A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

Curious as to where I could find a good, cheap PC (<$1K, preferably <$750) that could run AutoCad 2005 well. Sorry if such a thread has been posted in the past. Thanks. :cool:

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

This PC is $899.99

here

also your local stores like compusa, circuit city and other pc store might have something better... :)

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

If you feel up to challenge you could try and build your own. I have priced out some pretty powerful pcs from this site for aroud 700. Newegg.com

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

As a guy who does tech support for money and has built and upgraded a good few PCs, my advice would be to not build a PC unless you want to do it for the sake of doing it. Unless you pirate software, the price advantage is rather slim.

Personally, I would suggest getting whatever PC meets your price requirements from HP/Compaq. Dell, IBM, and Sony really are overpriced for a home user. The default set of components are usually good, except that a lot of PCs still have a default of 256MB memory which is definitley not enough. 512 is the minimum, and at $750 (assuming you aren't getting a monitor), I'd go for 768 or 1GB. Finally, I'm not sure if AutoCad uses multiple processors very well, but if you really want this machine for CADding, a Hyper-Threaded Pentium probably is your best bet.

And BTW, if you are looking for PC components, check out this site, too: www.pricewatch.com. If only that site existed for all products...

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

Regarding memory:
Get plenty--but don't go overboard. For my Pro/E work (i.e. 3D CAD), I often wish that I had more than 512 MB of RAM, but it's not really an obstacle that often. When I'm in Autocad 2004, 512 is not a problem. Do not buy ECC or registered RAM. That's not needed on a sub $1000 (USD) computer--it adds error-checking to the RAM, which, while nice, is not worth the price premium. (It's also slightly slower, because of the ECC function.) Also, don't bother with fancy RAM that advertises higher speeds and lower latencies--just get DDR400 (i.e. PC3200), which is used on almost all modern systems. (Note--if you can get one of the really new P4s, they may need different RAM. But I doubt that those are within your price range yet.) So my recommendation is 512, though up to 1024 isn't out of line, if you can afford it.

Regarding processors and Hyperthreading:
Intel's P4 "C", "D" and "E" models (the newer ones on the Northwood, Gallatin and Prescott cores), the 3.06 GHz P4 "B" (Northwood), and the newer Xeons (Foster, Prestonia, Gallatin and Nocona) are the only mainstream processors with Hyperthreading (or an equivalent). Don't let that stop you from getting something else, if the price is right. Hyperthreading won't help you with Autocad specifically--it only acts somewhat like a dual-processor machine when the otherwise unused portions of the chip can be devoted to some other operation "in the meantime". For (a simplified) example, if one program needs to use the CPU's floating point unit, but would otherwise saturate the processor, Hyperthreading would allow another program to access the integer unit as if it were on a second processor.
In any case, if shopping P4s, go with a P4 2.6C or better; there's really no advantage to paying more for a new Prescott, due to a lack of optimizations in current software for its new features (SSE3, mainly).
Also, in terms of AMD, look into the Athlon64 line, with particular emphasis on the non-FX models (which are slightly more capable, but unreasonably priced). Any Athlon64 should be fast enough.
Multiple processors are out (in that price range), unless you want a dated Athlon MP (not recommended).

Regarding pre-built systems:
Dell (Small Business section) has a recurring deal, valid only in the US (lucky you...) which offers a Poweredge 400SC server for around $300-$450 (USD), depending on options. This machine is in fact an excellent workstation (or even home PC!), with a motherboard that supports socket 478-based P4s, on an Intel 875 chipset (the most capable one that Intel sells for socket 478 P4s). Unlike most servers, it has AGP capability, and will happily suit your needs. Some warnings, though--be careful customizing options on the Dell site. You may be automatically charged more (so be watchful for a $50 charge for seemingly nothing at all--that's a customization fee, which may or may not be worth it). Don't buy much RAM from Dell--they're expensive. In any event, this motherboard should accept any decent quality non-ECC, non-registered DDR400, in a single or dual channel configuration. (For a slight boost in performance due to dual-channel mode, install matching pairs of memory modules in the appropriate slots, as opposed to one at a time.)
Perhaps the best feature of any major OEM is the warranty (that is, if you're not interested in doing it all yourself). Don't overlook it, especially if the computer isn't for you personally (and someone at school might have to deal with it).
And don't ever, ever buy a Sony. (Way too much money, for mediocre performance, and, in the case of some of their fancier VAIO models, proprietary hardware.)

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

If you want to get a Dell system... You can get a refurbed/rebuilt system from their outlet: http://www.dell.com/outlet/

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

I'm looking at HP/compaq's site right now, and I think I've found something nice. It has an AMD Athlon XP processor. Question: How has your experience been on AutoCad with that? (That is, if you've used it.)

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

You're talking about an Athlon XP (as opposed to Athlon64), which is a previous-generation CPU. While not exactly old, unless there's a really good deal on it, be aware that they're being phased out, effective several months ago.
It will work just fine, though. It's modern enough that it won't "feel" any different from anything else on the market, but it's old enough that you may occasionally notice that it's slower than than a new P4 or A64. (Most of the time, it will "feel" identical.)

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

The first system looks pretty nice, but it's got a really bad video card.

It's got 128 MB of RAM, but it's shared, which really sucks.

You're gonna want a good video card for intensive 3D modeling

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

If you're in college check with your Office of Information Technology (computer admins) to see if you can get discount software. My school has a very large Microsoft Campus Agreement where students can get Microsoft software for almost the cost of the media. I have bought Windows XP, Office XP, and Visual Studio .Net all for around $20 from my school.

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

AutoCAD doesn't require all that much in hardware to run, especially compared with solid modelling programs like Inventor and Pro/E. On Autodesk's site they list these minimum specs:
Intel® Pentium® III processor or later, 800 MHz
Microsoft® Windows® XP (Professional, Home Edition, or Tablet PC Edition) or Windows 2000 Professional
256 MB RAM
300 MB free disk space for installation
1024x768 VGA with true color
Mouse, trackball, or compatible pointing device
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
CD-ROM drive

I'd recommend at least 64 MB OpenGL-capable graphics card. AutoCAD doesn't require OpenGL as far as I know, but you'll need it if you ever want to try a solids package. As others have said, you should have at least 512 MB RAM. If you want to use Inventor, you'll need at least 1 GB for everything to work right. The system requirements for Inventor 9 are here.

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

Try ecollegepc.com The guy who actually runs it graduated from Purdue about 5 years ago and has had a lot of success with his venture. Prices are good and you can customize everything to your specific needs.

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

First of all, does your $750, or $1000 price limit need to include a monitor?

Let me run down the most important things to look for. One thing I
always try to do is get twice the manufacturers recommended specs

RAM: 512 or more, like Jonathan says. Autodesk says at least 256. RAM
is also relatively cheap, so definitely get the 512.

CPU: Unlike Jonathan, I think as long as you get a P4, Athlon 64,
Athlon XP, or Pentium M, you will be just fine. CPU prices go up very
quickly as they get faster and newer, so you can save a lot of money
by looking one generation back (like with the Athlon XP). Just stay
away from Celeron, Duron, or Sempron chips from Intel and AMD, and
CPUs from other manufacturers for Autocad. Autodesk only recommends a
Pentium III 800 MHz, so any modern chip will be at least one
generation newer and twice as fast. This is where you'll save the
money to make your budget.

Video card: ATI or NVIDIA, although for Autocad which uses OpenGL, I
would lean towards NVIDIA. Don't get any other manufacturers. You
don't have the money for an ATI FireGL or Nvidia Quadro video card,
which have drivers made specifically for autocad and would really make
a difference. Autodesk doesn't have a recommended video card, but they
do have a list of features the card should have:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet...linkID=2475323
Luckily, any card made by ATI or NVIDIA in the past 2 or 3 years has
all those features. An ATI 9200 or later or Geforce 5200 or later
should be just fine.

Monitor: Every place I've done any CAD work has always had a 19" or
greater CRT, or a 18" or greater LCD. A large LCD would definitely put
it out of your price range, so look at the 19" CRTs. I've seen new
ones for less then $200 and refurbished ones for less then $100.
Hopefully you already have a monitor, or else you probably won't get
it for less then $750.


I don't think the Poweredge 400SC is the best deal, because although
it starts cheap, you still have to add an OS, video card, etc.


_{disclaimer: I've never used Autocad for windows, so my
suggestions are based on reading hardware reviews and autodesk's site.
Ask ChrisH if he is happy with the computer I helped him spec out for
Autocad a few years back}

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

Definitely.

Re: A good, CHEAP PC for Autocad
 

If you wait long enough, the price can get as low as 589.99 for that and a 17" monitor and printer.