Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Solved

Solidworks Desktop Build

Tags:
  • Desktops
  • Build
  • Computers
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
Share
January 22, 2014 5:38:45 PM

Hi Everyone,
I know a bit about computers but not the best with individual components. I've been doing a bit of research into a computer that is basically for solidworks use and here's what i ended up with:
I'm from aus so the prices might be different. But all i really want to know is if there is anything i'm missing or wont work or any advice?
Processor
Intel i7-4770 $355.00
Motherboard
Gigabyte H81M-S2PV Intel H81 $69.00
RAM
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) $109.00
HDD
Seagate 3.5" Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM $69.00
Optical Drive
Pioneer DVD RW $20.00
Graphics Card
Nvidia Quadro 4000 - ebay $360.00
Monitor
Asus 23.6" VS247HR 2ms 1920x1080 $165.00
Case
Corsair CC400R Carbide 400R $125.00
Wireless Netword Card
D-Link Wireless N $25.00
Keyboard
Logitec Wired Keyboard $10.00
Mouse
Gigabyte GM-M6580 Laser USB Mouse $12.00
PSU
Corsair CMPSU-500CXV3 500Watt $85.00
Software
Windows 8.1 64bit $115.00

Thanks in advance
Shaun

More about : solidworks desktop build

January 22, 2014 5:44:51 PM

It looks good. Although if you have the budget for it the i7 4930k will be a good proc for you. Also you will want as much ram as you can afford. If you're sticking with the current build I'd go up to 2x8GB modules and you have room for 2 more in the future.
m
0
l
January 22, 2014 5:46:48 PM

Yes, everything will work properly together and wont be unstable
m
0
l
Related resources
January 22, 2014 6:05:46 PM

thanks guys, really appreciate the help. not really up for another $300 'mf Red' but thanks for the advice.
I'll have a look into the Xeon E3, Thanks filippi
m
0
l
January 22, 2014 6:39:55 PM

So if i build this myself, i wont run into any problems with fitment or incompatibility?
m
0
l

Best solution

January 23, 2014 8:35:23 AM

Goodday ShuanTur,

The components in your list would make a reasonable Solidworks-oriented system. As you probably know, certain Solidworks features require a Quadro or Firepro workstation card and as Solidworks is CUDA accelerated (as is Adobe imaging software, a Quadro is a good choice. And, the Quadro 4000 is excellent, though I would suggest a very good, airy case as the single width 4000 can run very hot. I was running renderings with a Quadro 4000 in an HP z420 and the Quadro touched 100C.

If you are not at your budget limit >

1. While the i7-4770 is a very good general CPU, I would suggest building with an LGA2011 Xeon. The LGA2011 offers double the bandwidth (59.7 GB/s compared to 25.6), much more RAM capacity (256GB to 32GB), 40 instead of 16 PCIe lanes, and is upgradable to 8, 10, and eventually 12 core processors. If you will be doing renderings from Solidworks rendering, more cores will speed things up. I would suggest starting with the 4-core Xeon E5-1620 V2 which is 3.7 / 3.9GHz and in the US sell for about $300 (Superbiiz) . Using an LGA2011 may be cheaper in the long term, as it can extend the useful life of the system for years. The performance will be suitable as project complexity advances, and it can be substantially upgraded. I have an E5-1620 in an HP z420 and excellent as it is, in two-three years time, plan to change it for an E5-1650 V2 (6-core 3.5 /3.9, about $600 at the moment)) or possibly even an 8-core if there's an economical one.

2. Pair the Xeon with a good workstation oriented motherboard. A reasonable cost board with good performance is the ASRock X79 Extreme 3, about $200 in the US. the X79 chipset is I think the fastest LGA2011 chipset.

3. To complete the error-correction chain, use ECC 1600 RAM. And, I would suggest trying to start with 16GB using 2 X 8GB to allow additional RAM later. I notice that whenever I use any CAD 3D modeling program, I am also running at least 3-5 simultaneous applications, plus the Internet.

3. As you are apparently open to buying used Quadro, consider a Quadro 5000 (2.5GB), The 3D performance is about 50% better (Passmark ratings), and it's double height and runs much cooler. In the US, I'm seeing used 5000's going for as little as $500. In some Solidworks sysems, a Quadro 5000 outperforms a K4000 (3GB). Keep in mind also that you download Solidworks "partnered" drivers from Solidworks. These work really really well.

4. Another good expenditure is a 27" monitor. This is because the viewports break the screen into 4 or 5 parts, plus there's multiple floating menus, and other applications visible. You will save hours in panning and zooming. If you can have a 2560 X 1440 that's even better.

5. It's a detail, but instead of a very light duty keyboard, consider finding a NOS Dell SK-8135. These are beautifully made, substantial, have a wonderful, slightly curved keyboard, and excellent click /clatter touch. I still use one from 2008- and this has been used every day since new at least 10 hours per day- and it's almost indistinguishable from new. I bought a new one to use with my new HP z420 and bought an additional 2 new ones on Ebay US for $35 shipping included and gave them as Christmas presents!

5. You can of course have the operating system of your choice, but you might consider using Windows 7 Professional instead of 8.1. This I feel would be happier with Solidworks and especially with the special Solidworks drivers. I 've used every MS OS since DOS6 but I'm giving Windows 8 a miss.

6. Consider a full tower case to make building easier, but mainly to have really open air flow.

Sorry to make every suggestion something more expensive, but given the sophistication and performance demands of Solidworks, and the cost and time of having to upgrade a system when the projects become complex, it's a savings over time and will allow concentration on the work instead of of the hardware.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2013) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000 (2GB)> Samsung 840 SSD 250GB /Western Digital WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > AE3000 USB WiFi // HP 2711X, 27" 1920 X 1080 // Windows 7 Ultimate 64 > Autodesk Building Design Suite, Inventor Pro, Solidworks, Adobe CS MC, Corel Technical Design Sketchup Pro, WordP Office, MS Office Pro [Passmark system rating = 3815, 2D= 760 / 3D=2044]

Dell Precision T5400 (2009) > 2X Xeon X5460 quad core @3.16GHz > 16GB ECC 667> Quadro FX 4800 (1.5GB) > WD RE4 500GB / Seagate Barracuda 500GB > M-Audio 2496 Sound Card > Linksys 600N WiFi > Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit > HP 2711x 27" 1920 x 1080 > (earlier versions) AutoCad, Revit, Solidworks, Sketchup Pro8, Corel Technical Designer, Adobe CS MC, WordP Office, MS Office Pro [Passmark system rating = 1859, 2D= 512 / 3D=1097]

Share
September 11, 2014 1:50:36 PM

Nobody probably cares anymore, because this thread was from the beginning of this year, but I have been doing a bunchhhh of research on Solidworks Machines.

CPU: Everywhere I have read says to go with an intel, 4th gen if you can afford, K version (more GHz). I went with the 4790K, which is intel's 4th gen and can be overclocked to up to 4.4 GHz with intel's turboboost, (other sources say 4.8GHz), which solidworks is dependent upon GHz. I have included two articles that talk about overclocking and other recommendations on chips. The first article also has a section about why intel chips are better than Xeon chips.

The first article also has a ton of benchmark tests that were ran. I am not sure how he is overclocking a 3.5 GHz I7-3790X to 4.75 GHz,

https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/78834

http://blog.design-point.com/blog/2012/march/hardware-r...

Also, just my opinion, but why Windows 8.1?! I would have ran Windows 7 with that.

Use pcpartpicker.com if you have any compatibility questions, its a great way to build out your PC and figure out if everything will fit and an estimated price!

m
0
l
October 15, 2014 4:01:33 AM

I put together a Solidworks work station recently and have two recommendations.

Here's the build: http://enginoor.com/solidworks-pc-2015/

I would recommend a SSD over the Seagate HDD and 16gb of RAM at a minimum.
m
0
l
!