APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2 weeks
BUDGET RANGE: under $1000 USD
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: CAD (Civil 3D)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, OS (got Windows 7 64-bit)
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
PARTS PREFERENCES: I like the same things everyone else likes
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (why not right?)
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Only if it's cost effective. Wouldn't be against doing it as an upgrade
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is for my friend who is going to be starting his own business in about a year and he is going to be doing purely CAD on this computer. He is working for an engineering company now that is going to require him to have a computer at home that can run Civil 3D now though, so he can't wait on this build. One of the engineers that works for the company said they need 'the newest and fastest computers' to run it successfully. I'm assuming that means something prebuilt though so they probably aren't actually the newest and fastest. Anyways the system requirements for Civil 3D are:
* Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate/Business/Enterprise or Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 or SP3. Microsoft Windows XP 64 and Windows Vista 64 are supported in 32-bit compatibility mode only.
* Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® dual-core processor, 3 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
* 4 GB RAM ? suggested /3GB switch (on 32 bit operating systems)
* 7 GB disk space, 2 GB free after installation
* 1,280 x 1,024 display with true color, 1,600 x 1,200 or greater recommended (OpenGL® accelerator with full OGL ICD support not required), 32-bit color video display adapter (true color), 128 MB or greater, Direct3D®-capable workstation-class graphics card. Multiple monitors are supported.
* Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later.
* DVD drive
The specs don't seem that intimidating, but I'm thinking a computer with those specs would have some serious issues with large rendering projects. From what I know, most CAD programs are CPU intensive and RAM intensive. I would really, really like to fit an i7 into this build if possible. If not, then definitely a quad core. Here is one potential list I put together last night:
Mobo: ASRock X58 Extreme http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157163
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341017 (I'm not sure if this PSU is good enough, but it seems like an amazing deal after the reabte)
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115202
HD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136073
Monitor: ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236051
DVD: LG Black 22X http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136153
RAM: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231230 (this was the first thing I saw on the search that seemed good, but I don't know much about DDR3 RAM)
I looked at video cards but I didn't really know. I read the latest article that gave a recommendation to the Radeon 4770, but to me it seemed like a 4850 or 4830 was just as good. Don't want to pay too much for one though. He is most definitely planning on upgrading this build over time, which was kind of making me think a cheaper video card now wouldn't be a big deal. Also another reason to get an i7 build that will be good for awhile. He doesn't care about his case at all, he just wants to save money. I was thinking of just getting some pretty cheapo case and then adding a couple fans. Anyone have suggestions or ideas? Thanks in advance!
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