You are here: Home > Workstation Computers > Workstation Computers by Application > AutoCAD Workstation

AUTOCAD WORKSTATION PC


Designing the Perfect Workstation for AutoCAD

AutoCAD is one of the most important pieces of professional software in the world. No matter who you are, it’s almost certain that something you’ve used has at one point been an AutoCAD design.


Despite this, AutoCAD isn’t the most demanding software in the professional world, and so we’ve found that for dedicated AutoCAD workstations (that won’t be running anything else) customers tend to overspend on their systems. Remember, workstations aren’t just about performance, but about reliability and quality too! So let’s take a frank look at what you really need in an AutoCAD workstation.

AutoCAD Workstations We Designed Just for You

Processor Power: The Heart of Your Workstation

Despite being so visual in nature, AutoCAD is actually largely a CPU-based program. No only that, it’s not particularly multi-threaded either. Most of what AutoCAD usually does during your workflow is single-threaded and so performance is limited by how fast that single core can go.


This is why it’s better to aim for CPUs with a more moderate core count, but with high boost clocks. For example. The 14600K has six high-performance cores and eight efficiency cores. The performance cores will go over 5Ghz in single-threaded workloads, offering snappy CAD performance, without the added expense of more performance cores that don’t add to CAD’s performance.


The one major exception is Mental Ray rendering, which will take as many cores as you’ll throw at it, but in that case having those extra efficiency cores in our example CPU would still help.


However, it’s not good practice to have your rendering workstation and design workstation be the same. Instead, talk to us about a dedicated rendering workstation, so that your renders can happen without interrupting your design work.


We don’t recommend Xeon CPUs for CAD any longer, since these days Intel’s consumer chips work just as well for CAD and can achieve higher clock speeds. So you can save money and have a better overall experience.

Autodesk and GPUs

If all you ever work on are 2D designs, you can get by with the most entry-level professional graphics cards we offer.


However, we do strongly recommend you use a workstation class GPU such as an NVIDIA Quadro or RTX 4000 series GPU. This is because of the stringent driver verification, ensuring that you don’t get any nasty surprises when you output you final design.


If you are going to do mainly 3D design in AutoCAD, then those same entry-level cards should do just fine. AutoCAD isn’t particularly VRAM hungry, and its real-time 3D views also don’t require a fancy GPU.

AutoCAD RAM Needs

Just as with most of its requirements, AutoCAD doesn’t need a lot of RAM to run well. The recommended amount by AutoDesk is a mere 8GB. However, we wouldn’t recommend less than 16GB for any computer, much less a workstation. After all, your system may still have to run other software such as web browsers or productivity apps and email in the background.


RAM is relatively affordable, so if your budget can stretch to it, we recommend 32GB for most customers.

Storage Requirements

Again, when it comes to AutoCAD our recommendations around storage are the same as they are for any computer running any software today. Run your operating system and AutoCAD on a fast NVME SSD. If your budget allows, a second dedicated SSD for your project files is a good idea, but in a pinch you can have it all on a single SSD and just ensure that you have good backup habits.


Give Us a Call

We’ve helped hundreds of AutoCAD users over the years to find the perfect balance of budget and performance for their needs. The more we know about your work, the better we can assist you. So give us a call and a consultant will help you spec the right AutoCAD workstation for the scope of your specific projects.





LIST OF COMPATIBLE WORKSTATIONS


Sort By:
1
Titan A270 - AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Professional  Workstation Computer - up to 16 cores Titan A270 - AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Professional Workstation Computer - up to 16 cores

Our fan-favorite Titan A270 receives a massive multi-core update. Using the latest technology from AMD, this is the perfect machine for users who have plenty of threads in their applications, but are working within a budget. All while trading per-core performance blows with the competition





AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $2,550.00
Titan W422 - Intel Xeon W-2200 Series Processors Workstation PC for VR Design, Rendering up to 18 CPU Cores Titan W422 - Intel Xeon W-2200 Series Processors Workstation PC for VR Design, Rendering up to 18 CPU Cores


Virtual reality is all the rage these days and the system requirements for consuming it are going down all the time. But what about those who want to create the next big VR experience? We’ve taken the latest professional-grade components and created one of the most cost-effective 3D Rendering workstations with VR-grade horsepower on the market. Welcome to the W422.






Intel Xeon W-2200 Series Processors Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $3,675.00
Titan W24 Octane - Intel Xeon W-2400 Series CPUs Content Creation Workstation PC for CAD, 3D and VR Design, up to 24 CPU Cores Titan W24 Octane - Intel Xeon W-2400 Series CPUs Content Creation Workstation PC for CAD, 3D and VR Design, up to 24 CPU Cores


Virtual and Augmented Reality are set to be two of the most important development areas in professional work, as well as entertainment, education, and many other use cases. The W24 is designed to get you into the ground floor of VR design, and take you wherever you’d want to go in the future.





Intel Xeon W-2400 Series Processors Workstation Computer for:

AI • Machine Learning • 3D Rendering • CAD/CAM • GPU Parallel Computing • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Game Engineering

Starting Price: $4,195.00
Titan A790 - AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 Series Workstation PC - up to 96 cores Titan A790 - AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 Series Workstation PC - up to 96 cores


Our Titan A790 OCTANE PRO is a high-performance workstation PC powered by the AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7000 Series, capable of handling up to 96 cores. This workstation is designed for professionals requiring extreme computing power at a highly-competitive price.





AMD Threadripper Pro 7000 Series Workstation Computer for:

3D Rendering • CAD/CAM • Product Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Machine Learning • Fluid Dynamics

Starting Price: $5,585.00
   
 
1