reliable CAD, GIS, graphic design, and Sketchup desktop

[eclectricblu]

Hello all,

I'm an urban designer / landscape architect looking for a reliable machine for work needs. I frequently run numerous graphic design programs, along with Sketchup, qGIS, AutoCAD (occasionally Civil 3D), Spotify, Chrome, and Google Earth, simultaneously. I generally don't do much rendering. Many are legacy versions (5 yo). My laptop was built to accomodate all this, but frequently overheats or times out. This frequently results in programs crashing on complex files (Sketchup, Illustrator, and sometimes qgs or dwg files). Almost just as frequently, all goes black and/or asks for BIOS reboot, most often when I try to run Google Earth and Spotify simultaneously, for whatever reason, and I just have to hold the power button to get it back up, and frequently lose work.

I want to avoid all that unreliability in a desktop build (just the tower), and while I haven't built a desktop from scratch for over twenty years, am excited to give it a go (with an assist from a more tech-savvy wife and another hardware/software savant to fall back on if necessary). Below is what the $1150 budget graphic design build from Alex's PC-Builder came up with:

CGDirector.com Parts List: https://www.cgdirector.com/pc-builder/?=Aq1yh0l0lqp

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6GHz 8-Core Processor ($279.30)
CPU Cooler: AMD Wraith Prism Cooler (Included with CPU) (-)
Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus ATX AM4 ($184.42)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1660TI 6GB - EVGA XC Gaming ($289.99)
Memory: 16GB (2 x 8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 C16 ($66.99)
Storage PCIe-SSD: Crucial P1 1TB, M.2 Solid State Drive ($104.99)
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series CX450M 450W ATX 2.4 Power Supply ($61.51)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 205 Mid Tower Case ($109.99)
Total: $1097.19

I generally like what I see. I have a feeling that I should be running with 32 GB RAM (instead of 16 GB RAM) for the Sketchup work to avoid the bug-splats, and am wondering whether I can get away with less on the graphics card. Is there anything I can scale back on? Any tips on how I can refine this for my needs? Am I overlooking a laptop that could give me the same bang for the buck? THANKS! - Matt

P.S. my current laptop build is described below the tildes.

CURRENT LAPTOP: Lenovo IdeaPad Y700-15ISK
CPU: Intel i7-6700HQ @2.60GHz (4 cores, 8 threads)
GPU: Nvidia GEForce GTX 960M 1660TI 6GB - EVGA XC Gaming ($289.99)
Memory: 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Storage SSD: SAMSUNG MZNLN128HCGR-0000L2
1TB HDD

 

[Jerry James]

Hey Matt, since you don't seem to need too many PCIe lanes for your work, you can dial back the motherboard to an MSI B550-A Pro ATX Motherboard. That should save you right around $40 to put towards additional memory for your build.

Power supply prices are quite messed up due to supply issues so try to find a better deal on a good power supply in your region if possible. You can find good options here - https://www.cgdirector.com/best-modular-power-supplies/

As for whether you can go with a scaled-down GPU: A 1660 Super is generally considered a better value option than the 1660 Ti because performance is pretty close. I wouldn't go below that to make sure that the build doesn't need an upgrade too soon.

 

[Alex Glawion]

I'd probably not scale back on the gpu too much. 1660 Super or 1660Ti should be a minimum for smooth Sketchup work. You can certainly double the amount of RAM as this will let you work on more complex projects or work in multiple apps at the same time. You can just go ahead and get 2x16gb Modules like these here: 32GB (2 x 16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 C16 .

You'll always find higher performance in a desktop pc vs a laptop at the same price point. So if mobility is not an important factor to you, I'd strongly recommend going the desktop pc route for maximum performance and stability.