If you are a professional who are into 3D modelling & design, and want to build a powerful budget workstation computer for SolidWorks, AutoCAD, 3D Animation / graphics and CAD /CAE / Graphics softwares then this guide will tell you on how to do so. A CAD workstation computer can be very expensive because it needs expensive and specialized workstation components that are very costly than the regular or gaming hardware components. The budget for a CAD Workstation PC can easily go over thousands of dollars with just few components only. No everyone can afford such an expensive workstation computer for CAD.
However, you can build a very good budget workstation PC for CAD / CAE softwares by selecting the right components and not going every time for the workstation components. So, Here in this post I am going to tell you on how you can build a budget CAD workstation computer for SolidWorks, AutoCAD, 3D Animation / Graphics and other professional softwares related to modelling and designing. This budget workstation desktop PC is pretty powerful and can fulfill all your professional needs without putting a deep hole in your pocket.
This budget CAD Workstation PC is suitable for Architectures, Civil Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Facilities Manager, Designers, Drafters, Mechanical Engineers, Structural Engineers, Surveyors, Manufacturing Engineers, Acoustics Engineers, Fire Protection Engineers, Food Services Designers and other profession involving CAD / CAE Work.
Check out: Build Budget Video Editing PC for 1080p & 4K Editing
Best Budget Components for CAD Workstation PC
Here are the best budget components that you can get for building a budget workstation desktop for SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Autodesk Maya, 3D Graphics Softwares / Animation Softwares or other CAD / CAE softwares that are used for engineering and designing work.
Processor
Intel Core i5-8600K
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CPU or Processor is the main component of any PC whether it is a gaming PC or a workstation PC. For gaming you can settle for an average processor but for CAD or CAE softwares like SolidWorks, Maya, AutoCAD, you need a pretty powerful processor even if you are on budget. Here for CPU, I have chosen Intel Core i5 8600K Processor which is a 6-Core Hexa-core processor having 9MB cache and base / boost clock speed of 3.6 GHz and 4.30 GHz.
This is an 8th generation coffee lake processor from Intel based on the newer LGA 1151 Socket which is incompatible with the Kaby Lake motherboards having LGA 1151 Socket. This is a pretty powerful processor that is good for gaming as well as for professional or workstation use. The processor is built on the 14nm fabrication process and comes with unlocked multiplier. This means you can overclock this processor to much higher clock speeds or frequencies on a good CPU cooler, preferably a liquid CPU cooler. It supports DDR4-2666 RAM up to 64GB and comes with integrated graphics which is Intel UHD Graphics 630. It does lack support for the ECC memory but we don’t need it now because we are building a budget workstation computer. The power consumption of this processor stands at 95W TDP which is on the moderate side.
| Intel Core i5-8600K Processor Specifications | |
| Clock Speed | 3.60 GHz / 4.30 GHz (Base / Turbo) |
| No. of Cores | 6 Cores / 6 Threads |
| Cache Size | 9MB |
| Socket Type | LGA 1151 |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
Buy Intel Core i5-8600K Processor
CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
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For Intel Core i5 8600K CPU, I have selected Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler which is a very popular and reliable CPU Cooler from Cooler Master. This budget CPU Cooler comes with a 120mm Fan and 4 Copper Heatpipes that has direct contact with the CPU, which is Cooler Master’s patented CDC (Continuous Direct Contact) technology. This allows for better heat dissipation and reduced CPU temperatures. This CPU Cooler is pretty easy to install and is also very quiet in operation. It comes bundled with all the CPU mounting plates / brackets, installation kit and thermal paste. You may also perform a bit of overclocking on this CPU cooler but if you really want to do some serious overlclocking then you should get a AIO Liquid CPU Cooler with at least two fans / dual radiators.
| Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Specifications | |
| Supported Sockets | Intel LGA 2066 / 2011-3 / 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 1151 / 1150 Socket and AMD AM4 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 / FM2+ / FM2 / FM1 Socket |
| Fan Size & RPM | 120mm PWM Fan, 600 – 2000 RPM |
| Heat Pipes | 4 Copper Heat pipes (direct contact with CPU, CDC technology) |
| Features | CDC (Continuous Direct Contact), Low Fan noise, dual fan design, All in one mounting solution |
Buy Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard
MSI Z370-A PRO Motherboard
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The motherboard I have selected for this CPU is MSI Z370-A PRO Motherboard. This is a pretty affordable Intel Z370 chipset motherboard for latest 8th generation Coffee Lake Processors. It is an ATX form factor motherboard and it comes will advanced features and all necessary expansion ports. The motherboard supports overclocking and it comes with dual PCI-E x16 slots for graphics cards, and supports 2-Way CrossFire dual GPU setup. It supports DDR4 up to 4000 MHz in OC mode and includes M.2 slot for NVMe SSDs, M.2 SSDs and Intel Optane Memory.
This is a solidly built motherboard with heavy duty heatsinks for optimum cooling. Other features of this motherboard include onboard 7.1 channel audio, Gigabit LAN, CrossFire support, Click BIOS 5, VR Ready, Double ESD Protection, PCI-E Steel Armor PCI-E Steel Armor for heavy graphics cards, DDR4 Boost, Audio Boost, USB 3.1 ports.
| MSI Z370-A PRO Motherboard Specifications | |
| Socket Type | LGA 1151 |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| Chipset | Intel Z370 |
| RAM Support | DDR4 4000+ (OC), up to 64GB, Dual Channel |
| Slots | DIMM x 4, PCI-Ex16 x 2, PCIex1 x 1, M.2 x 1 (up to 32Gb/s) |
| Ports | SATAIII x 6, USB 3.1 x 8, USB 2.0 x 6, VGA, DVI-D, DisplayPort |
| Features | Onboard 8 channel audio, Gigabit LAN, 2-way CrossFire support, Overclocking support, UEFI BIOS, PCI-E Steel Armor, VR Ready |
Buy MSI Z370-A PRO Motherboard
RAM
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4
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For a workstation PC, you will need at least 16GB of memory to work with softwares like SolidWorks, AutoCAD etc.. Here I have picked Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM having maximum clock speed of 3000 MHz. It is a high-quality memory and gives amazing performance in games as well in other applications. It supports Intel XMP 2.0 profiles for automatic and easy overclocking.
This is a low profile RAM that consist slim low profile aluminum heat spreaders that keeps it from getting hot in stressed environments. If you feel you need more memory then you can upgrade your RAM to 32GB by getting another 16GB Kit of this RAM. This DDR4 RAM supports both dual channel and quad channel memory configurations.
Check out: Best DDR4 Memory for Intel and AMD Gaming PC
| Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 RAM Specifications | |
| RAM Type | DDR4 (288 pin) |
| Capacity | 2 x 8GB |
| Clock Speed | 3000MHz |
| Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Buy Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 RAM
Solid State Drive (SSD)
Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500GB
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For a CAD Workstation PC you have to go for a SSD for faster loading of your 3D models and for other processing involved in a CAE / CAD software. Here we have got Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD which is a very fast SATA III solid state drive. This is a 2.5-inch solid state drive that has got sequential read and write speeds of 540 Mb/s and 520 MB/s respectively. This SSD from Samsung uses V-NAND flash memory chips and has got reliability of 2 Million Hours Reliability (MTBF). This is a great SSD for both gaming and workstation needs because of its amazing performance and high reliability.
| Samsung SSD 850 EVO Solid State Drive | |
| Capacity | 500GB |
| Size | 2.5-inch |
| Read / Write speed | 540 MB/s and 520 MB/s |
| Interface | SATAIII 6Gb/s |
| Warranty | 5 year |
Note: If you need more storage space for keeping your other files then you can get a mechanical hard drive for it. I recommend WD Blue 1TB Hard Drive.
Graphics Card
Nvidia Quadro P2000
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Here comes the most important component of your CAD Workstation PC which is a graphics card. Here I have selected a workstation graphics card because if you want the most performance out of your CAD / CAE applications or softwares then a gaming graphics is not enough for it. Here I have chosen Nvidia Quadro P2000 graphics card which is a mid-range workstation graphics card based on the Pascal GPU architecture. It is a very good affordable graphics card for SolidWorks, AutoCAD and other CAD/CAE softwares. This is a single slot graphics card that uses uses single blower type fan and slim heatsink for cooling.
This card offers 3.0 TFLOPS of Peak Single Precision FP32 Performance and comes with 1024 CUDA Cores and 5GB GDDR5 memory. Various Graphics and Compute APIs supported by this workstation video card includes Shader Model 5.1, OpenGL 4.5, DirectX 12.0, Vulkan 1.0, CUDA, DirectCompute, OpenCL. The card has lower power consumption of 75W and does not require 6-pin/8-pin external power connectors from the power supply or PSU. Connectivity options include four DisplayPorts. It supports Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit and 32-bit), Microsoft Windows 8.1 and 8 (64-bit and 32-bit), Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit and 32-bit), Linux – Full OpenGL implementation, complete with NVIDIA and ARB extensions (64-bit and 32-bit).
Check out: Top Nvidia Quadro Workstation Graphics Cards based on Pascal GPU Architecture
| Nvidia Quadro P2000 Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 1024 |
| FP32 Performance | 3.0 TFLOPS |
| Memory Size | 5GB GDDR5 |
| Memory Interface | 160-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 3.0 |
| Power Consumption | 75 Watts |
| Output Ports | DisplayPort x 4 |
Buy Nvidia Quadro P2000 Graphics Card
Power Supply
EVGA 500 W1, 80+ WHITE
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To power this workstation PC you need a decent power supply. Here I have chosen EVGA 500 W1, 80+ White which is a very good budget power supply. This is a 500W power supply and has got 40A current on its single 12V Rail. It is a very quiet PSU and has got a 120mm sleeve bearing fan. For graphics card, it has got two 8pin (6+2) PCI-Express connectors and it can easily power a mid to high-end graphics card without any issues.
The power supply comes with all the heavy-duty protection features that include OVP (Over Voltage Protection), UVP (Under Voltage Protection), OCP (Over Current Protection), OPP (Over Power Protection), SCP (Short Circuit Protection), and OTP (Over Temperature Protection). Another good PSU that I recommend is Thermaltake Smart 600W 80+ White Power Supply.
| EVGA 500 W1 Power Supply Specifications | |
| Wattage | 500W |
| 12V Rail | 40A, Single |
| Fan Size | 120mm |
| 80 Plus Certification | White, 80% Efficiency |
| PCI Express Connector | 2 x 8pin (6+2) |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Case
Corsair Carbide 270R Mid-Tower ATX
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To accommodate all these components, you need a solid computer case. Here I have selected Corsair Carbide Series 270R ATX Mid-Tower Case. This is a very simple, sleek, compact and elegant high quality mid-tower case from Corsair that has enough room to accommodate all your high-end components. The case has good airflow, ventilation and it comes with one 120mm pre-installed in it. However, you can optionally install more fans on top, front and rear. On the front side panel, you will find two USB 3.0 ports and audio ports.
This mid-tower case has minimalist design and solid build quality. It can support graphics cards up to 370mm in length and up to 170mm tall CPU coolers. It supports ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards and comes with features like dust filters, cable routing and tools free drive installation.
Must Read: Top Super-Tower Cases for Building Workstation or Server
| Corsair Carbide Series 270R ATX Mid-Tower Case Specifications | |
| Form Factor | Mid-Tower |
| Motherboard Support | ATX, Micro-ATX and Mini-ATX |
| Front Ports | USB 3.0 x 2, Audio Ports |
| Fans | Front: 120mm x 3 or 140mm x 2
Top: 120/140mm x 2 Rear: 120mm x 1 |
| Drive Bays | 3.5” x 3, 2.5” x 2 |
| Features | Up to 360mm Radiator support, Tool Free Installation, up to 370mm GPU support, up to 170mm CPU Cooler support, Solid Side Panel, Dust Filters, Cable Routing , 7 Expansion Slots |
Buy Corsair Carbide 270R Mid-Tower Case
Final Words
So, if you are looking to build a budget CAE / CAD Workstation Desktop for SolidWorks, AutoCAD etc. then you won’t find anything better than this above mentioned workstation build. It is powerful, has got all the latest components and is upgradable too. If you have any queries about it, then feel free to ask me by leaving a comment below.
Assist Me,
For High CAD usage and 3DS MAX. other apps used will be adobe illustrator photoshop corel draw, office products… Its for office work and need stable system…Please help me choose a processor for 8GB QUADRO, 64GB RAM, 256 SSD + 2 TB STORAGE.
I would advise you to get AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Processor. It is a 8 core 16 threads processor and offers great performance for workstation tasks. https://graphicscardhub.com/amd-2nd-gen-ryzen-processors/
Akshat – Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and expertise in this subject. I know 1st hand its difficult to build a decent workstation without the opportunity to touch and feel and test the individual components. With the plethora of options and slick marketing its quickly overwhelming. My first impression of the above configuration was of course, This IS Awesome! Followed by hum…I thought it would be a larger PS and two GPU’s. In just those two components, many questions bombard my mind. Me, I’m a CAD novice and old school system builder. I like getting the best bang for the buck and still believe its possible over the big box boys. Immediate thoughts, would the CAD apps benefit with bridge video controllers, and is it cost effective for time gained in rendering process. That raises the question of the system BUS and other system components playing along in concert avoiding any bottlenecks. And lastly, I’m surprised a larger PS is not required. With today’s nm fabrications I’m assuming that’s the answer. Thank you again for what you’ve done, hope to hear your opinions and recommendations. BTW – I’m hoping to get in with a construction firm and its generally a good idea for the resident IT engineer not to be one up’d by any new millennial ;<)
I think it is better to get a single most powerful card in your budget rather than getting two mediocre ones and setting them in SLI or Crossfire mode. This is because not all softwares including CAD support SLI and you will be losing out on performance. Also, if you get a motherboard with top-end chipset then you don’t have to worry about system bus or lanes for any bottlenecks as they have plenty for every component. And the choice of PSU is directly proportional to the graphics card you have, so if you have two high end GPUs like Quadro P6000 configured in SLI then you have to get a 1000W PSU for your system.
Hello Akshat,
I want to build a computer for Solid Works/AutoCAD. Professional user. Budget about 2000 euro. Give me advice, please.
regards
Ivan
Hello Evan,
Here are the components for your workstation build
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X processor
B450 motherboard…choose anyone from here https://graphicscardhub.com/best-b450-motherboard/
16GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance RAM
500GB Samsung 860 Evo SSD and 1TB HDD (WD or Seagate)
Nvidia Quadro P4000 graphics card
EVGA 500 B1 PSU or you can go for Corsair too (500W to 600W) https://graphicscardhub.com/budget-power-supply-psu/
A decent mid-tower case of your choice from https://graphicscardhub.com/best-mid-tower-case/
Hope it helps! and if you have any more queries then feel free to ask.
Is this build suitable for catia as well?
Yes it is good for CATIA too..
Hello Akshat. Thank you for your posts. I am an architect and I draft as fast as my computer allows which is never fast enough. I am adding REVIT to my skill set. Does your build accommodate high performing REVIT?
I’ve never built a computer before. I’m hesitant to buy all of the individual parts and assemble myself. But I’m always up for a new challenge. Can I handle it?
For higher Revit performance, you need a better processor, preferably Core i7 or Ryzen 7 and about 32GB of RAM. How much is your budget for the build?
I’m hoping to come in under $2000. I get the feeling that this isn’t A set up that I could buy as a package deal. Is that right? All of my other computers I’ve purchased from Dell FYI
I think for Revit you should go with Intel Core i9-9900K, Z390 motherboard (https://graphicscardhub.com/best-z390-motherboard/), 32GB DDR4 RAM (https://graphicscardhub.com/low-profile-ram/) and Samsung 860 EVO 1TB. You can also throw in a decent graphics card such as GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (https://graphicscardhub.com/best-gtx-1050-ti/). Also get a good 500W PSU, Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler, and a decent enough PC case to accommodate them. I think this config will cost you under $2000.
Thank you
Hello,
I plan to buy a P2000, but none of the msi mb that I find had the P2000 on its support list even if some gpu which are more recent like the RTX series are on this list. It’s quite expensive and I’m affraid to make a mistake. Thank you
If the motherboard has PCI-E x16 slot then it will run no matter what. Motherboard manufacturers don’t list all the GPUs on their product support list, but they work anyway. By the way, which motherboard are you planning to buy?
I’m not sure yet, because I want to put a i7 8700 on it so I need LGA1151, at least 4 DDR4 slots and a pcie 3.0 x4 m.2 slot.
Okay and I think this list may help you https://graphicscardhub.com/best-z390-motherboard/
Hi, Akshat Verma
Can i get better quality vray render with gtx 1050ti gaming card ?
May be slightly.
Hi,
Can You please recommend me the Motherboard and maybe the Form Factor for the components like below?
-Intel Core i9-9900K @ 3.60GHz
– HyperX Predator Black 128GB 3000MHz DDR4 CL15 DIMM
(Kit of 8) XMP(HX430C15PB3K8/128)
GPU – NVIDIA TITAN RTX + (Geforce GTX 1080Ti / cause l have it allready)
SSD – Samsung SSD 970 EVO 2TB
Thank you
Igor
I recommend Gigabyte Z390 AORUS ULTRA Motherboard (ATX).
Hmm, interesting. I m a CAD user and I find one motherboard but they say this is a Gamer Board?: GIGABYTE Launches Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE 5G Premium Edition Bundle.
Is that thing good for CAD to or it is better Z390 AORUS ULTRA?
Thank you very much Akshat!!!
🙂 Igor
Gaming is just a marketing gimmick. The board is good is suitable for all needs whether gaming or workstation. Z390 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE 5G is expensive and is really not needed. So, it is better to stick with Gigabyte Z390 AORUS ULTRA only. Hope it helps!
Yes, You help me a lot!!
Thanks, Akshat
Best regards from sunny Zagreb
Igor
Is quadro p1000 better than GTX1660 Ti for running these softwares and rendering?My brother is an architecture student doing his final year studies and want to use all these softwares. The price for p1000 quadro is a bit more than 1660 ti.Could you also explain how fast quadro p1000 is compared to gtx 1660 ti?
GTX1660 Ti is way faster than Quadro P1000. Quadro P1000 is basically a GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM, while the performance of GTX 1660 Ti is equal to that of GTX 1070. GTX 1660 Ti is roughly 2X to 2.5X faster. Even for Workstation softwares, GTX 1660 Ti would be much better.
Thanks for quick reply.I want to buy intel i5 9400F and 1660 ti GPU. One of my friend told me to buy Z390 M gigabyte motherboard as rendering takes hours to complete and using lower priced motherboard like B365/B360 will generate a lot of heat and these low priced motherboards may not last long.In you tube, all of them suggest b360/b365 unless i want to overclock which is not possible in i5 9400f. But they suggest the system thinking of gaming only and not for these software.I believe that those gamers wont be using all the cores in i5 9400f and that too continuously for long period of time.But with these software and rendering, its different. What is your opinion on this?
You don’t need a Z390 motherboard for Core i5 9400F unless it is your preference. Generally, Z series motherboards are preferred for high-end processors and overclocking. As Core i5 9400F is a locked processor and is also not that power hungry, so you are better off with a good B360 motherboard. I suggest Asus STRIX B360 G GAMING, and I also recommend you to get a good aftermarket CPU Cooler (Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED) for i5 9400F. You can game and render on this system without having to worry about anything.
Hello Akshat,
This helped me a lot. I don’t use CAD too heavily but I want to practice and get better at it as I am studying Mechanical Engineering and want to be proficient at it. I just had a couple of questions on whether or not these components would be good for SolidWorks and AutoCAD.
MSI – Z390-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
MSI – GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card
Whats your opinion?
Yes they seem good.
I am seeing that 1660 Overclocked version gives same performance as 1660 ti stock version in gaming and other benchmarks.Does it apply same to rendering and other architecture software like auto cad or is there any difference to it?
I think so.
Hello Akshat,
fantastic that you have ‘built’ this page, and are giving great advice to people – we really appreciate it!! I am nearing retirement, but my system has crashed and I need to build a replacement. I am mostly doing CAD work at the moment on Inventor (Direct X graphics, not Open GL), but will do more photo work with Photoshop etc, and some video work, so I would appreciate your thoughts on a build for that work. I’m thinking 32GB RAM, 500GB NVME SSD, CPU with cooler as a starting point. I haven’t worked out a specific budget, but would like to build a system that will be sufficient for several years without blowing the bank… 🙂 I will want to have a couple of 2TB (min) data drives as well
Thanks Merv for the kind words and can you please give some kind of idea about your budget.
Thanks Ashkat – Budget about AUS$3000 (US$2100)
Here is what I have in my mind for you:
AMD Ryzen 7 2700X Processor
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 CPU Cooler (optional)
ASUS ROG STRIX X470-F GAMING Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB DDR4 RAM
Samsung 970 EVO 1TB SSD (NVMe)
Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD x 2
Zotac Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Card
Corsair RM750X PSU
Corsair OBSIDIAN 750D FullTower Case
Hope it helps and if you have any queries regarding it then feel free to ask.
Muchas gracias! I’ll check out the details and see how that adds up! cheers
Hi Akshat, my suppliers are having difficulties getting the Asus ROG motherboard – could you suggest the next best option if they can’t get it?
Thanks in advance,
Merv
Go with the Gigabyte X470 AORUS ULTRA GAMING motherboard.
Yes, that’s what I was thinking too! thanks