Got some questions about 50% CAD / 50% gaming build.

[TerryFawkes]

Hello,

I'm a university student who wants to make a computer for running programs like Creo, AutoCAD, Solidworks, etc., and doing some gaming. I have a budget of $1000 max (including monitor) but would prefer to spend less if $1000 is going to be overkill for a student like me.

I'm having trouble picking a CPU and GPU because there's so many to choose from, so I've got a few questions.

Would a dual core processor like the i3 4130 suffice? Or should I go for something with at least 4 physical cores, like an X4 760k or an i5 4670k?

If I was to use the computer for CAD work half of the time and gaming the other half, which would be a better option? A low-end "workstation" GPU or equivalent price "gaming" GPU?

What CPU/GPU combo would you suggest?

 

[ak47jar3d]

Yeah, I can safely say that you would need a much bigger budget than you have now to get a good workstation and gaming rig. The socket will stop you from changing processor, but the video card can be changed later for some great hybrid like r9 290x. I went low end gaming gpu as i did for myself when I was a game design student. Give me feedback if you would rather have something changed.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3lK7J
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3lK7J/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3lK7J/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($217.99 @ Mac Mall)
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($47.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($83.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Apevia X-Trooper-Jr (Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: LG EB2442T-BN 24.0" Monitor ($126.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $1019.12
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-04 03:51 EDT-0400)

 

[TerryFawkes]

Thanks for the build; I have a few questions though.

Just wondering, why pick the Xeon over a comparable i5? Is the Xeon much better for CAD?

For a student just learning how to use various CAD software, wouldn't 16Gb of ram be overkill?

For your choice of GPU, I noticed you picked a gaming GPU... at what price point for the build would you say one should pick a workstation GPU instead? (Or is it all about build priorities? For example, a computer for only CAD use vs. a computer for CAD and some gaming.)

 

[ak47jar3d]

Well, Xeon processor are great for for creative software since there the equivalent to what workstation cards in gpu performance. I recommend a 265 becuase all workstations card of that price are extremely outdated and impossible to game on. 16 ram is must becuase CAD is resources eating machine.