When engineers and drafters work with cad software, they don’t like to wait. Smaller models run easily on most hardware, but once you get into large assemblies and complicated parts it starts to slow down. Models that take a couple of minutes to load or 15 minutes to convert can bog down your workflow. That is when buying a quick and optimized workstation can work out.
From my experience just buying a computer from hp or dell is not the best choice, they often select cpu’s with a lot of slow cores or graphics cards that sit around doing nothing. The interesting thing is that, especially for inventor, AutoCAD, and revit. something close to a gaming pc works best.
I’ve put together a list of components to get the most performance for cad work.
With a combined price of 1820 euro excluding tax with a windows 10 license. this strikes a good balance between reliability and performance. If I compare this to a Dell computer, then that would get into a price of more than double at 4500 euros and then you would still get a last-gen CPU that is 10% slower.
There are multiple computer companies that can build a computer like this with a couple of years of warranty for about 200 euros.
CPU- Intel 13700k
The 13th gen intel CPUs have been shown to have the best single-threaded performance, with a really solid multithreaded performance with multiple Efficiency cores. The i9 13900k is the fastest CPU here, but at 700 euros it’s quite expensive, and the 13700K performs almost the same. The biggest caveat is that you have to run windows 11, as windows 10 can’t deal with Performance and efficiency cores well.
If you run FEA programs and/or have the extra 200 euros to spend, I recommend the 13900k, it has 8 more cores and a higher boost clock.
Motherboard – ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-PLUS WiFi
Motherboards are hard to select, there is not a lot of reliability data and the extra features are just not being used by drafters. I’ve selected a Motherboard with the features that are needed and which is aimed at reliability. It also has an intel network controller and a solid power delivery for the CPU to maximize reliability.
GPU – ASUS TUF Gaming RTX-3060
This is an important part of Inventor or other Autodesk software. Nvidia would love to sell you there 1100 euro A4000, but this software doesn’t make any use of it. I’ve selected a 3060 which is slightly slower than a A4000 at 460 Euros. This gpu has a great VRM section which should help its reliability. Together with the 12Gb of ram. it would never be the limiting factor in the system. (in fact, even the fastest CPU will still be the limiting factor)
If you need to run software like NX, Solidworks, or CATIA the Quadro’s do run better than the GeForce variants, you’re going to want to get an RTX a4000 or the like.
Memory – 64GB 4800Mhz DDR5 Kingston Fury Beast
I’ve selected a DDR5 kit based on the QVL list from this motherboard, also for reliability. Also the speeds are lower, because 6000 kits are expensive and most system builders don’t see it as reliable. I’ve selected 64GB here, as someone who works with large models myself, I’ve had model imports that use upwards of 24gb and simulations that use 50GB. I believe these systems should be future proof and the way to do that is to add more memory. The price difference is also not that big, about 150 euros.
SSD – Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
M2 nvme ssd’s are an absolute must in cad pc’s. I’ve taken the quite reliable samsung 980 pro for this task. It’s not the absolute fastest but samsung does have great reliability on their pro line. The computer should not be used as storage, so 1TB will be more than enough.
Power supply – Seasonic Focus PX850
The power supply is overkill for this combination of components. but is also selected to have some more headroom for reliability. I also selected this power supply for efficiency. The extra cost will pay itself back in saved electricity.
CPU Cooler – Noctua NH-D15
Liquid coolers have gotten quite reliable, but there are still issues with some of them. This Noctua Cpu cooler is reliable and silent. no one likes sitting next to a computer that is taking off. (or sounds like it)
Computer Case – Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact Black Solid
The case is from one of my favorite companies, Fractal. Good selection of features with an aim at silence and usability. It has removable dust filters in the front, bottom, and top. It is a shorter case because we don’t need the extra space in the front (no long gpu’s, storage, or Radiators)
Leave a Reply