TLHomeDesigns Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Looking to upgrade my computer(very outdated). . I am a draftsman and mainly do residential new constitution homes varying from 1200-4000 sqft. I push out on average 100 plans a yr. . I keep it basic with Elevations, floor plan, roof plan, and foundation plan. . The occasional 3d walk through. . I'm really wanting to get more into the renderings and 360 views in hopes to generate more revenue. . my main goal is to get a computer that has almost zero lag time when making changes to floor plans or updating cross sections in the layouts. . Also, as everyone knows renderings are extremely time consuming so beings able to cut that time down and also getting the best quality of the image. These links are rated from affordable to money is no option. . Obviously I would like to know if the 1st option would work. Also if anyone had anything compatible to these options and what yalls thoughts. Any feed back is appreciated. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883101473 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230183 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA08C5D16450 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLHomeDesigns Posted May 23, 2017 Author Share Posted May 23, 2017 Looking to upgrade my computer(very outdated). . I am a draftsman and mainly do residential new constitution homes varying from 1200-4000 sqft. I push out on average 100 plans a yr. . I keep it basic with Elevations, floor plan, roof plan, and foundation plan. . The occasional 3d walk through. . I'm really wanting to get more into the renderings and 360 views in hopes to generate more revenue. . my main goal is to get a computer that has almost zero lag time when making changes to floor plans or updating cross sections in the layouts. . Also, as everyone knows renderings are extremely time consuming so beings able to cut that time down and also getting the best quality of the image. These links are rated from affordable to money is no option. . Obviously I would like to know if the 1st option would work. Also if anyone had anything compatible to these options and what yalls thoughts. Any feed back is appreciated. https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883101473 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230183 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA08C5D16450 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwideziner Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I would not go for the first one although it would probably meet min spec for CA it is just that MINIMUM. My system is fairly similar to the second on, see my signature it is a month old and runs CA reasonably well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archnot-Boltz Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I recently saw that Intel was coming out with a new i-9? processor to compete with AMD's new offerings.I don't know when or how pricey that new generation processor will be. I would make sure to stick with NVIDIA graphics cards as I noticed your first link was using an AMD graphics card. Other than that, I know nothing and there are others who may offer more and better info.-BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbuttery Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 1. never heard of Cyberpoweer, I prefer name brands 2. $1500 should be enough unless you have real serious requirements 3. put $$$ into things that can't be changed, go lighter on things that can be upgraded later Lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidJPotter Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 I am spoiled in that for years now I have a geek friend who helps me build my own custom systems. I haven't bought a "Name Brand" prebuilt PC since 1999. Based upon my experiences the main hard drive should be an SSD, the larger the better. I have had the best performance with Chief from "PNY" brand NVIDIA video cards. My current CPU is an AMD 6 core which though now a little aged is still quite snappy, I usually spend about 10 minutes per Ray Trace and get acceptable results. Systems 2 and 3 above look to be solid choices, I hope it all works out to your satisfaction in any case. DJP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcaffee Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 What's your budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 In my opinion those 3 systems represent exactly what you get for your money these days, which each increase in cost you get that much more power. Do you need a fast computer for Chief? Do you build large models? If so and you can afford the last one it has the best components and should run Chief really well and is also a good price for what you get. I wouldn't worry about 'name brands' or whether or not someone else has heard of them as they are probably using the same components anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 On 5/22/2017 at 8:10 PM, solver said: Search for xeon, lots of recent discussion. This is good advice though within that search hopefully you will discover why Xeons are not necessarily good for running Chief and in some cases down right bad. I have a dual Xeon system and would not go that route again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidJames Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 I'd wait until next month if you can. Intel is releasing their "i9" series of chips. If you can't wait, option 2 or 3 should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 4 hours ago, DavidJames said: I'd wait until next month if you can. Intel is releasing their "i9" series of chips. If you can't wait, option 2 or 3 should be good. Good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvoyeDesign Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 You probably should post this in the general forum. You might get more answers there. The suggestions forum is for suggesting new or improved features to chief architect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archnot-Boltz Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Doi!! Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't think about it. But instead of making a suggestion, he's looking for one. Hence the confusion. -bb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchoate Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I'm in the same boat. Been doing a lot of research. According to a rep at Chief the more cores the better (8, 10, 12, 20!) when it comes to ray tracing. And from what I understand a Quadro graphics card is specifically geared towards CAD yet the rep at Chief said a Nvidia GeForce is a better choice for Chief...now I'm confused. I think I'm going to go with a 10 core Xeon processor (around 2 Ghz) and a Quadro 2000 graphics card. Probably a Lenovo ThinkStation P710 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchoate Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 On 5/24/2017 at 10:20 AM, HumbleChief said: This is good advice though within that search hopefully you will discover why Xeons are not necessarily good for running Chief and in some cases down right bad. I have a dual Xeon system and would not go that route again. I was just about ready to pull the trigger on a new workstation with a dual Xeon processor that has a total of 16 cores....why would you not do that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 6 minutes ago, paulchoate said: I was just about ready to pull the trigger on a new workstation with a dual Xeon processor that has a total of 16 cores....why would you not do that? The dual Xeons ( I have them) will be great for RayTracing but not so great in all other areas. Chief likes clock speed and good single core performance and only seems to respond well to lots of cores when Ray Tracing. I've done tests against other machines with newer i7's and they outperform my dual Xeons in (more important IMO) every day tasks which is where the rubber meets the road in Chief. If you Ray Trace ( I hardy do any more) then the dual Xeons will be great. This is not to mention that if you had dual Xeons of the fastest around then perhaps it would be a great machine all around as well? Dunno. But for budget and value the best i7's will be a better bet for Chief IMO - as well as the Nvidia cards versus the Quadro cards. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Don't forget the the CPU wars are really ramping up right now so if you can wait you should see price drops across the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKitchenAbode Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 The issue with the Xeon processor you are considering is its low frequency 2GHz. What you want is the highest frequency plus the most cores. You need the high frequency as many of CA's functions are single threaded, it does not take advantage of all available cores. Ray Tracing is the exception, it is specifically written to use all available cores. The current top Skylak I7 7700K is likely the best bang for the $, it can be easily clocked up to 4.2GHz and has 8 logical cores. Intel is just launching some new chips under the I9 series. These will offer similar clock rates with many more cores, they are going to be very expensive. Concerning the graphics cards, CA will run fine on a Quadro card but you will be paying a premium for functions that CA does not take advantage of. A good Nvidia gamming card will do just fine and save you some money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HumbleChief Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 34 minutes ago, paulchoate said: I'm in the same boat. Been doing a lot of research. According to a rep at Chief the more cores the better (8, 10, 12, 20!) when it comes to ray tracing. And from what I understand a Quadro graphics card is specifically geared towards CAD yet the rep at Chief said a Nvidia GeForce is a better choice for Chief...now I'm confused. I think I'm going to go with a 10 core Xeon processor (around 2 Ghz) and a Quadro 2000 graphics card. Probably a Lenovo ThinkStation P710 That's an all round bad choice for Chief. Check the responses to the other thread you are in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRAWZILLA Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Larry knows, trust him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbuttery Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 yes, only get the Quadro card if you will also be running CAD software that can benefit from it Chief is not really based as CAD software and is better with a good gaming card Lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchoate Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 1 hour ago, lbuttery said: yes, only get the Quadro card if you will also be running CAD software that can benefit from it Chief is not really based as CAD software and is better with a good gaming card Lew Chief isn't CAD software? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchoate Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 8 hours ago, HumbleChief said: The dual Xeons ( I have them) will be great for RayTracing but not so great in all other areas. Chief likes clock speed and good single core performance and only seems to respond well to lots of cores when Ray Tracing. I've done tests against other machines with newer i7's and they outperform my dual Xeons in (more important IMO) every day tasks which is where the rubber meets the road in Chief. If you Ray Trace ( I hardy do any more) then the dual Xeons will be great. This is not to mention that if you had dual Xeons of the fastest around then perhaps it would be a great machine all around as well? Dunno. But for budget and value the best i7's will be a better bet for Chief IMO - as well as the Nvidia cards versus the Quadro cards. Thank you. Great answer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchoate Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 8 hours ago, TheKitchenAbode said: The issue with the Xeon processor you are considering is its low frequency 2GHz. What you want is the highest frequency plus the most cores. You need the high frequency as many of CA's functions are single threaded, it does not take advantage of all available cores. Ray Tracing is the exception, it is specifically written to use all available cores. The current top Skylak I7 7700K is likely the best bang for the $, it can be easily clocked up to 4.2GHz and has 8 logical cores. Intel is just launching some new chips under the I9 series. These will offer similar clock rates with many more cores, they are going to be very expensive. Concerning the graphics cards, CA will run fine on a Quadro card but you will be paying a premium for functions that CA does not take advantage of. A good Nvidia gamming card will do just fine and save you some money. Another great answer. Thank you. Very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulchoate Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 So I think I got my answer: 6 or 8 core Intel I7 high GHz processor (fast single core for daily tasks yet multiple cores for faster ray tracing...which by the way is a great way to wow clients) and a Nvidia 1060, 70 or 80 graphics card. ( I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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