1st Time AutoCAD PC Build Advice

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Beckent

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Sep 11, 2014
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This is my first AutoCAD build and would like to see if it is over/under powered. I will be using it for AutoCAD 2D. Will also need to run three separate monitors. Plus any advice would be much appreciated.

Windows 7 64-Bit
Asus H97-Pro Gamer LGA 1150 Motherboard
IntelCore I5-4690K Quad Core 3.5
G.Skill Ripjaw 8GB (2x4GB)
Nvidia Quadro K2000 2GB or EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB 128 Bit
WD Black 2GB Hard Drive
EVGA 80 Plus Gold 550W Power Supply
Rosewill Challenger-U3 Case
SIIG Display Port to DVI Adapter. If I go with the Quadro.
Cooler Master Hyper T2 Compact CPU Cooler, Since I've read that with AutoCAD the stock cooler
may not be enough.

Thanks!
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

Titan
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Apr 27, 2009
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Agree on the i5 part, but not the Quadro. I would switch to a Xeon 1231v3. It is more suitable for cad, and a 4690k is pointless with an H97 board. Quadro is a better card for cad work. Autodesk typically recommends a quadro. OP, what is your budget?

 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

Titan
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Apr 27, 2009
37,552
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With that budget, this would work just fine, for you.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K2200 4GB Video Card ($428.53 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1174.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-28 17:20 EDT-0400


This would be even better, CPU side, and near the upper end of your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($368.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright TRUE Spirit 140 POWER 73.6 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($182.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K2200 4GB Video Card ($428.53 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($76.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1483.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-28 17:25 EDT-0400
 
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Beckent

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Sep 11, 2014
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Both systems look great. I am a little hesitant on the Seagate HD and the MSI board though. Checking out reviews on both they're not too positive. I'm thinking about switching the HD to a WD RE4 WD2003FYYS 2TB. Do you have any other thoughts for a board? I saw that the Corsair cases were different. The R300 is out of stock. Would it be an issue to use the R200 if I go for the higher end build? Thanks in advance!
 
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Beckent

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Sep 11, 2014
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Okay. I was a little nervous after reading through consumer reviews. I read the article. Looks like a really solid board which I feel much more comfortable with. Thanks for the link! I had checked Newegg for the case, but it is back in stock.
 
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fport

fport

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May 22, 2011
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Since this is to be your workstation you want it to be fast and responsive as well as
suited to general functions when doing research and figuring things out. Fastest CPU
is a good start, many threads is a viable strategy. Quadro cards are tuned and set
for working as opposed to gaming. You can light game easily on them but their drivers
are for manipulation speed in commercial apps.

I can't shake the feeling when working at my computer that my i5-4690K was more
responsive than this i7-4790K. I've gone back to stock standard default settings after
screwing up my setup by adding in a different graphics card. And 4690's can be hard
to find. I also think I lucked out with my 4690 and my son's gloating seems to confirm
this.

Quadro does double precision calculations. Even a 980 would supposedly drop down to
1/32 of its normal speed to do that. But looking at the back of the 980 you get DVI and
four ports while the Quadro K2200 and K4200 have three. I'm sure there are splitters
and so on but I don't see your plan for 4 to 6 monitors in the future, you'd need to explain
that in more detail. Is it more ports?

You can double up on Quadro's later if need be or spend a penny on a 980 or a Ti now. The
Quadro's are single slot cards which can be a consideration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOcFBk6l7-o

Hard decisions.

My vote goes to a faster stock 4790K/Quadro K2200 combination.
I also added 32GB of RAM to my 1150/GTX box right at the start. I don't like banging my head either.

Having said all of this it boils down to your use, is it 8-10 hours a day on projects that have
deadlines and payment on completion then the best machine you can afford but still expand
to increase productivity should be your consideration.

You have what appears to be three options within your budget. When all is considered would
another $500 be reasonable or is there a choice that can be locked and the best deals sought
after that point?
 
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