Why does Autodesk recommend a XEON?

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I've been asked to build a new auto cad box for work. (been promoted to the draftsman) I looked up some stuff on auto cad and they claim it only uses 1 core and the other cores or just used and helpful for multi tasking. So, I look at their recommended hardware and they list mostly pcs that are classified as work stations and have xeons. Although some have i7s in there.

I was initially looking at a 170z chipset board and running an i5. I'm wondering now if that is enough? On my 4 weeks I've been using the software (we also run microvellum toolbox which is an add on that runs autocad using sql serve ce database solution)

Couldn't find much info on hyperthreading and whether or not sql server benefits more from a xeon or i7

What I do know is that the computer on now is 16 gigs ram 1 sata hard drive and an i7 low end nvidia card
and it's slow as crap. The biggest resource hog is when it's reading and writing the database stuff.

My main focus is wanting to run 2 m.2 in a raid 0. I thought about a raid 5 but why bother with raid 5 if I'm going to be backing up my data daily? would it just be to be able to switch to the other drive in the event that one fails?

But the big question is why a xeon? What benefits does a xeon based mother board give to auto cad and sql server ce if any?

Thanks for any feed back.
Matthew

 
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R4DIO4CT1VE

R4DIO4CT1VE

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I would assume that the PCs would include a discrete GPU, with xeons you wouldn't pay for the integrated graphics that i7s would have. They also run cooler and are built more specifically for long term usage. No idea if any of that actually reflects with reality, just some thoughts.
 
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M

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well im going to put a nvidia m5000 card into.
xeons pricing is insane so I'm like why would I even need one of those? What really is a server pc? Data speed for what I need seems to be the most important but I dont see how much a 2000 dollar chip is going to help me more versus a 800 dollar chip
 
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"What I do know is that the computer on now is 16 gigs ram 1 sata hard drive and an i7 low end nvidia card
and it's slow as crap. The biggest resource hog is when it's reading and writing the database stuff."

Ok, so what I assume is you already have a desktop pc with i7 and 16Gb ram. With that 2 info, I further assume the i7 is sandy bridge or better (i7-2600 or above). The reason is its very rare to find older i7 with DDR2 16Gb ram as its very not economical to build.

Now the problem I see is the use of HDD and low end nvidia card. Other than that, the i7 and ram seem doing fine for autocad (8Gb of ram for bigger files)
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/System-requirements-for-AutoCAD-2017.html

First we tackle HDD problem. HDD is no longer an option for current build, especially for a working pc. Your life (lost due to slow HDD) is far more precious than $100, not to mention the electric bill it save against HDD.
Running 2 M.2 with raid is fine IF only your old motherboard support it. If your old motherboard did not support it, you could only buy SSD. Trust me, its not a waste to buy an SSD. Even if this trial seem fail to you, you can use it to back up your raid M.2 (rather than using slow HDD for your backup). Just buy 500Gb SDD which cost around US$160 and see how your old pc workout.

Next we tackle the gpu. Low end gpu will certainly slowed your productivity. Since you fail to mention how low is your definition of "low end gpu", I would only assume you using below $60 gpu since you also did not mention the power supply. Hence the requirement of gpu for Autocad in the link above is pretty low. So assuming your power supply is below 300 watt, then getting gpu such as USD$120 GTX 1050 2Gb vram should be more than enough.
Whichever the case is, you will need to buy a gpu when you build the new pc anyway.

My suggestion is that try those 2 option above first before you buy the whole new pc. Those part will still usable in your new build, give your old pc a chance to show its full potential.

Good luck
 
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ya I'm on a pc at work that is about 5 years old. This design will be for the replacement. I use SSDs at home on my gaming rigs. And mentioned that the new box will have either a m4000 or m5000 qaudro card. I just don't see how a xeon is even considerable for my new system. Price wise / performance. it seems with autoacad and sql server it all comes down to drives and video. the older i7 and ram with what I work I have never seen anything go above 25% It has likes the guy said 16 gigs of ram ddr2 I think But when I move that database around I have wait times of up to 30 minutes. It's redonk.
 
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M

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Right on guys thanks so much.
I ended up getting a gigabyte mother board. intel 7 7700K
32 GB of GSkill ddr4 3400
For just base autocad I elected to ditch the quadro and just start out with a 1070 gtx
I found a good deal on intel 750 ssd, so I'm going to run two of those in a raid 0 with a seagate barricuda 3tb for backup

Thanks again everyone for their time and good information
was very helpful

 
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