cad workstations builds

Since we’re talking cad workstations builds, we’re leaving laptops at the curb and focusing on desktops for now. While it’s certainly possible to crank out a custom laptop, it’s much like building a Hackintosh or a steam-powered giraffe: intellectually stimulating yes, but also ultimately pointless. We’ll hit the highlights today, and can deep dive into your favorite topics in future posts.

Choose your own path in the certification labyrinth

What often causes the most confusion in spec’ing or upgrading a custom CAD rig is defining performance requirements that lead to choosing the right gear. While minimum CPU, RAM, and OS requirements are both easily discovered and rather universal, the moment you bring graphics cards into the mix, you plunge into the confusing quagmire of CAD hardware certifications. CAD software traditionally has been very sensitive to perturbations in the graphics pipeline, and the solution has been rather low-tech: vigorously test specific configurations. You’ll discover that vendor certifications are based on specific graphics cards, on specific driver versions, and on specific operating systems (all of which are often not the latest and greatest). Furthermore, some certifications focus only on particular workstation models provided by named hardware partners. Considering how quickly everything changes, it’s enough to make you go blind. Need a migraine?