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ThomasMech

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Jul 5, 2013
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Im a junior Engineer at a mech engineering firm. On a daily basis i deal with quite complex assemblies, hundreds of parts. And these assemblies often need rendered.

I have been given $700 for a new system to include a keyboard, mouse. So I'm guessing this is more on the budget side of workstation builds.

I use catiav5, solidworks2011, mastercam and vero if any of that helps.

My previous workstation was an intel i3, with only 6gb ram and it just wasn't up to the job, incredibly slow with even medium assemblies. I've been instructed by a superior who prob knows less than i do to get as much ram, as fast a processor and open gl graphics, but what the most suitable build would be i don't know. Support for 2 screens would be good too.

I would very much like some help, especially if you have used the software before.

Thanks Thomas
 
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Well...fitting a good CAD rig in that small budget is hard.
Here's what I would do:
Get this build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)...
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
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If you have access to a Micro Center nearby you can score an i7-4770 for $249 and get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $695.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 16:00 EDT-0400)
 
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realchaos

Distinguished
Jan 30, 2013
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19,960
Well...fitting a good CAD rig in that small budget is hard.
Here's what I would do:
Get this build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Other: Team Dark Series 2x8gb RAM ($109.99)
Total: $717.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 16:00 EDT-0400)

Use the iGPU for now. It will be incredibly slow and I doubt it can handle those assemblies, but you would need a bigger budget for a gpu.
Save up more money and add a gpu into the build.
In the long run, you will get a much better performance but you will have to suffer for awhile until you get more money.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
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104,940


When the OP wants to run multiple monitors onboard graphics simply won't cut it. The low end GTX 650 I put in my build will be more than enough. I wouldn't get that RAM either.
 
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ThomasMech

Honorable
Jul 5, 2013
5
0
10,510
Thanks Real chaos, a small budget i know, but im getting some preferential treatment, they cant justify a high end rig for me (or anyone else for that matter), but I have techniques to make the software work smoother, lol, nothing magic just patience.

Have you used much cad, Ive never seen a workstation that could perfectly handle large or complex designs, ive seen lightning rendering, fast boot etc. But the assemblies always slow the show down, could be the software that has the most to blame for that tho.

Thanks for the point on the processor, I was tempted to go i5 and get more ram, but that would seem to be a bad idea.
 
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ThomasMech

Honorable
Jul 5, 2013
5
0
10,510
Thanks g-unit1111, this helps a lot. Is there reason why realchaos' ram choice was bad, I'd of thought that 16gb would be the way I should be going. Have you used cad before, do you think ill be ok without it.

The graphics card is interesting, rendering of components will be somewhat necessary, nothing mindblowing is needed, something that can do the job without crashing.

I know its a cheap build, but most i've spoken to think for my purposes at least i will get a perfectly serviceable setup.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,542
815
104,940


It's an off brand and poor quality. Corsair Vengeance or Mushkin Blackline would be far better for less money. You can always add more RAM as you need it. As far as the GPU goes - it's not a gaming or hardcore rendering rig so you don't really need a 7970 or GTX 770 or anything, just something that's cheap and gets the job done and is better than onboard graphics.
 
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