Help me spec out a CAD workstation

[drjones]

Hi, I have a client who needs to run the following software:

Adobe Suite: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
AutoCad 2014
Google Earth
Google Sketch Up Pro
3D X Max
Lumion 3D rendering software


Here's the workstation I configured for him. Is it overkill, way overkill, or just right? The price came out to a little over $3k & he was a little surprised. I had told him that a CAD workstation wouldn't be cheap, but I wonder if I didn't go overboard on this.

According to Dell's site, that K2000 is the least of what's recommended for AutoCAD.

Let me know what you think....thanks!


Dell Precision T3610 Tower Workstation

- INCLUDES Dell 24" Monitor
- Windows 7 Pro x64
- 3 year PRO Support Warranty
- Includes Dell speaker set.

Processor:
Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1603 (Quad Core, 2.8GHz Turbo, 10MB)

Memory:
16GB (4x4GB) 1866MHz DDR3 ECC RDIMM

Video Card:
2 GB NVIDIA® Quadro® K2000 (2DP & 1DVI-I) (2DP-DVI & 1DVI-VGA adapter)

RAID Configuration/Connectivity:
No RAID NORAID

HDD Controller:
Integrated Intel AHCI chipset SATA controller (2 x 6Gb/s, 4 x 3.0Gb/s) - SW RAID 0/1/5/10

BOOT Hard Drive:
256GB 2.5inch Serial ATA Solid State Drive

2nd Hard Drive:
1TB 3.5inch Serial ATA (7.200 Rpm) Hard Drive

Multi-Select Monitors:
Dell 24 Monitor - P2414H

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Not overkill IMO....I recently did one, also a Precision...had a slightly higher Xeon, did 16 gigs of RAM, had dual 10,000 rpm SAS drives done up in RAID 1. I typically prefer to do a second spindle....so pagefile can run across that also, but client wasn't needing too high of a performance box.

 

[TAPtech]

That's a good rig.

If he wants to render on it, you should push him into a HT cpu. Rendering (at least in SolidWorks photo plug in) uses all cores including hyper-thread cores. So an HT cpu will render substantially faster than a non HT.

K2000 is a great card.

CAD systems I would entertain custom builds (make sure to match the mobo/cpu/ram very well) as they can be worth it. I wouldn't consider custom building anything that Dell could do for under $2000.

 

[glricht]

FYI, here's the actual Dell Precision T3600 order I placed last August, 2013 for a mechanical engineer that uses AutoCad 2014 and some other graphics-type software. It's a year old now, but he's still very happy.

p.s. If I had to do it again, I'd probably go for 16GB of memory

Item Number Quantity Item Description

225-2089 1 Dell Precision T3600,MT,425W
317-8696 1 Four Core XEON E5-1607, 3.0GHz, 10M, Dell Precision T3600
317-9076 1 8GB DDR3 UDIMM 1600,NECC,4x2GB,Dell Precision
331-9586 1 Dell USB KB, English, WIN7/8, OptiPlex and Precision Desktop
320-3316 1 Monitor Option-None
490-BBCI 1 1 GB NVIDIA Quadro K600 (1DP and 1DVI-I) (1DP-DVI and 1DVI-VGA adapter)
342-3432 1 1TB,SATA,3.5",7200,32M
331-4815 1 C1 SATA 3.5 Inch,1-2 Hard Drive,Dell Precision T3600
318-1330 1 19 in 1,Media Card Reader,Dell Precision T3600
421-5607 1 Windows 7 Professional,No Media, 64-bit,Fixed Precision, English
330-6228 1 Windows 7 Label, OptiPlex, Fixed Precision, Vostro Desktop
421-5335 1 Dell Client System Update (Updates latest Dell Recommended BIOS, Drivers, Firmware and Apps),Precision Desktop
421-7814 1 Dell Data Protection Access, Precision Workstations
330-9458 1 Dell MS111 USB Optical Mouse,OptiPlex and Fixed Precision
342-5613 1 Integrated Intel controller, SATA 3Gb/s RAID 0/1/5/10 (4 ports), Dell Precision T3600
318-1326 1 8X DVD+/-RW,Data Only,Dell Precision T3600,T5600 and T7600
310-4279 1 Screw for Slim Opticals,Dell Precision T3600 and T5600
318-2231 1 Thank you for Choosing Dell
313-2663 1 No Speaker option
331-4098 1 Precision T3600,425W 90 Percent Efficiency Power Supply
342-2635 1 Enable Low Power Mode for EUP Compliance,Dell Precision Desktop
331-4090 1 Regulatory Label,Dell Precision T3600
330-3157 1 Power Cord,125V,2M,C13,Dell Precision
332-0472 1 Documentation (English), Dell Latitude and Precision Workstations
331-4107 1 RAID,CNTRL,INTEL,PAYG,A,T3600
330-3201 1 Energy Star Not Selected,Dell Precision Desktop
331-4113 1 No Out-of-Band Systems MGMT,Dell Precision T3600
330-4024 1 No Resource CD for Dell Precision Desktop
331-4816 1 NO RAID,Dell Precison Tx600
331-4094 1 Quick Reference Guide,English,Dell Precision T3600,T5600 and T7600
331-4091 1 Shipping Material for System,Dell Precision T3600
630-AABP 1 Microsoft Office Trial, MUI, OptiPlex, Precision, Latitude
938-3738 1 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus Service Extended Year(s)
934-7307 1 Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus Service Initial Year
994-2322 1 ProSupport: Next Business Day Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis 2 Year Extended
994-8050 1 ProSupport: Next Business Day Onsite Service After Remote Diagnosis Initial Year
989-3449 1 Thank you choosing Dell ProSupport. For tech support, visit http://support.dell.com/ProSupport or call 1-866-516-3115

994-2402 1 ProSupport : 7x24 Technical Support , 2 Year Extended
994-8190 1 ProSupport : 7x24 Technical Support , Initial
900-9987 1 Standard On-Site Installation Declined
421-5682 1 Media Kit,Win 7 Professional 64bit,MUI,Dell OptiPlex, Precision and Latitude
466-9489 1 PCmover Home-Free

Subtotal: $1,150.32
Shipping and Handling: $0.00
Sales Tax: $80.53
Total: $1,230.85

 

[layoric]

I actually work with a neighbor who's using auto cad to design systems for Google. Your ecc ram is correct. Didn't see if that's a business class video card or not, but it should be. I'd go instead with all ssd if possible, using mechanical for backup. Also ensure your monitors can be matched at the higher resolutions your card can handle. If you're going all ssd, ensure your mb can handle more ram than 16, he may want it later. May want to add in the data recovery insurance when buying the drive, as usually the working files can be worth several thousands of dollars. I would also go with more cores if possible.

 

[drjones]

Cool. I told my client I'd also double-check with my Dell rep who also agreed that I configured a pretty solid workstation for his needs.

We'll see if he can come to terms with the price.....thanks guys!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Cool. I told my client I'd also double-check with my Dell rep who also agreed that I configured a pretty solid workstation for his needs.

We'll see if he can come to terms with the price.....thanks guys!

Some key words to say.."Time is money...your time is valuable. A much higher performing machine allows you to do more work, in less time. A higher quality machine allows you to run problem free for more years than a cheaper residential grade computer. Your ROI over a 5 year period is better!"

(ROI is Return On Investment)

 

[drjones]

So now my client informs me he spoke with a different IT guy who said he should consider a Mac instead.....Any thoughts on that?

Are macs auto-desk certified like the Dell Precisions are?

 

[TAPtech]

Autodesk makes software for Mac but I am not sure about the licensing.

In other words, if he purchased some super expensive CAD software for Windows, he may need to purchase it again for Mac! I am not sure though, you will need to confirm with Autodesk.

That whole "Macs are better for graphics" bit doesn't really apply when you're talking about a high horsepower CAD machine. TBH most of my experience with CAD machines is for SolidWorks and that program does not run on anything but Windows.

 

[gikstar]

I like the HP Z800 for speed

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201150245131?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

This HP Z800 has 2 Xeon x5650 6 core processors, 24Gbs of ram

Passmark rating on the E5-1603 is 5,465
Passmark on dual X5650's is 11,747 a single cpu is 7,653

Need a better video card or dual TB hard drives or more ram? There are many variations to choose from: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...0more&_nkw=hp+z800+x5650&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=16

We have purchased these for our clients in the past.

 

[marley1]

Stick to Windows. Especially if you want to make money

One of my clients is an architect using Revit. Built him 2 years ago a i7,8gb,500gb ssd and 660ti and it's still running great for him.

Another client uses Dell Latitudes with i7, 8bg and nvidia from 2-3 year ago and still running great. The desktops are the t1700 with i7, radeon 8gb. Ssd in both. Work great.

You may be able to tone your back a little.

Should have good margin with dell. Go ssd