needhelp24 :
I am looking to buy a new computer than can run autocad 2015, this will be used mostly for 2D drawings, though occasionally doing small 3D parts (small file size). I do not play games on the computer so autocad would be the most resource intense program running on it. I have never built my own computer so would prefer a pre-built system but not quite sure where to start. Any ideas?
needhelp24,
To have the best cost /perromance on a budget, my suggestion is to consder a good, used workstation, for example a Dell Precision or HP z-series one or two generations past. Since 2008, I've had five of these (Precision 390, T5400, T5500, HP z420 (E5-1620), z420 (E5-1660 v2) and never had a single serious failure even on systems that ran renderings for days continuously.
One the best systems for this use is a Dell Precision of the x500 series. How about:
Dell Precision T3500 Xeon Hex Core 3.47GHz W3690 14GB 300GB HDD Nvidia Quadro FX > Sold for $417.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T3500-Xeon-Hex-Core-3-47GHz-W3690-14GB-300GB-HDD-Nvidia-Quadro-FX-/131585949451?hash=item1ea3223f0b&nma=true&si=l8iI%252BvMEs8zuQLTs66TjX0tfAAs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
And there you have a beautifully constructed system with a $1,600 CPU: 6-core @ 3.47/.3.73GHz, 14GB RAM, 300GB HD, and a Quadro FX 3500.
The beauty of this kind of system is that the right one could be used almost right away and there are 6-cores for CPU rendering running at more or less current high speeds. In the above example, the Quadro FX3500 is not a brilliant performer but it will still run the current Quadro drivers and viewport software, the HD is small but can still be configured with the basic programs. Then, while using it, you can find a better GPU:
PNY NVIDIA Quadro K2200 4GB GDDR5 DVI/2DisplayPorts PCI-Express Video Card VCQK2 > Sold for $255.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PNY-NVIDIA-Quadro-K2200-4GB-GDDR5-DVI-2DisplayPorts-PCI-Express-Video-Card-VCQK2-/161749207653?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a9010a65&nma=true&si=l8iI%252BvMEs8zuQLTs66TjX0tfAAs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
, add more RAM (DDR3-1333 ECC), and SSD, and perhaps a 6GB/s RAID controller such as the PERC H310.
This approach saves researching, ordering, assembling. Configurating, and trouble-shooing a new system, the performance will be better, and you can be using it almost right away instead of the days of work.
I did this for my second system:
Purchased for $171:
Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (
Original): Xeon E5620 quad core @ 2.4 / 2.6 GHz > 6GB DDR3 ECC Reg 1333 > Quadro FX 580 (512MB) > Dell PERC 6/i SAS /SATA controller > Seagate Cheetah 15K 146GB > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
[ Passmark system rating =
1479 / CPU = 4067 / 2D=
520 / 3D=
311 / Mem= 1473 / Disk= 1208]
And spending another $800:
Dell Precision T5500 (2011)(
Revised) > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (3GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating =
3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D=
684 / 3D=
2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]
Pending upgrade: PERC H310 PCIe SAS /SATA RAID controller ($60), 2X WD Black 1TB (RAID 1)(Converts disk system from 3GB/s to 6GB/s)
> and , as for all these used systems, it’s worked flawlessly for a year. For about $300-350 I can add a second X5680 to have 12cores /24 threads @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz) With the current Quadro K2200 ($350):
[ Passmark system rating =
3490 / CPU = 9178 / 2D=
685 / 3D=
3566 / Mem= 1865 / Disk= 2122] [Cinebench 15 > CPU = 772 OpenGL= 99.72 FPS] 7.8.15
> That system is the highest rated T5500 (of 201 tested) on Passmark having a single CPU.
Upgrading an obsolete system may seem not to be as future looking as a new system, but at the lower price scale these systems are surprisingly expandable. The T5500 for example has an 875W power supply and besides expanding to double CPU’s can use two 175W GPU’s and with a 6GB/s RAID controller, run many SSD, SAS, and/or SATA disks in fast configurations.
An alternative.
Cheers,
BambiBoom
HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 six-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz > 32GB DDR3 ECC 1866 RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> Logitech z2300 > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440) > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555] [Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15
Pending upgrade: HP /LSI 9212-4i PCIe SAS /SATA HBA RAID controller, 2X Seagate Constellation ES.3 1TB (RAID 1)
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