New Cadalyst White Paper Tests Workstation Against Gaming PC
7 Dec, 2018 Sponsored By: IntelBenchmark test scores illustrate specific pay-offs of professional hardware for design and engineering work.
Cadalyst announces the publication of its latest white paper, Workstation vs. PC: In the Race to Meet Design Deadlines, Which Option Wins?
Sponsored by Intel, the 11-page paper shares the results of recent benchmark tests to evaluate the CAD and graphics performance of a $2,200 professional CAD workstation against a $2,100 desktop PC outfitted for gaming.
Test results also illustrate the performance differentiation between the 2018 professional workstation and a comparably priced 2015 professional workstation.
The paper was produced by the editors of Cadalyst. Research, testing, and writing were conducted by hardware expert Alex Herrera, a consultant focusing on high-performance graphics and workstations and author of the Workstation Report series published by Jon Peddie Research. It is an updated version of a paper by the same name published in 2015.
The paper is available for free download here and from the Cadalyst Library, which offers numerous free white papers, tip sheets, and case studies about workstations and other CAD-related hardware and software.
About Cadalyst: For more than 30 years, Cadalyst has delivered independent, expert guidance about the software and hardware technologies that support design and engineering workflows in the AEC, civil engineering, and manufacturing markets.
Comments
on: February 4, 2019 - 9:32am
on: February 5, 2019 - 3:41pm
As explained in our report, when setting up the comparison we weren't aiming to optimize the gaming PC component by component; rather, we aimed to illustrate how a CAD user might be short-changed when purchasing a machine marketed as a "high-performance PC" or "gaming PC" vs. a comparably priced professional workstation (in this case, a gaming PC for $2K-ish vs. a workstation for $2K). The pricing was not disingenuous, as those were the prices stated by the supplier of the machines featured in the study.
You are correct that the 6-core workstation CPU has an advantage running the SPECwpc multi-threaded tests -- but again, this advantage is inherent to the argument for buying a professional-grade workstation vs. a gaming PC. Gamers emphasize single-thread performance over number of cores (for good reason). Hence, a machine with specs balanced more for gaming (like the one in our report) would likely spend more on a gaming GPU than, say, more CPUs for the same budget. Although it's not yet the norm, design and engineering professionals are more likely than gamers to run applications that do benefit from multiple cores.
We can't comment on the requirements for BricsCAD specifically, as it was not one of the applications from which specific viewsets were tested. We'll take your word that Bricsys stated that a professional graphics card is a waste of money for its CAD system. But for SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, CATIA, Creo, and others sampled in SPEC benchmark, performance of the professional GPU is deliberately optimized to support their OpenGL 3D viewsets. The developers of those CAD applications do recommend professional GPUs over gaming GPUs. In any case, when purchasing a new machine, you should always consult your software developer(s) and work with the computer seller to optimize your hardware to support your software while staying on budget.
Remember, performance differences are only one component of the workstation's value over gaming and consumer PCs, as described in our report. Even if your CAD software doesn't demand a discrete GPU, professional-grade computers as a rule offer better reliability, warranties, product life, tech support, and ISV certification (for applicable software).
Although this report was sponsored by Intel, the benchmark testing and conclusions presented were conducted independently by Cadalyst editors. We stand behind our conclusion that professional workstations are a better choice vs. gaming PCs when it comes to overall performance and value for professional design and engineering workflows, especially given that these days you don't have to spend significant (if any) more money to acquire a professional machine. --Cadalyst Editors
on: February 8, 2019 - 1:32pm
on: February 24, 2019 - 11:00pm