.


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## david2 (Jan 25, 2013)

Thanks for the advise de.das.dude! I have a few comments and questions about the components;

CPU: FX 8350 ($200) vs Intel i5-3470 ($190)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A UD3 ($115) vs Asus P8Z77-V LX  ($115)
Video: AMD FirePro v4900 ($160) vs Nvidia Quadro 600 $150

Having a hard time comparing these. One hand the Intel/Nvidia stuff seems to have a larger user base, maybe better driver support, and "more advanced" architecture. On the other hand AMD seems to have "better" specs. I'm sure this is an on going debate, any other opinions on these two options for CAD applications?
Also could you use the i5-3470 with the v4900 and still use crossfire? Would I need the Asus P8Z77-V LK?

Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) ($48.99) vs *Corsair 1x8GB (PC3 12800) DDR3 1600MHz RAM ($44)*
Sorry I should have been more specific, the memory I am looking at is;
"Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CML8GX3M1A1600C10)"
it actually sells for $44 on amazon. It is faster, cheaper and only takes up one slot compared to the XMS3. Let me know if I am missing something.

SSD: *Crucial M4 256GB SSD $170*

PSU: *SeaSonic S12II ($59)* vs Seasonic G-550 ($86)
You just saved me $27, thanks! I'm sure 430W will be plenty.

Case: NZXT Source 210 ($40) vs Lian Li PC-7H ($120)
I'm sure the Lian Li case is not worth the extra $80 but I'm not sure if I can resist. I figure I could reuse this case once the other components are obsolete but maybe by then there will be different standards in cases and how things mount?


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## drdeathx (Jan 25, 2013)

David, if you live in US and have a microcenter by you, get the i7 3570K or 3770K. They have in store specials on them... The 3770K would be the call for your system if you can fit it in a $1000 budget.


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## v12dock (Jan 25, 2013)

I run inventor fine on my computer if that helps any. I have also ran 3D Max, Pro/E(Creo), Maya and all raytrace plugins can render quite fast.


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## david2 (Jan 25, 2013)

drdeathx: Thanks for the tip! $230 for a i7 3770K seems like a great deal! Unfortunately I do not live close to a Miro Center and it doesn't look like they offer mail order.

v12dock: Yes I'm sure I could get away with a standard video card, I might not even use a video card at first and see how that works. If/when I do buy a video card though I want one that is supported for the major CAD programs (ie SolidWorks, AutoCAD) so I get the specialized drivers and don't have to wonder if problems I'm having come from a video card incompatibility. 

I guess another requirement I failed to mention was the ability to run dual monitors, though I think that's pretty standard.


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## [Ion] (Jan 25, 2013)

I have two computers built in the NZXT Source 210 cases and I'm very happy with the case.  For $40, it is really an unbeatable bargain.  It doesn't have an unnecessary flashy plastic design, it's simply a box.  Cable management is great; with a non-modular PSU it takes some work (storing cables beside the hard drive cage) but with a modular power supply it's really easy.  There are so many fan mounts (although I do suggest buying some more--the one it comes with isn't really enough).

As far as Intel vs AMD goes, I think that this is pretty much the best use for one of the AMD FX-8 CPUs.  You get twice as many cores for just a little bit more.  I am suspicious of the two FirePro cards that d.d.d suggested--I've never seen that done before.  Maybe someone else can clarify.

For the DVD drive, you can't go wrong with something like this


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## Mindweaver (Jan 25, 2013)

Here is what I would get hands down. 







*EDIT: I've got the v5700 card and it's a very fast card. I use Solidworks 2012 (Just got 2013, but haven't installed it), AutoCAD Inventor, and  AutoCAD 09,10.*


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## drdeathx (Jan 25, 2013)

david2 said:


> drdeathx: Thanks for the tip! $230 for a i7 3770K seems like a great deal! Unfortunately I do not live close to a Miro Center and it doesn't look like they offer mail order.
> 
> v12dock: Yes I'm sure I could get away with a standard video card, I might not even use a video card at first and see how that works. If/when I do buy a video card though I want one that is supported for the major CAD programs (ie SolidWorks, AutoCAD) so I get the specialized drivers and don't have to wonder if problems I'm having come from a video card incompatibility.
> 
> I guess another requirement I failed to mention was the ability to run dual monitors, though I think that's pretty standard.



If you know somebody who lives close a CPU can be mailed for under $10 BTW


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## Mindweaver (Jan 25, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> If you know somebody who lives close a CPU can be mailed for under $10 BTW



+1 -  We have a few guys in the FS section that offer to do that, just pay shipping.


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## drdeathx (Jan 25, 2013)

Mindweaver said:


> +1 -  We have a few guys in the FS section that offer to do that, just pay shipping.



I have both AMD and Intel Rigs. For your needs, Intel suits better.


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## Mindweaver (Jan 25, 2013)

drdeathx said:


> I have both AMD and Intel Rigs. For your needs, Intel suits better.



I agree, but not for $1000 dollars. I'd pick intel to if money wasn't limited to $1000. I'd also, pick my 970 over the build I suggested, but my i7 970 CPU was over $500 new.. and I believe I was agreeing with you that if he can get someone to pick him up a 3770k at microcenter do that.. (_+1_)... I have both Intel and AMD as well.


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## drdeathx (Jan 25, 2013)

Mindweaver said:


> I agree, but not for $1000 dollars. I'd pick intel to if money wasn't limited to $1000. I'd also, pick my 970 over the build I suggested, but my i7 970 CPU was over $500 new.. and I believe I was agreeing with you that if he can get someone to pick him up a 3770k at microcenter do that.. (_+1_)... I have both Intel and AMD as well.



if he can get a 3770K shipped only about $100 difference or maybe less. Intel has better sata controller, memory latencies and PCIe 3.0.


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## david2 (Jan 26, 2013)

Mindweaver: How do I get in contact with someone from the FS section to see if they could pick me up a i7-3770K? That would be awesome!

If I were to get the i7-3770k which graphics card would you recommend between a AMD FirePro V4900 and a PNY Nvidia Quadro 600?
I think I misunderstood d.d.d's recommendation before and thought he meant to use a single v4900 crossfire with the CPU integrated GPU. I don't think I need 2 video cards crossfired. But if you could cross fire the v4900 with the i7-3700k I could be interested (though I think it will mean I would have to step up to the Asus P8Z77-V LK).


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## drdeathx (Jan 26, 2013)

david2 said:


> Mindweaver: How do I get in contact with someone from the FS section to see if they could pick me up a i7-3770K? That would be awesome!
> 
> If I were to get the i7-3770k which graphics card would you recommend between a AMD FirePro V4900 and a PNY Nvidia Quadro 600?
> I think I misunderstood d.d.d's recommendation before and thought he meant to use a single v4900 crossfire with the CPU integrated GPU. I don't think I need 2 video cards crossfired. But if you could cross fire the v4900 with the i7-3700k I could be interested (though I think it will mean I would have to step up to the Asus P8Z77-V LK).



If you need it, I can get it. Where do you live?


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## bmaverick (Jan 26, 2013)

For CAD use like SolidWorks, Creo (Pro/e), Solid Edge, having an OpenGL graphics card is ideal.  The prices have dropped big time in the past 6 months for the 1.0GB NVIDIA Quadro 2000.  A NVIDIA Quadro 3800 was just released the end of last year.  

For heavy CAD use for NX, Catia, ANSYS Design Modeler, the 2.5GB NVIDIA Quadro 5000 or 5800 is sweet using dual 27-in monitors.  The NVIDIA Quadro 600 is already out.  Dell offers it as one of their low end workstation cards on the Dell Precision T3600 series. 

If you are building a machine to do generic CAD work or work on the side for machine shops, CAE or whatever lite duty, $1K is a nearly bare bones CAD station.  My dad built one back in 2006 for $2K.  $2K can get a really nice machine today.


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## de.das.dude (Jan 26, 2013)

david2 said:


> Thanks for the advise de.das.dude! I have a few comments and questions about the components;
> 
> CPU: FX 8350 ($200) vs Intel i5-3470 ($190)
> Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A UD3 ($115) vs Asus P8Z77-V LX  ($115)
> ...





AMD processors are great in multi threaded operations. and CAD is a fine example of multi threaded operations. as you can see in the benchmark i linked to. AMD scores higher than the intel

you need to keep buy a crossfire motherboard.


Also there is a thing called "dual channel memory" which is utilized in mordern CPUs, this means that using two of that particulat kit infact increases the performance of your RAM greatly. so 2X4Gb is always better than 1X8Gb. and hence the dual tone coloring of the RAM slots. so its definitely worth the difference

the V4900 is much better than the one you mentioned.


and Lian Li cases are overprice stuff. they are just not worth it. only people with too much money can buy those.

You can buy the Nzxt cases, they are exceptionally cheap, reliable, and have good quality. If you dont like their designs you can also go for the recently launched Fractal Design ARc MIdi II. its also a great case.

And the scope of ventilattion on the nzxt and fractal is endless, its got dual 140mm top fan mounts, front dual 120mm, and a rear 120mm. it also has provision on the side panel as well.


one thing i forgot to mention is that if you want to crossfire i think it would be better to go for a 500W PSU, corsair CX500 is a good PSU, and i have used it on many of my builds.


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## drdeathx (Jan 26, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> AMD processors are great in multi threaded operations. and CAD is a fine example of multi threaded operations. as you can see in the benchmark i linked to. AMD scores higher than the intel
> 
> you need to keep buy a crossfire motherboard.
> 
> ...




I am getting him a 3770K and shipping it to him das.


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## de.das.dude (Jan 26, 2013)

oh nice. yeah, its only worth it if he can get the microcenter deal. those are the shit. else as mindreaver stated, intel is  not worth it for an under 1000$ budget.


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## de.das.dude (Jan 26, 2013)

bmaverick said:


> For CAD use like SolidWorks, Creo (Pro/e), Solid Edge, having an OpenGL graphics card is ideal.  The prices have dropped big time in the past 6 months for the 1.0GB NVIDIA Quadro 2000.  A NVIDIA Quadro 3800 was just released the end of last year.
> 
> For heavy CAD use for NX, Catia, ANSYS Design Modeler, the 2.5GB NVIDIA Quadro 5000 or 5800 is sweet using dual 27-in monitors.  The NVIDIA Quadro 600 is already out.  Dell offers it as one of their low end workstation cards on the Dell Precision T3600 series.
> 
> If you are building a machine to do generic CAD work or work on the side for machine shops, CAE or whatever lite duty, $1K is a nearly bare bones CAD station.  My dad built one back in 2006 for $2K.  $2K can get a really nice machine today.



true, but the only portion he will need to change is the GPU. if he gets a GPU for another 1K, he is set.


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## Dent1 (Jan 26, 2013)

david2 said:


> dro 600 $150
> Corsair 1x8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM $48




8GB of RAM isn't a lot of memory for what you're trying to achieve. 

You've got a budget of $1,000 and memory is at it's cheapest. I wouldn't settle for anything less than 16GB of RAM. It cost less than 1/10 of your budget.


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## Liquid Cool (Jan 26, 2013)

Don't discount buying a quadro on eBay either...it's worth a look.  I've picked up the 600's for a C note on more than a few occasions.  For what we use(financial software), the NVS 300 is enough, usually run about $30 a piece and might actually be a decent substitute card if you're waiting for a new one to be released?  These 300's drive 2 24" monitors with ease.  Excellent display characteristics(crisp, clear pictures and text) in 2D - as well.

I like the recommendation of at least a 3570k and 16gb's of memory.  

Seasonic's a solid power supply and 400w is more than enough for your specs listed.  Newegg is nice, but Superbiiz routinely offers discounts on parts, I've picked up Seasonic's there for decent prices.

Samsung is making decent SSD's in the 830/840 series...if the price is right they are worth a look, not to mention their low profile DDR3 1600 memory in black PCB's.  Great Stuff...very flexible.

Also, when building a business rig for the office...a Lian Li, while nice seems a little excessive.  We use the Silverstone PS-07's with great success, they're 78. on Amazon.  And a little step up is the TJ-08B-E for 99.  They're worthy of at least a look.  Although...I do have to admit, I like the PS-07's the most, because they remind me of the HP MicroTowers(MT) I grew up with.

You didn't mention a monitor here, perhaps you already have one.  If not the Samsung 650 business line and Dell's Professional units are where I'd start.  Dell's P series can also be bought from the outlet...I've ordered dozens and dozens without hassle.  When you throw in a 15% coupon they can get pretty cheap.  Have had very good luck with the U2311's, and the P2412H's.  All have come new in appearance and function.

Best,

Liquid Cool


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## odameyer (Jan 26, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> *and Lian Li cases are overprice stuff. they are just not worth it. only people with too much money can buy those.
> 
> You can buy the Nzxt cases, they are exceptionally cheap, reliable, and have good quality*.


>anyone over the age of 13 with an NZXT case

Anyway.

I recommend the Bitfenix Prodigy





Cheap, good build quality, and tasteful.


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## drdeathx (Jan 26, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> oh nice. yeah, its only worth it if he can get the microcenter deal. those are the shit. else as mindreaver stated, intel is  not worth it for an under 1000$ budget.



I respect your an AMD fan but Intel is worth it.... and you can build a great 3570K for under $1000. I own both AMD and Intel. Intel= better Sata controller which is faster sata speeds, PCIe 3.0 plus better memory latencies


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## de.das.dude (Jan 26, 2013)

meh. where on earth would you need PCIe 3.0? and yes i AMDs memory controller is horrible.

intel is wanted but not needed 

can i buy a plot on the moon? yes its legal now, but wtf.


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## drdeathx (Jan 26, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> meh. where on earth would you need PCIe 3.0? and yes i AMDs memory controller is horrible.
> 
> intel is wanted but not needed
> 
> can i buy a plot on the moon? yes its legal now, but wtf.



Just sayin.


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## Cotton_Cup (Feb 3, 2013)

well just wondering did op got his system up and running? wanted to see >.<


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## drdeathx (Feb 3, 2013)

Cotton_Cup said:


> well just wondering did op got his system up and running? wanted to see >.<



3770K is OTW from Chicago


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## Cotton_Cup (Feb 3, 2013)

that's great and you're the one who shipped it to him right death? yer a great guy ^_^. can't wait for op to show (hopefully) to us the parts before building it and when he's building it. This should be awesome.


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## THE_EGG (Feb 3, 2013)

odameyer said:


> >anyone over the age of 13 with an NZXT case
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> ...



Prodigy? or Shinobi? Shinobi is the one in the picture


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## drdeathx (Feb 3, 2013)

Cotton_Cup said:


> that's great and you're the one who shipped it to him right death? yer a great guy ^_^. can't wait for op to show (hopefully) to us the parts before building it and when he's building it. This should be awesome.



I did get it and ship it to him for no profit. I have a Tiger Direct 2 blcks from me and they price guarantee Microcenter stuff for me. The good thing is, I got a good 3770K for myself that overclocks 4.8GHz at 1.34 volts and hopefully he gets the same batch.


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## david2 (Feb 6, 2013)

Still waiting on some of the components. I'll post pre and post build pics of it all and some performance data. One thing I'm still holding out on is the video card. I've heard of people modifying GeForce cards to run Quadro drivers with pretty good results. Any options on this?


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## david2 (Feb 21, 2013)

Finally got everything together! Wanted to thank everyone for their advice, especially drdeathx who not only gave me some great advice but also got me a great deal on a i7-3770K!

I've got everything except the graphics card. So far even with the built in graphics things are looking good. I'm still on the fence as to whether to get a entry level Nividia Quadro or spend the same money on a nicer GeForce and modify it to run Quadro drivers. Does anyone here have any advice on that?

So here are what I finally built;
CPU($265): Intel i7-3770K
mother board($125): Asus P8Z77-V LX
PSU($60): Seasonic S12II 430
DVD($24): Asus DRW-24B1ST
HD($190): Crucial m4 256GM
RAM($98): 2x Corsair Vengeance 8GB
case($100): Lian Li PC-7H
Keyboard(had): Leopold FC500RT/AB
mouse(had): Kensington k64325
monitor(had): Samsung P2570HD

total of $862

So I've got ~$140 to spend on a graphics card if I want to stay under $1000. I'm thinking I'll probably end up spending somewhere in the $150-$200 range though. 

Anyway thanks again for all the help, I'm really happy with the system so far!


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## punisher186 (Feb 21, 2013)

Is CAD a serious hobby for you or a job?  Nice build regardless.


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## brandonwh64 (Feb 21, 2013)

DDD, that was the wrong bench you posted. This is more what CAD production would need in this bench.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/30


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## de.das.dude (Feb 21, 2013)

brandonwh64 said:


> DDD, that was the wrong bench you posted. This is more what CAD production would need in this bench.
> 
> http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/30



doesnt matter now, he got the better 3770 for cheap.




david2 said:


> Finally got everything together! Wanted to thank everyone for their advice, especially drdeathx who not only gave me some great advice but also got me a
> I've got everything except the graphics card. So far even with the built in graphics things are looking good. I'm still on the fence as to whether to get a entry level *Nividia Quadro or spend the same money on a nicer GeForce and modify it to run Quadro drivers.* Does anyone here have any advice on that?
> 
> 
> So I've got ~$140 to spend on a graphics card if I want to stay under $1000. I'm thinking I'll probably end up spending somewhere in the $150-$200 range though. ar!



you can do that? first time im hearing that. but i guess if the architecture is same it should be possible.


what software would you use mainly? you can always check the supported graphics cards for that software. a lot of newer software versions are supporting normal commercial graphics cards. so its worth having a look at the charts.


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## brandonwh64 (Feb 21, 2013)

de.das.dude said:


> you can do that? first time im hearing that. but i guess if the architecture is same it should be possible.
> 
> 
> what software would you use mainly? you can always check the supported graphics cards for that software. a lot of newer software versions are supporting normal commercial graphics cards. so its worth having a look at the charts.



I remember a couple of years back the cards that shared the same arch as quadro cards could be flashed to represent a quadro.

https://www.google.com/webhp?source....r_qf.&bvm=bv.42661473,d.dmg&biw=1680&bih=894


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## THE_EGG (Feb 22, 2013)

brandonwh64 said:


> I remember a couple of years back the cards that shared the same arch as quadro cards could be flashed to represent a quadro.
> 
> https://www.google.com/webhp?source....r_qf.&bvm=bv.42661473,d.dmg&biw=1680&bih=894



Precisely, I remember seeing about that a few years back. But I think today's video cards a bit harder to do that which wouldn't surprise me with all this boost crap and power saving nonsense. Unfortunately I haven't seen many articles or posts on sites explaining how to do that on modern cards.


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## Asylum (Feb 22, 2013)

If your doing a build for CAD you should be building the system around the graphics card.

The graphics card is the most important thing for your build.


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