First Build: CAD/CAM and New to Gaming

Narf

Junior Member
Dec 11, 2018
5
0
11
Hi All,

New to the forum and looking to build my first computer. I'm hoping to get a little direction as i am a bit overwhelmed by all the options. I'll cut to the chase and let me know if you need more info.

1. I will use this for side jobs including CAD/CAM (Fusion 360, Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD), Javascript programming with Visual Studio Code, and i would like to start gaming on PC as well (PUBG, Fortnite).

2. I would like to come in under $800 if possible

3. i live in the US

4. null

5. i'm not a fanboy, but i do like what AMD is doing with Ryzen

6. A friend gave me a large Antec case with 3 fans and corsair 650TX PSU i will use as a head-start

7. i will be starting with default speeds, but i like to tinker so i could see myself overclocking

8. no idea what resolution size monitor i'll be using. ideas?

9. I would like to build asap, but with the recent speculation on Ryzen 3000 series i am contemplating waiting.

10. i have all software covered including windows 10 pro

Here is the build i am leaning towards with my research thus far:
1. Ryzen 5 2600 $159 at amazon currently( worth waiting for 3600x? or paying for 2700?)
2. msi b450 tomohawk motherboard $115
3. 2 TB seagate HDD $55
4. ADATA 256 gb SSD sata 3 $45
5. corsair 2x8gb 3200 ddr4 $130
6. gpu: i need help with this i'm leaning towards a 1070ti...i;ve been looking used on ebay. i think i can get one for $250?

anything i missed or any recomendations? thanks for you input
 

Farmer

Diamond Member
Dec 23, 2003
3,345
2
81
The only thing particularly intensive would be to cut down render times if you actually render (most people who do CAD/CAM never need a HQ render).

I think your build is fine. I've done the things you want to do with much older computers.
 

Narf

Junior Member
Dec 11, 2018
5
0
11
The only thing particularly intensive would be to cut down render times if you actually render (most people who do CAD/CAM never need a HQ render).

I think your build is fine. I've done the things you want to do with much older computers.
Thanks for your input. I do not foresee myself doing any rendering.

One thing I forgot was i will also need a monitor. I'm really clueless on resolution and hertz, etc. any advice on what to look for?
 

RLGL

Platinum Member
Jan 8, 2013
2,062
294
126
Monitor? Power Supply? Mouse? Keyboard? Case?
How old is that power supply ? If is close to the end of its warranty period I would not use it.
If you are going to render, will you be using an app that uses the CPU or the GPU?
A 650 watt power supply and a 1070ti GPU is borderline safe.
 

AnnoyedGrunt

Senior member
Jan 31, 2004
596
24
81
I am a mechanical engineer and do CAD in Solidworks/Pro-E/Creo for my job. I also just built a gaming computer for home, so here are some thoughts:

1. Typical CAD uses the geometry processing of a GPU, but does not stress the shaders. Almost any modern GPU will do fine, but a GTX 1070 Ti is a great choice and will run games quite well in addition to CAD. HOWEVER, in the past, some CAD programs had a limit on the number of windows that could be open simultaneously when running a consumer graphics card. Usually the limit is reasonably high (like 5 or so), but that can be a factor when trying to individually edit multiple parts. I know Pro/E used to have this limit, but not sure about Inventor. Might be worth researching to see if getting a low-end Quadro card would help in certain areas. For CAD, if you do find that a Quadro card would work better, you can likely use something as simple as a P600 or P620. Both are under $200 from newegg. They likely won't game worth a crap though.

2. I think going with a Ryzen build makes a lot of sense as the AM4 platform seems to be pretty stable and it sounds like it will be around for at least the 3XXX series and maybe even past that. Therefore, getting something like a 2600 now and then upgrading to a 3XXX in a few years (it the 3XXX series is that much better) could be a good option.

3. Solidworks is mostly single threaded, so reasonably fast single threaded performance is good. Again, not sure about inventor, but at least for SWX it doesn't make sense to get very high core count CPU unless you are doing quite a bit of simulation. A 2600 seems like a reasonable middle ground between maximizing single core and multi core performance.

4. Regarding motherboards, I am a fan of the ITX boards, since they seem to pack in great features at relatively low prices. I also like their small size. You do get limited in RAM slots, which might be an issue if you foresee an upgrade in the future. I think 16 GB will be plenty for a long time but I also think most motherboards are quite good these days and you can't go too far wrong.

5. For storage, SSD's of any kind are a huge improvement over a HDD. A fast SSD is a minimal improvement (maybe not even noticeable in everyday use) over a slow SSD. At least this is what I find in my use. I would get the largest SSD for the best price no matter the type. Not sure how much storage you need, but instead of getting a 256 GB SSD and a 2 TB HDD for $100 total, I would spend $120 for a 1 TB SSD (MX500 for $118 at newegg right now). The MX500 is a very solid drive and that is a good price for 1TB. If you really need the extra space, then maybe you still need a HDD, but after using SSDs, I wouldn't go back to an HDD for anything other than cold storage. This might be a place to stretch your budget.

6. Monitor: Stretch your budget here if at all possible! A good monitor can last a long time, and it is your primary interface to your computer. An awesome computer will suck if you have a crap monitor. At work I have a 30" and 24" Dell monitor. The 30" is a 2560 x 1600 resolution, while the 24" is 1920 x 1200. My laptop is a 15" with a 4K screen, but SWX does not play well with 4K and windows scaling, so I just run it a half (1920 x 1080). As a windows user I would not bother with a 4K display until windows can handle the resolution scaling as well as a Mac (or modern phone). At home I just purchased a 27", 2560 x 1440, Acer gaming monitor. IPS, 144 Hz refresh, G-sync. It is very nice. Definitely recommend something like that. Large enough that I can easily see text and icons at native resolution, but not so large that I have a hard time seeing the whole screen.


For what it's worth, I do all my work on a Dell Precision Workstation LAPTOP! It has an intel CPU, Quadro M2000, 16 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD for local working files. I have a docking station that allows me to connect to multiple monitors. I think any modern desktop will handle even complex CAD work with relative ease. It is mostly the rendering or simulation aspects where the high performance aspects really come into play (and gaming).


-AG
 

Narf

Junior Member
Dec 11, 2018
5
0
11
Monitor? Power Supply? Mouse? Keyboard? Case?
How old is that power supply ? If is close to the end of its warranty period I would not use it.
If you are going to render, will you be using an app that uses the CPU or the GPU?
A 650 watt power supply and a 1070ti GPU is borderline safe.
Thanks for the heads up on the power supply. i believe it is about 5-6 years old. i better just get a new one. what do you recommend for wattage?
 

Narf

Junior Member
Dec 11, 2018
5
0
11
I am a mechanical engineer and do CAD in Solidworks/Pro-E/Creo for my job. I also just built a gaming computer for home, so here are some thoughts:

1. Typical CAD uses the geometry processing of a GPU, but does not stress the shaders. Almost any modern GPU will do fine, but a GTX 1070 Ti is a great choice and will run games quite well in addition to CAD. HOWEVER, in the past, some CAD programs had a limit on the number of windows that could be open simultaneously when running a consumer graphics card. Usually the limit is reasonably high (like 5 or so), but that can be a factor when trying to individually edit multiple parts. I know Pro/E used to have this limit, but not sure about Inventor. Might be worth researching to see if getting a low-end Quadro card would help in certain areas. For CAD, if you do find that a Quadro card would work better, you can likely use something as simple as a P600 or P620. Both are under $200 from newegg. They likely won't game worth a crap though.

2. I think going with a Ryzen build makes a lot of sense as the AM4 platform seems to be pretty stable and it sounds like it will be around for at least the 3XXX series and maybe even past that. Therefore, getting something like a 2600 now and then upgrading to a 3XXX in a few years (it the 3XXX series is that much better) could be a good option.

3. Solidworks is mostly single threaded, so reasonably fast single threaded performance is good. Again, not sure about inventor, but at least for SWX it doesn't make sense to get very high core count CPU unless you are doing quite a bit of simulation. A 2600 seems like a reasonable middle ground between maximizing single core and multi core performance.

4. Regarding motherboards, I am a fan of the ITX boards, since they seem to pack in great features at relatively low prices. I also like their small size. You do get limited in RAM slots, which might be an issue if you foresee an upgrade in the future. I think 16 GB will be plenty for a long time but I also think most motherboards are quite good these days and you can't go too far wrong.

5. For storage, SSD's of any kind are a huge improvement over a HDD. A fast SSD is a minimal improvement (maybe not even noticeable in everyday use) over a slow SSD. At least this is what I find in my use. I would get the largest SSD for the best price no matter the type. Not sure how much storage you need, but instead of getting a 256 GB SSD and a 2 TB HDD for $100 total, I would spend $120 for a 1 TB SSD (MX500 for $118 at newegg right now). The MX500 is a very solid drive and that is a good price for 1TB. If you really need the extra space, then maybe you still need a HDD, but after using SSDs, I wouldn't go back to an HDD for anything other than cold storage. This might be a place to stretch your budget.

6. Monitor: Stretch your budget here if at all possible! A good monitor can last a long time, and it is your primary interface to your computer. An awesome computer will suck if you have a crap monitor. At work I have a 30" and 24" Dell monitor. The 30" is a 2560 x 1600 resolution, while the 24" is 1920 x 1200. My laptop is a 15" with a 4K screen, but SWX does not play well with 4K and windows scaling, so I just run it a half (1920 x 1080). As a windows user I would not bother with a 4K display until windows can handle the resolution scaling as well as a Mac (or modern phone). At home I just purchased a 27", 2560 x 1440, Acer gaming monitor. IPS, 144 Hz refresh, G-sync. It is very nice. Definitely recommend something like that. Large enough that I can easily see text and icons at native resolution, but not so large that I have a hard time seeing the whole screen.


For what it's worth, I do all my work on a Dell Precision Workstation LAPTOP! It has an intel CPU, Quadro M2000, 16 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD for local working files. I have a docking station that allows me to connect to multiple monitors. I think any modern desktop will handle even complex CAD work with relative ease. It is mostly the rendering or simulation aspects where the high performance aspects really come into play (and gaming).


-AG
Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience. This was great info and will be very helpful. Inventor is similar to solid works with CPU usage.
I will start looking for 144 hz monitors. After looking at my case it only has two fans. Do you think this will adequatley keep things cool enough?
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Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

AnnoyedGrunt

Senior member
Jan 31, 2004
596
24
81
I looked up reviews of the corsair TX650 power supply, and they seemed quite positive. Seems like it was made by Seasonic, which is my preferred PSU supplier. My older computer is running an S12, and my new build is using a Platinum 650. I've had great success with the S12, and it has kept my computer powered up during questionable power periods while other appliances (such as TV's) have power cycled. All this is to say that there is a strong probability that the PSU is still fine. Much will depend on how often and severely it was used during its life so far.

Regarding the case, not sure if there is room to put a couple fans in front of the drive bays. Right now the case is setup in a negative pressure configuration (both fans exhausting air, and pulling air through every available avenue). This type of setup allows dust to be sucked into the case through all crevices. If it is possible to add a fan or two to the front blowing in, that might allow a more balanced, or even positive pressure setup. A positive pressure setup is nice because air would be entering the case only through the fans (which can be filtered) and will exit everywhere else. It therefore might be nice to play around with the fan arrangement in order to keep the interior cleaner.

However, even without changing anything, the case may still suffice. It may not be as cool as a modern case with a couple very large fans covering the entire front panel, but it may still work fine for your needs. If all else fails, you can always run with a side panel removed to determine how badly the case is affecting the airflow.

-T
 

Narf

Junior Member
Dec 11, 2018
5
0
11
I looked up reviews of the corsair TX650 power supply, and they seemed quite positive. Seems like it was made by Seasonic, which is my preferred PSU supplier. My older computer is running an S12, and my new build is using a Platinum 650. I've had great success with the S12, and it has kept my computer powered up during questionable power periods while other appliances (such as TV's) have power cycled. All this is to say that there is a strong probability that the PSU is still fine. Much will depend on how often and severely it was used during its life so far.

Regarding the case, not sure if there is room to put a couple fans in front of the drive bays. Right now the case is setup in a negative pressure configuration (both fans exhausting air, and pulling air through every available avenue). This type of setup allows dust to be sucked into the case through all crevices. If it is possible to add a fan or two to the front blowing in, that might allow a more balanced, or even positive pressure setup. A positive pressure setup is nice because air would be entering the case only through the fans (which can be filtered) and will exit everywhere else. It therefore might be nice to play around with the fan arrangement in order to keep the interior cleaner.

However, even without changing anything, the case may still suffice. It may not be as cool as a modern case with a couple very large fans covering the entire front panel, but it may still work fine for your needs. If all else fails, you can always run with a side panel removed to determine how badly the case is affecting the airflow.

-T
I had a psu blow up and ruin the motherboard on my college pc years ago and i want to minimize the risk of that again so i picked up a 750W corsair 80+gold. This pc was an office computer so i believe it was used a lot. I found more info on the case and have ordered 4 more fans. i can put 2 up front behind the filter and one on both side panels. i'll play around with exhaust vs intake. My old man gave me a asus 27" 192x1080 60 hz 1ms monitor he had laying around. I think that will work well to start with.

I believe i have everything now but the 1070 ti and backup hdd. hopefully i'll get them ordered tonight and be building by the weekend. any advice on a cheap mouse and keyboard? i'm new to gaming and have a wirelss mx master, but i think i've heard it's better to have a wired mouse?