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pc for cad
Posted: 04 Nov 2023, 15:34
by echedey
good gentlemen, greetings I tell you a problem I have, I am setting up a pc for cad design for catia v5 and solidworks, and I do not know which graphics to mount in principle I have in mind a rtx a5000 but it goes me out of budget, by the experience of you which you recommend me, I want it for design project engines, chassis, suspension, boats, aeroplanes ect, also for cfd.
also the memory ram i want to put 64 gb but with a 6800 mhz?
What do you recommend me about the graphics card?
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 04 Nov 2023, 18:45
by e36jon
I can't speak to CATIA but for SolidWorks you should hit their website where they have actual recommended hardware, not just specs. If you don't find what you need to know on the SWX website check some of the user website for additional info. I have been running SWX on laptops for ~20 years with no performance issues. I over-spec my hardware (engineering workstation laptops with 64Gb of RAM and the highest spec graphics card I can swing.) relative to some coworkers that are running SWX on business class machines with no issue.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 21 Nov 2023, 02:33
by coaster
A word of warning echeday, if you run a bootleg copy of catia or solidworks you cannot use this computer for internet.
If you hit the help file, it automatically takes you to the company website, they instantly recieve your license an your IP address, if the license is bootleg you will recieve a letter in the mail from catia or solidworks.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 21 Nov 2023, 16:42
by gandharva
echedey wrote: ↑04 Nov 2023, 15:34
good gentlemen, greetings I tell you a problem I have, I am setting up a pc for cad design for catia v5 and solidworks, and I do not know which graphics to mount in principle I have in mind a rtx a5000 but it goes me out of budget, by the experience of you which you recommend me, I want it for design project engines, chassis, suspension, boats, aeroplanes ect, also for cfd.
also the memory ram i want to put 64 gb but with a 6800 mhz?
What do you recommend me about the graphics card?
https://www.solidworks.com/de/support/h ... ification/
https://www.3ds.com/support/hardware-an ... gurations/
Is this a private project or business? If private I would always go for retail hardware if possible. You can get a decent rig with 7800X3D/RTX4070 and 64GB Ram for sub 2k € if you build it yourself.
Btw. I know people that are running solidworks on a potato laptop with iGPU.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 21 Nov 2023, 19:48
by ME4ME
gandharva wrote: ↑21 Nov 2023, 16:42
Btw. I know people that are running solidworks on a potato laptop with iGPU.
Indeed when my new Dell workstation crashed I also ran on old hardware for some days and it was OK. No need for the best CPU and GPU.
My recommendation is get a large and fast SSD. At least 32GB RAM and a very good monitor, as well as a 3D Connexion space mouse.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 08 Feb 2025, 19:57
by thermo86
CAD doesn't need an A5000 to run well. Not unless you are getting into very large assemblies. The A3000 is [in my experience] a good middle ground.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 08 Feb 2025, 21:59
by Espresso
Save your bucks. The a3000/a4500 are more then good enough.
It’s the number of cores and not the speed thats (more) important
Which clears Budget for:
- Backup Harddisk (Backup, backup, did I mention backup?
Balance your budget. Don‘t overspend to get the newest of the newest .
(Aargh.. responding to a thread started in 2023…realizing how in reality graphics card development isn’t really progressing…)
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 09 Feb 2025, 13:08
by falonso81
The RTX 3060 or 3070 will meet your requirements if the RTX A5000 exceeds your available budget. The GPUs perform exceptionally well for CAD tasks and should process these operations efficiently alongside design projects and CFD applications. The performance needs of CAD and 3D modeling can be met with a 1660 Ti or 2060 Super as well as an RTX 3060 or 3070 but the 1660 Ti and 2060 Super offer less expensive alternatives.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 09 Feb 2025, 23:18
by Billzilla
falonso81 wrote: ↑09 Feb 2025, 13:08
The RTX 3060 or 3070 will meet your requirements if the RTX A5000 exceeds your available budget. The GPUs perform exceptionally well for CAD tasks and should process these operations efficiently alongside design projects and CFD applications. The performance needs of CAD and 3D modeling can be met with a 1660 Ti or 2060 Super as well as an RTX 3060 or 3070 but the 1660 Ti and 2060 Super offer less expensive alternatives.
Can confirm as I have a 3070 in this PC and it's been quite good with Solidworks.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 11 Feb 2025, 07:55
by Tzk
Espresso wrote: ↑08 Feb 2025, 21:59
It’s the number of cores and not the speed thats (more) important
While the rest of your post is true, the statement above isn't. CAD software has been and is still single-threaded and thus directly bound to the speed of a single core. Yes, for certain tasks you'll need a lot of cores (CFD, FEM, rendering), but for general modeling the task isn't run parallel on lots of cores. So make sure to get a cpu which got enough single-thread power and still has a decent amount of cores. Do not buy a beefy server cpu which usually runs at quite low clocks. Also SWX afaik doesn't benefit from AMDs X3D cpus and lots of on-die cache.
I'd buy a decent 8-12 core cpu like the AMD 9700/9900 or a similar intel. add 32gb or 64gb of ram and a smallish quadro gpu and you're all set.
Re: pc for cad
Posted: 11 Feb 2025, 10:41
by scheffers
Tzk wrote: ↑11 Feb 2025, 07:55
Espresso wrote: ↑08 Feb 2025, 21:59
It’s the number of cores and not the speed thats (more) important
While the rest of your post is true, the statement above isn't. CAD software has been and is still single-threaded and thus directly bound to the speed of a single core. Yes, for certain tasks you'll need a lot of cores (CFD, FEM, rendering), but for general modeling the task isn't run parallel on lots of cores. So make sure to get a cpu which got enough single-thread power and still has a decent amount of cores. Do not buy a beefy server cpu which usually runs at quite low clocks. Also SWX afaik doesn't benefit from AMDs X3D cpus and lots of on-die cache.
I'd buy a decent 8-12 core cpu like the AMD 9700/9900 or a similar intel. add 32gb or 64gb of ram and a smallish quadro gpu and you're all set.
Exactly!, single core power still is king for most of Solidworks, specially sketches with lots of patterns and stuff like this need a lot of single core power. Running a RTX A2000 in my work laptop, but it never really gets stressed for the work i do. Mainly mechanical engineering work, so basically drafting products/assemblies. Running a i7-12800H , specifically because it is reasonably good single core for a laptop, still struggeling often because of the way Solidworks uses the processor unfortunatly.
So the best tip is to see what kind of work you'll be using it for, and which route to take on the processor of GPU accordingly. Drafting or rendering, 2d-drawings or CAE work etc..