Hello all,
My friend has asked me to put together a new computer for her. She is an architect and needs to use AutoCAD, however she does not think she will need to use the 3D features very often, if at all.
What she wants is a speedy general purpose computer that can also run 2D AutoCAD smoothly with duel screens.
What I’m not sure about is whether or not a discrete GPU is necessary, and if not, would we be better off getting an AMD APU or an Intel? I have read somewhere that for the 2D stuff, having fast RAM and a good CPU is more important, but nearly every article/forum I have found has been focussed on 3D AutoCAD.
The budget is not really set in stone; just try to get all the performance she needs for as little as possible.
What do you guys think?
since she doesn't sound like an "enthusist overclocker" I think it would be best to go with maybe a locked intel chip and something cheap like H61 or H77
it says autocad benifits from Nvidia cards but I think HD 4000 should be plenty for 2D
hell my friend runs maya on HD 4000
for a $500 build
don't forget the promo codes
the heatsink is if the computer gets too loud or hot and can be added in at any point, the only overclocking supported is GPU and Bclk
personally I'd bump the Bclk up to 102 for a little boost if you have thermal headroom
always run a very high test of intel burn in test for any overclocking to make sure its rockstable
Here is my argument why intel would be better at a $500 Price point. Sure the 3570K is more expensive than a 8320 but you'd need to buy a graphics card seeing as that any board that supports both the the 83xx series and 125w CPUs without a initial bios update that have onboard graphics
so you'd need to drop down to a 6300FX and a GPU that is less powerful than HD4000
here is how a 6300FX compares to a 3570K
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/699?vs=701
the 3570K beats it
here is the manual, refer to page 56 for an idea of what the A.I. tweaker will look like, you'll need to change some settings to get it up to 2000-2133Mhz
Thank you! I am a little limited in where to buy from as we are in New Zealand. I was thinking of using this site: http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/ as it is where I bought my rig recently and they had really good service. As for the 3570K, I agree that she would be very unlikely to overclock it, so a locked CPU might be better value. Also as we are going without the GPU do you think there would be much difference between the HD 4000 graphics and the APU graphics for something like 2D AutoCAD (she won’t be playing any games). If not which would give more speed for the money for general use (like browsing the internet etc)?
well did say a locked one would be a better value but only the 3225, 3570K, 3770K, and 3770S have HD 4000 and the rest have HD 2500 or none at all
also the APUs are fairly weak in respect to the intel i5s, I don't think the GPU acceleration they could offer would balance out the weak CPU end
um how much is average (like 500 US in whatever NZ uses?)
intel for sure. i5 or even i3. fast ram. ssd's up the wazu. fast ram as well, at least 8 gigs. integrated gfx will do just fine
Thank you agin,
At the moment 500 USD is about 600 NZD, but computers are expensive here. I would say that the same build you suggested would cost about $1000 (but this is what we expected, so its not a problem). Can HD 4000 run dual 1080p screens? As for 3225 vs 3570 I will have to ask her if she is willing to pay for the extra performance.
How much difference do you reckon an i5 would make vs an i3? The 2D AutoCAD is going to be the most demanding thing she runs.
let me know if she doesn't need much space or already owns a external drive, then we'll swap that HDD out for a SSD
She dosen't need much space, I was thinking of going for an SSD aswell.