Solidworks Modelling Workstation Build Advice Needed ($1500 - 2000)

[Euclid314]

I'm building an entry level Workstation for Solidworks and other CAD programs. I'm not running simulations or rendering, so I opted for the high-frequency quad-core Xeon E3-1270 v5. I don't game and I don't want to overclock my PC, so I picked the 3.6 GHz Xeon 1270 over an i7 6700k. I don't think I need ECC RAM at the moment, but I prefer to have the option available to me, and I have never had a problem with the Xeon-based machines which I use at work.

I really appreciate any advice or suggestions that you might have for me. My example build is listed below.

Notes: * I'm not particular to any brand of RAM, and I'll purchase a kit directly from Crucial when I place my order (if I am still using one of their kits, that is)

* I initially wanted to purchase a 120 GB Samsung 950 Pro SSD to use as my OS drive, and use this 850 EVO for storage. I'm not sure that it is worth the money, though, when there is the possibility of affordable Intel Optane SSDs in the near future.

* I won't use a gaming GPU, but I am considering upgrading to a Quadro K1200, or using an equivalent FirePro card.

* I don't know much about CPU coolers or cases, and my choices might reflect that.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270 V5 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI C236A WORKSTATION ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($204.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($153.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K620 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($129.95 @ B&H)
Total: $1376.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 21:39 EDT-0400

Again, thank you for reading my post.

 

[StormBrew]

If you are absolutely set that you need ECC memory, than I think this system will be great:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270 V5 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI C236A WORKSTATION ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($204.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K1200 4GB Video Card ($256.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($129.95 @ B&H)
Total: $1448.16
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 23:28 EDT-0400
The 950, as you said, is a much faster SSD, and from what I've researched, Solidworks requires fast CPU core speeds, and fast SSD's to perform at peak efficiency.
The GPU I selected is slightly newer than the K620, and will perform faster in workloads.
The case is one of my personal favorites, and will work well for your goal, with the benefit of looking great.
The power supply is not as high tier, but is highly recommended, and still is a great model.

 

[Bearmann]

You should build around the i7 6700K. Click the tab hardware recommendations at the top:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Solidworks-150/Hardware-Recommendations

 

[StormBrew]

[strike]

You should build around the i7 6700K. Click the tab hardware recommendations at the top:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Solidworks-150/Hardware-Recommendations

OP already stated that he has so desire of over clocking his system, so the 6700k would be less powerful in his desired build.[/strike] I agree however, that if OP is willing to over clock, he will see greater performance[strike] than in the Xeon listed.[/strike]

 

[Bearmann]

You should build around the i7 6700K. Click the tab hardware recommendations at the top:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/recommended/Recommended-Systems-for-Solidworks-150/Hardware-Recommendations

OP already stated that he has so desire of over clocking his system, so the 6700k would be less powerful in his desired build. I agree however, that if OP is willing to over clock, he will see greater performance than in the Xeon listed.

The i7 6700K has a base clock frequency of 4.0GHz. It doesn't matter whether he overclocks it or not.

 

[StormBrew]

My bad, was thinking of the 6700.

 

[bambiboom]

I'm building an entry level Workstation for Solidworks and other CAD programs. I'm not running simulations or rendering, so I opted for the high-frequency quad-core Xeon E3-1270 v5. I don't game and I don't want to overclock my PC, so I picked the 3.6 GHz Xeon 1270 over an i7 6700k. I don't think I need ECC RAM at the moment, but I prefer to have the option available to me, and I have never had a problem with the Xeon-based machines which I use at work.

I really appreciate any advice or suggestions that you might have for me. My example build is listed below.

Notes: * I'm not particular to any brand of RAM, and I'll purchase a kit directly from Crucial when I place my order (if I am still using one of their kits, that is)

* I initially wanted to purchase a 120 GB Samsung 950 Pro SSD to use as my OS drive, and use this 850 EVO for storage. I'm not sure that it is worth the money, though, when there is the possibility of affordable Intel Optane SSDs in the near future.

* I won't use a gaming GPU, but I am considering upgrading to a Quadro K1200, or using an equivalent FirePro card.

* I don't know much about CPU coolers or cases, and my choices might reflect that.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1270 V5 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI C236A WORKSTATION ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 64GB (4 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($204.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($153.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY Quadro K620 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($129.95 @ B&H)
Total: $1376.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-09 21:39 EDT-0400

Again, thank you for reading my post.

Euclid314,

In my view, particularly with Solidworks, it's as well to look ahead to circumstances in which the projects are more complex and renderings are included in the output. Solidworks is one of the few programs that includes rendering that is fully CPU scalar- the more CPU cores the better- and the results of those renderings is extremely high quality.

CPU: For that reason, I'd suggest using LGA2011-3 which allows up to 18-core Xeons. However, for modeling, a high single-threaded performance is prefereable, and the best cost /performance Xeon in that respect is the Xeon E5-1650 v3 6-core @ 3.5 /3.8GHz.

Motherboard: For a single LGA2011-3, the X99 platform has fantastic performance and native M.2 disk support.

RAM: This has a memory bandwidth of 68GB/s with a maximum RAM of 768GB as compared to Xeon E3 which is 34.1 GB/s and 64GB RAM. I suggest ECC RAM

GPU: The GPU is important and as soon as the assemblies have any complexity, because of the way Solidworks integrates changes and stores them in history, the CPU, RAM, GPU, and disk all have to be good- that's about everything!. Solidworks may be the most Quadro-centric program and it's not worth considering anything else except the top end of AMD Firepros. But, I recommend taking at least one step up from the K620. I started with a Quadro K2200 (4GB) and about eight months later bought a K4200 (4GB)

DISK: M.2 on an X99 platform is a recipe for amazing disk performance and the Samsung SM 951 is a good value choice.

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BambiBoom PixelCannon Cadamodarendergrapharific iWork TurboBlast ExtremeSignature SuperModel 8000 ®©$$™®£™©™_ 1.16.15

1. CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3 Six-Core Processor 3.5 / 3.8GHz 0GT/s 15MB LGA 2011-v3 CPU> $565

http://ark.intel.com/products/82765/Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5-1650-v3-15M-Cache-3_50-GHz

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=E51650V3BX

2. CPU Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU cooler > $31.

3. Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard> $190

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-X99EXM4

4. RAM: 32GB (4X 8GB) Kingston ValueRAM 8GB 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM ECC Unbuffered DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000) Server Memory Model KVR21E15D8/8 > $180 ($45 each)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820242165&cm_re=DDR4-2133_8GB_ECC_unbuffered-_-20-242-165-_-Product

5. GPU: PNY Quadro K1200 VCQK1200DP-PB 4GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 ATX or SFF Workstation Video Card for DisplayPort> $257

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=PNY-1200DP

6. Disk 1: Samsung SM951 256GB (NVMe) MZVPV256HDGL-00000 MZ-VPV2560 Gen3 M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 256G SSD with a SSD protective case > $185 (OS, applications, working files) (2150 seq read / 1500 seq write).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K3K64159&cm_re=sm951_nvme-_-9SIA12K3K64159-_-Product

7. Disk 2: WD BLACK SERIES WD1003FZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive> $74 (Files, Backup, System Image)

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=HD-W13FZEX

8. PSU: Seasonic SSR-750RT 750W 80 PLUS Gold ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply w/ Active PFC> $100

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-S12G750

9. Optical: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24X SATA DVD±RW Internal Drive w/o Software (Black) SH-224DB $17.99

10. Case: Cooler Master Silencio 652S - Silent Mid Tower Computer Case with Sound Dampening Panels, Three Silencio FP 120 Fans, and Multiple Removable Air Filters > $110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6ZP3K32552&cm_re=Cooler_Master_Silencio_652S-_-11-119-303-_-Product

11. OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit w/ SP1 (1-Pack, DVD), OEM MSFQC04649 > $138.99

________________________________________________________

TOTAL = $ 1,839

Performance should be very, very good and the ability to change to an 8 or 10 core Xeon E5 v4 and 128GB of RAM makes it ready for anything in the future.

Another tactic for this system would be to buy a used workstation and by the fact of partial depreciation, costs may be redirected to the GPU. This also is an important time savings as it saves researching, sourcing, ordering, assembling, wiring, configuring, and testing a new system. For example:

HP Z640 Workstation Xeon E5-1650 v3 3.5GHz 6-Core 8GB DDR4 1TB DVDRW Win7 > $1,239

That example is a new, open box HP z640. This is an even more forward=looking system as the z640 may use dual Xeon E5-2600 series- you can have 22-cores /44 threads.

To the above system, increase the RAM to 32GB,a Samsung SM951 NVMe, and a used Quadro K4200 (4GB) This will push the $2000 budget but >

On Passmark Performance Test:

HP z640> E5-1650 v3 / Quadro K4200 / Samsung SM951 256GB NVMe / 48GB RAM

Rating: 5377
CPU: 13679
2D: 661
3D: 4445
Mem: 2535
Disk: 10286

That would be a very capable Solidworks system for years no matter what the project,

Cheers,

BambiBoom

Modeling:

1. HP z420 (2015) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 (6-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz) > 32GB DDR3 1866 ECC RAM > Quadro K4200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > Logitech z2300 speakers > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)>
[ Passmark Rating = 5064 > CPU= 13989 / 2D= 819 / 3D= 4596 / Mem= 2772 / Disk= 4555]
[Passmark V9.0 Beta Rating = 5019.1 > CPU= 14206 / 2D= 779 / 3D= 5032 / Mem= 2707 / Disk= 4760] 3.31.16
[Cinebench R15 > CPU = 1014 OpenGL= 126.59 FPS] 7.8.15

Rendering:

2. Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Revised) > 2X Xeon X5680 (6-core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz), 48GB DDR3 1333 ECC Reg. > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > PERC H310 / Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Logitech z313 > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (27", 1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3844 / CPU = 15047 / 2D= 662 / 3D= 3550 / Mem= 1785 / Disk= 2649] (12.30.15)

 

[cdrkf]

As someone who uses SolidWorks on a regular basis for some fairly complex models, you lot are seriously over stating how much horsepower you need. Most of the software is single threaded for one thing, so faster single thread is more important than massive core counts.

Also, to BambiBoom, I can attest that Solidworks does in actual fact run very well on FirePro cards. I'm currently using a (now quite dated) FirePro V5900, which is fully compatible and handles all the assemblies and large models I've thrown at it without issue.

32gb of ram is ample in my experience. Also as OP isn't bothered around rendering no need for that many cores.

One of the best performance enhancements for CAD is to ensure your data is on an SSD, as larger models involve a lot of disc accessing. I would recommend a large enough drive that you can store your models on it, than a smaller SSD + HDD for storage for this reason. Luckily you can get 500 and 1tb SSD's fairly reasonably these days.

A sensible SolidWorks build to me would be:
i5 6500
32gb of DDR4 ram (non ecc due to platform).
FirePro W4300 gpu
SSD

Edit: Here's a build that comes in comfortably under budget:
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/w4N6hq