Best budget PC for Autocad, Photoshop, Revit and 3Dmax

babilonac

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Aug 21, 2014
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i've been researching through this wild west called internet for optimal configuration for architecture and i think i found one. so, good people from tom's hardware, please share your thoughts.

PROCESSOR : INTEL I7 4770K (335$)
GRAPHICS CARD : INTEL 4600HD (BUILT IN)
MOTHERBOARD : ASUS Z97-A (145$)
POWER SUPPLY : XFX CORE 850W (110$)
RAM : KINGSTON HYPERX FURY 8GB (90$)
HARD DRIVE : SAMSUNG 840 EVO 120GB (90$)
CASE : FRACTAL CORE 3000 (65$)
TOTAL : (805$)

so, what's the logic behind this build ? it's built to last long.
basically, there is a good motherboard with which you can oc you processor, and you can get SLI if you want later on. because of that there is a good power supply with 850W.

now it costs just 805$ and it can run programs like photoshop, autocad, 3d max or revit good even without graphic card. it has jus 8gb of ram because it's almost enough now, but you can buy more ram if you need it. the case is basic too but good, has enough room, good cable management and room for 4 more fans (3 are built in).

as for the everlasting debate between amd and intel, i think this beats amd even in price range, and it's lifespan should be much longer

what do you think ?
 
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the CX 750 would be good, but i would not set a SLI system with it. At least I would not overclock it.

If you give up on SLI but want space for a big GPU, these would be enough :

http://www.protis.hr/products/details/napajanje-620w-seasonic-ss620gb/30313

or this one for modular version : http://www.protis.hr/products/details/napajanje-seasonic-ss620gm2-evo-620w/80203

And this one if you feel you need 650 W : http://www.protis.hr/products/details/napajanje-650w-xfx-core-edition-80-easyrail-technology/40260

Seasonic is one of the best PSU brand so be confident it can deliver a good quality with stable voltage to allow a smooth overclocking experience.

600 W is enough for 2 GTX 660 SLI, if you still consider SLI. But you would need...

pierrerock

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Jul 4, 2014
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An I7 Cannot beat AMD in price range since AMD does not really offer something in that range (forgot about FX 9XXX)

I experienced myself a computer with only a I7 for CAD program such as CATIA and Solidworks. my old computer with one of the first athlon 64 2 Core paired with a Nvidia 8600 GTS performed better than this.

You absolutely need a GPU to begin with. Intel HD Graphics is really really really Bad. HD 4600 is barely usable

Make sure you 8 GB or ram is 2X4 GB to benefit from dual channel.

I would recommend having a HDD with this SSD. Because 120 GB isn't enough. Today, one program or game is from 10 to 45 GB.
 

babilonac

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i'm sorry, but i really can't believe that your athlon 64 paired with nvidia 8600 gts performed better.

intel hd 4600 - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Intel+HD+4600
nvidia 8600 gts - http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+8600+GTS&id=118

also - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlLWiKHYTvU

as for your advice on memory, i will disagree, it's better to buy 8 gb because, later on you can get 3 more, and have max ram on motherboard, with 4 you can only get 16 gb.

also - http://www.revitforum.org/hardware-infrastructure/15538-intel%AE-hd-graphics-4600-revit.html

it seems like an open debate to me.

also this - http://techgage.com/print/intel-core-i7-4770k-quad-core-processor-review/
 

pierrerock

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If you really think you need 32 GB of Ram you are totally wrong. 8 is enough for anything and 16 is Overkill.

A GPU will use his own DRam to function, if you don't get any GPU, your IGP will have to share memory with CPU, Not working in dual channel means you will half your video bandwidth.

Intel Had Glitchy color and CAD model were glitching when moving. I couln't even see if they perform well as working on solidwork was impossible and creating the simplest model on CATIA was a pain because of low performance of HD graphics.

And believe me, a athlon 64 2 core performed better mainly because of bandwidth and not Glitching because of Intel poor graphics conception.

Intel are beats at building CPU, everyone know they are not fit for integrated graphics.
 

babilonac

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Aug 21, 2014
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hi perrerock, i googled a bit and realized that i was wrong about my configuration.
the reasons were :

CPU - for programs that are not multithreaded (4 core enough, performance per core is what counts)
GPU - for programs that are multithreaded (at least 2gb of memory, more cuda processors)

so, now, my build is :

PROCESSOR : INTEL I5 4670K (235$)
GRAPHICS CARD : ASUS GTX 660 (200$)
MOTHERBOARD : ASUS Z97-K (120$)
POWER SUPPLY : CORSAIR CX 750W (90$)
RAM : KINGSTON HX BEAST 2X4GB (90$)
HARD DRIVE : SAMSUNG 840 EVO 120GB (90$) + HDD (FROM MY OLDER PC)
CASE : FRACTAL CORE 3000 (65$)
TOTAL : (890$)

what do you think ?

also, thank you for you suggestion.
 

pierrerock

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You are right to consider a I5 As it will perform just as good as a I7 since single threaded performance are very similar.

A GTX 660 is very good, but Nvidia has problem using OpenGL program such as Solidworks, CATIA and MAYA.

But since you are using Autocad, and Autodesk (3ds max) use DirectX, a 660 would be a good choice Over a R9 270X.

The only problem here is you PSU. Corsair CX series isn't bad, but it's not top quality. In fact, it's a Tier 3 Power supply which just meet ATX specs without being better : http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1804779/power-supply-unit-tier-list.html

Here is a list of Power supply which are all Tier 2A i would recommend.
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/antec-power-supply-hcg750m%2Cxfx-power-supply-p1750xxxb9%2Cxfx-power-supply-p1850snlb9/

I see your prices are higher than US, where are you from so I can check for something within your budget ?
 

babilonac

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yeah i could get XFX, but it costs 20$ dollars more here than CX, is it worh it ?

also, what are your thought about nvidia 750ti ?
it consumes much less power and costs less than 660, but it's 20% slower ?
is 660 worth extra bucks ?

i'm from croatia and prices here are about 20% higher than in USA :(

 

babilonac

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pierrerock

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the CX 750 would be good, but i would not set a SLI system with it. At least I would not overclock it.

If you give up on SLI but want space for a big GPU, these would be enough :

http://www.protis.hr/products/details/napajanje-620w-seasonic-ss620gb/30313

or this one for modular version : http://www.protis.hr/products/details/napajanje-seasonic-ss620gm2-evo-620w/80203

And this one if you feel you need 650 W : http://www.protis.hr/products/details/napajanje-650w-xfx-core-edition-80-easyrail-technology/40260

Seasonic is one of the best PSU brand so be confident it can deliver a good quality with stable voltage to allow a smooth overclocking experience.

600 W is enough for 2 GTX 660 SLI, if you still consider SLI. But you would need a bigger PSU if you plan in getting 2 bigger GPU.

Also, you could pay less for you motherboard which would allow you to get a better GPU or PSU.
I would get this board :

http://www.protis.hr/products/details/gigabyte-gaz97hd3-main-board-desktop-z97-s1150-ddr3-vgahdmidvi-usb30usb20-raid-lan-sataiii-atx-retail/83831
 
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babilonac

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Aug 21, 2014
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i will go for xfx 650, and for motherboard i will go for gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3.

so, now, configuration is :

PROCESSOR : INTEL I5 4690K
GRAPHICS CARD : GIGABYTE GTX 660
MOTHERBOARD : GIGABYTE GA-Z97-HD3
POWER SUPPLY : XFX CORE 650W
RAM : KINGSTON HX BEAST 2X4GB
HARD DRIVE : SAMSUNG 840 EVO 120GB
CASE : FRACTAL CORE 3000

basically i don't need SLI support because most of the programs don't benefit much from that, some even have problems when it's used.
 
May 23, 2019
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Basic AutoCAD system requirements for an average user with your budget:

An i5 (or i7) processor running at 3GHZ or higher native clock speed.
8GB Ram minimum
A video card with dedicated 2GB Ram or more.
15" screen minimum size: if you want to use it with an external monitor (so you can get a smaller laptop screen), you need to make sure the external monitor can be run at HD display settings (not the low end 1024x768 common on cheap laptops).
A harddrive large enough to hold all of your files: 512GB is good, 1TB is better, SSD if it fits the budget.
you can also refer to this Link