Workstation computer needed

Budget:
$3,500-$4,000

Expectations:
Quiet and reliable operation

Usage:
3D CAD/modeling program that uses DirectX (instead of OpenGL)

Special Needs:

This computer is going to be for someone a little older, as a solid work system so he can do his AutoCAD drafting and 3D modeling (on Geomagic Design). So I'm primarily looking for quiet, trouble free operation.

Config: 1133878

I was primarily looking at a 6 core Slade chassis with a fair amount of memory. 32 gigs seems like a good starting point, and I can just upgrade later on when the price of higher capacity modules falls a bit.

As you'll see from the config, I'm putting together a couple SSDs in RAID 1 to run the OS off of, and then a couple standard HDs also in RAID 1 to hold data.

I don't know enough about the motherboard to know if the RAID controllers are decent enough to support all these drives in RAID 1. Also, I don't know if there's any additional boosting I should do for cooling. Lastly, I'm wondering if I should bump the video card down to the 970 instead of the 980 I have in there. Is there a significant boost in performance between the two?

Initially the computer will probably only be hooked to one display (he's pretty stubborn), but I might eventually want to hook it to a second display, for a dual display setup (probably with 24-27" monitors).

Gaming benchmarks may not be a good guide to professional application performance

I am not knowledgable on autocad, but I have read that the pro cards, .e.g Quadro, have drivers optimized for pro applications. The problem is their cost. Pro cards are very pricey.

There might be some information on using cards like the 970/980 for Autocad

Hi BrianK,

I did want to comment on your choice of the EVO 512 SSD. The EVO has a problem with long term memory loss. Samsung came up with a software fix that requires you to keep rewriting the long term memory so it is always fresh. The fix requires time to run the software and with a large 512 SSD it may be a pain. The Samsung PRO series does not have this problem but does cost more. I suggest you research this problem so you don't have any surprises in the future.

You can read about the fix here.

I am not sure how often you have to run the software to fix degraded cells. It is possible all long term memory will forever have to be refreshed?

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 24 Jan 2015 at 9:56am

Originally posted by FrankW Hi BrianK, I did want to comment on your choice of the EVO 512 SSD. The EVO has a problem with long term memory loss. Samsung came up with a software fix that requires you to keep rewriting the long term memory so it is always fresh. The fix requires time to run the software and with a large 512 SSD it may be a pain. The Samsung PRO series does not have this problem but does cost more. I suggest you research this problem so you don't have any surprises in the future. You can read about the fix here. I am not sure how often you have to run the software to fix degraded cells. It is possible all long term memory will forever have to be refreshed? Frank

Thank you, I had no idea about that issue. I don't mind bumping up to the Pro to avoid having to deal with it. Overall I'm trying to use components that are going to make for a reasonably quick, but also stable and reliable system.