Need a CAD machine

[Wags1974]

I am currently running Solidworks and Autodesk Inventor on the machine in my signature. It runs fine but its time to go dual monitors and upgrade.

I am very interested in the core 2 duo 6300, and the special CAD graphics cards arent cheap, so I am wondering if there are any people out there who can fly through assemblies with the likes of a 8800GTX , or a 1950xt. I am under about a 2k$ price cap and that includes everything but case, dvd burners and peripherals. I will need a powersupply if I need something more than my old OCZ430 will put out.

Any ideas? Do I really need a CAD graphics card?

 

[SickBeast]

You don't need a CAD graphics card provided that:

- you will be doing 2D drafting
- if you do 3D modelling, it will be for small to mid-sized projects

For your budget you should be able to afford one though. I'm not up to date on the current cards. Nvidia has traditionally been the way to go.

 

[sjandrewbsme]

I run Solidworks 2007 Premium and AutoCAD on an Athlon64 3000+ system with a GeForce MX4000. It runs fine but can bog down on larger assemblies. AutoCAD runs on pretty much anything.

I've been reading on upgrades and I think video cards are overrated for solid modeling programs. From what I've read, the importance is CPU -> RAM (2GB at least) then Video Card. While the 8800GTX is a nice card, I'm not sure it's the best choice as the drivers aren't optimized for CAD.

Spend your budget on the RAM and CPU - I think a decent 6600GT will be plenty good for a video card. You can always run on non-shaded mode (not that important) if your V/C bogs down. Even my lowly MX4000 performs acceptably.

 

[RebateMonger]

Yeah. I have two CAD houses as clients. Both do 2-D design using AutoCAD. Their video cards are quite low-end by today's standards. What really shocks me is that NONE of them are using dual monitors. AutoCAD was probably the first application that supported multiple monitors, some twenty-odd years ago.

 

[Wags1974]

thanks, I also run solidworks premium w/cosmos. I noticed the dual xeon system we have at work with 2gb ram and a ati300xl graphics card runs solidworks worse than my home machine. Id still like to get it a little smoother during large assemblies.

I am talking about assemblies with 500-1000 3d parts. That in my opinion is a large assembly, not near the limit but pretty huge.

I do nothing but 3d modeling. Is solidworks even good for 2d? Never tried it for that.

 

[imported_Tick]

Hrm.... Sounds like the video card is holding back the work machines. What I would do, is replace the 2x512 sticks with 2x 1 GB sticks, stick in a 4600+, and maybe an FX1500, or possibly a 7900gt?

 

[Wags1974]

Thanks I hadnt considered that I could just upgrade processors and ram in current machine, I must have the itch.

 

[22hertz]

Let us know what you do and how it works out. Im also interested in building a CAD machine and would like the feedback if you dont mind.

 

[sjandrewbsme]

Originally posted by: Wags1974
thanks, I also run solidworks premium w/cosmos. I noticed the dual xeon system we have at work with 2gb ram and a ati300xl graphics card runs solidworks worse than my home machine. Id still like to get it a little smoother during large assemblies.

I am talking about assemblies with 500-1000 3d parts. That in my opinion is a large assembly, not near the limit but pretty huge.

I do nothing but 3d modeling. Is solidworks even good for 2d? Never tried it for that.

I think the assembly I'm currently working on has >500 parts (with fasteners). It's slow to load, but performs okay when loaded.

What I've found to be the very important thing for SW and COSMOS (esp COSMOS) is RAM. The .tmp files COSMOS can make are HUGE (when you're meshing) - I've seen 15GB .tmp files. Obviously, you can't have that much RAM. So, make sure you have a large and fast hard drive.

SW does do 2-D but it's a waste (it also has a built in CAD app that's very similar to AutoCAD - it shares 90% of the commands). I used SW at school and convinced my boss to get it - I use it for everything I can now. CAD is still faster for some things (especially if you have all the commands memorized like I do), but SW is an infinitely better program.

The way I look at it is that the CPU/RAM will help you for everything - SW, COSMOS, Flowworks, Motion, Photoworks (if you use it) and the other apps whereas a V/C will only help on your modeling. And...I would argue that the CPU/RAM would help you more there anyway (than a V/C upgrade).

Of all the places to spend your money, I think the V/C is LAST.

CPU -> RAM -> Hard Drive (RAID can really help when you're meshing) -> then V/C

 

[gerwen]

Did you say you only do solidworks 3d? No gaming?

If that's the case you want to at least have a look at workstation class OpenGL cards. You may get better performance from an OpenGL card + Ram than an entire system upgrade with a gaming card. Contact Solidworks to find out what the best performers are on their compatible hardware list.

Workstation OpenGL cards are optimized much differently than consumer level gaming cards.

Be prepared for sticker shock though. They make the top gaming cards look like a bargain.

 

[sjandrewbsme]

I'm pretty sure SW works better with D3D cards. But, that's my recollection - I could be wrong.