Advice for building a 3D graphics workstation (Sketchup/AutoCAD/Revit/Corel) within a $2,500-3,000 budget.
Advice for building a 3D graphics workstation (Sketchup/AutoCAD/Revit/Corel) within a $2,500-3,000 budget.
Hi, everyone. I’m a newcomer to the forum, trying to get some guidance.
I’ve worked with hardware before and understand assembling systems, but my expertise is about four years old now. I’m trying to build a workstation for my design business, which is doing well—so I need something reliable—but it’s taking me down a lot of paths. I require powerful tools like Sketchup, Enscape, CorelDRAW, AutoCAD, and Revit. My priority isn’t raw frame rate; it’s about processing power, stability, and graphics quality.
I have a budget of $2,500, but I’m willing to go up to $3,000 if needed.
I’d suggest allocating around $500 for a NAS with RAID 0+1. A monitor is fine, no worries there.
Space isn’t an issue—I’m looking for a large tower or desktop with ample room. RGB lighting isn’t important to me; I prefer a sleek black finish. I’m open to any brand, whether Intel, AMD, Nvidia or ATI.
My main question is: should I choose a stronger CPU or focus on the most powerful graphics card? For example, should I invest $1,200 in a Threadripper or prioritize GPU and RAM instead?
When it comes to graphics cards, forums suggest needing a lot of video memory. But how much is too much? Should I go for 8GB, 10GB, or 12GB? At what point does the cost become unreasonable? This isn’t for gaming, just for handling complex 3D projects.
I’m torn between spending $700 on an RTX 3080 with 10GB or opting for the 3060 8GB and adding more RAM later. Should I pick a cheaper card or go all-in on the GPU?
I’m also wondering about RAM: should I spend $300 on a high-end card or invest in more RAM if possible?
There’s also the idea of starting with a decent SSD setup and expanding later. Should I plan for more modules in an array instead of swapping in faster ones? What strategies do people use if they expect to upgrade later?
All these choices are making me feel a bit lost—any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Alternatively, you don't require a high-end CPU for CAD work. It provides ample RAM and GPU VRAM capacity. The enclosure includes four 3.5" bays for flexibility. You can upgrade the GPU with two additional units and enable NV link if desired.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i7-13700 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor
($379.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Frost Tower 120 82 CFM CPU Cooler
($36.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
MSI MAG B760 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
($99.99 @ B&H)
Storage:
Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($88.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card:
PNY RTX A-Series RTX A4500 20 GB Video Card
($958.49 @ Amazon)
Case:
Lian Li LANCOOL III ATX Mid Tower Case
($132.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($104.99 @ Newegg)
Overall Cost:
$1971.34
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
Created by
PCPartPicker
2023-08-16 04:04 EDT-0400
You're right, it may be worth it to scale down the CPU and max out the video card.
While exploring the 20-24 GB area, I came across the Radeon RX 7900 XFX, which apparently has a much better benchmark than the RTX A4500. Of course, we all know how reliable benchmarks are... but still:
Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs RTX A4500 [2-Benchmark Showdown]
Comparing NVIDIA RTX A4500 with AMD RX 7900 XTX: technical specs, games and benchmarks.
technical.city
RTX A4500 vs Radeon RX 7900 XTX [videocardbenchmark.net] by PassMark Software
Hard to find more head-to-head comparisons, I guess they're in different "areas of interest"?
The RTX A4500 looks amazing and the specs are nice, but every benchmark I found so far is telling me to go with the RX 7900 XTX. Am I missing something here, or is this a case of an "older but workstation-oriented" card competing with a "newer but desktop-class" card?
I bumped up the specs to fill out my budget, check it out:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yrzvVW
What do you think?
(And yes, I need a UPS, the area I'm in has s**tty power, the current APC whines at least 1-2 times a day).
And the identical construction but using a Ryzen 9 7950 X3D, since I'm not sure, it seems the 3D V-Cache is causing some excitement among enthusiasts.
The studio-grade GPUs come with drivers and software tweaks for precise rendering and smooth performance within CAD programs.
If that’s not essential, opt for the RX 7900XT or XTX models.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/N9...de...-79tmercb9
Additional tips: avoid an AIO for the 13700, same applies to the Z790 motherboard. DDR4 is sufficient; consider Deepcool AK620 or Thermalright Frost commander 140.
I recommend sticking with the B760 and DDR4 setup.
When selecting an SSD, prioritize PCIe 4.0 models with the best random read/write speeds, not just sequential.
The Crucial P5 Plus is an excellent option and fits the budget well. Start with one 2TB drive and expand later if needed.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/VZ...ie...000p5pssd8
Also, consider adding three 4TB HDDs just in case—no single 12TB drive should suffice.
The case I chose includes 140mm intake fans and is quite quiet. It features a front panel USB-C port and offers a solid overall design.
The case selection isn’t perfect. You likely don’t need a 1200W power supply; a 1000W unit will do. Choose the 1050W GF3 model instead.
I’m not an expert on UPS systems, so the selection of a backup power unit is left to you.
If you prefer cube-style enclosures, check out the O11 dynamic.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Ykytt6/...-pc-o11dex
Also, a B650 motherboard will suffice:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/WB...te...s-elite-ax
X3D is useful for gaming, though not commonly used in CAD tools. Consider benchmarks before making a choice.
The most recent HDD reliability report from cloud backup provider Backblaze highlights which models experienced the highest and lowest failure rates last year. This data can help users understand performance trends. However, there is a consideration to keep in mind.