New CAD Build Need Advice!

[evanmoore]

Hi,

 

I want to build a system primarily used for CAD work. I am currently at University and I need a computer that can handle Rhino, Sketchup and Keyshot with ease. There is a chance I will need it to run programs like 3ds Max and Autodesk Alias in the future so It would be good if it was well suited to those as well. My budget is £900. I don't want to overclock. I want the computer to be compact so I want it to be a mini ATX or ITX build.

The build as it stands-

 

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£198.71 @ Amazon UK)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£67.99 @ Amazon UK)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£51.72 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.09 @ Amazon UK)

Video Card: PNY Quadro K620 2GB Video Card (£144.54 @ CCL Computers)

Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£64.99 @ Novatech)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£49.79 @ Aria PC)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.55 @ CCL Computers)

Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (£9.79 @ CCL Computers)

Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£179.70 @ CCL Computers)

Total: £851.87

(operating system extra £50)

 

I am looking for particular advice regarding the graphics card. Should I get the K620 or the GTX 760 or something completely else? I would also appreciate advice on whether the psu is a good choice and would much appreciate any other suggestions and opinions or experience regarding the other parts as I am still a little unsure on some of them.

 

Many Thanks.

[Nikolaos M]

Another suggestion:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor (£229.98 @ Aria PC)

CPU Cooler: RAIJINTEK THEMIS 65.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£19.99 @ Amazon UK)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£67.60 @ Aria PC)

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£54.51 @ Amazon UK)

Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£72.94 @ Aria PC)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.89 @ Amazon UK)

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (£106.20 @ Amazon UK)

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£32.86 @ CCL Computers)

Power Supply: Antec TruePower Classic 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£51.93 @ Dabs)

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.55 @ CCL Computers)

Monitor: Dell U2414H 60Hz 23.8" Monitor (£179.70 @ CCL Computers)

Total: £868.15

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-27 19:53 GMT+0000

 

+ the OS.

 

I understand the thinking behind the E3-1231 choice, but I would prefer to have the integrated gpu as a reserve. Sometimes graphics cards fail, and the integrated comes in handy.

 

I don't think you need a quadro with this budget, especially the K620. 750Ti is cheaper and should be good enough for your job and better compared to the K620 in Autodesks viewports. On the other hand, I think Rhino is accelerated by OpenGL, so in this case the K620 might have an advantage. D. Tolios should know more about this stuff. Wait for his opinion.

 

The case you see in the list above is a fairly good choice and with great vfm. It has two pre-installed case fans and a very good design in regard to space management.

 

You don't need a 550W psu, but the Antec above had a great price compared to others, so why not.

 

Finally, I added a hdd for data storage. If you already have one, then buy 2x8gb of RAM. 8gb is a minimum in these builds. I chose 1x8gb with the perspective of upgrading at some point.

Edited March 27, 2015 by nikolaosm