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Desktop workstation buyer’s guide

Greg Corke goes back to basics with some general advice for those looking to buy a workstation for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) workflows

If you read AEC Magazine, the chances are that you already own a workstation. But how much do you know about it and how involved were you in its purchase? If you leave everything to your general IT department, you could end up with a machine that slows you down or, worse still, is simply not able to run your more demanding applications.

We all work within budget limits, so it is really important to spend your money in the right areas. We’ve heard plenty of horror stories, including that of one large engineering firm that spent loads on a dual CPU workstation with lots of cores that ran at a low frequency (GHz), even though its designers only ever used CAD. In that example, buying a workstation with a single high-frequency CPU with fewer cores would not only have saved money, but significantly increased the productivity of the design team.

Choosing the right spec is very important – and we cover this in depth in this special report – but it is not the be all and end all of buying a workstation. In this article, we look at other important points to consider.

Warranty

Virtually all workstations come with a three-year warranty, but the level of cover can vary considerably between manufacturers. This isn’t just about protecting your investment. In the event of a failure, you need to get your workstation back up and running as quickly as possible and with minimal hassle.

A next business day (NBD) on site warranty is common with workstations from major OEMs. Some custom manufacturers only offer ‘return to base’ as standard or NBD on site for the first year. Having to send away your workstation to be repaired could mean days without its use, which could be catastrophic when on a tight project deadline.

Many minor repairs can be done by yourself. Some manufacturers specifically make their workstations easy to service, so customers can be guided over the phone or video call and get themselves back up and running the same day (or the next day if a part needs to be sent out). Other manufacturers state that any repairs or alterations that are carried out by the customer invalidate the warranty, so check with your supplier first.

When comparing prices of workstations, make sure you are looking at details of the warranty and not just the specifications of the machine. Warranties can be extended and negotiated, so also bear that in mind.

The chassis Workstations are not just about their constituent parts. The chassis can be incredibly important. There are three main points to consider: size, ‘‘ Having to send noise and serviceability. But having easy access to things like USB ports or headphone away your sockets can also make a big workstation to difference. Ask yourself the be repaired could mean following questions: Will the machine fit on your desk, or will it have to be kept down days without it, by your feet? If you need to which could be move it, is it heavy and does catastrophic when on a tight it have built-in handles? Are the fans so noisy that they are distracting? Can project deadline you expand the system with GPUs, storage or memory (are there free memory slots)? Is it easy to service internal ’’ components? Of course, if you are the type of person that would never dream of getting inside a computer then serviceability is a moot point. Think about the things that matter to you. For some, aesthetics are very important. Custom manufacturer or OEM A frequently asked question is whether to buy from a custom manufacturer or a major OEM like Dell, HP, Lenovo or Fujitsu? There’s no simple answer, but there are a number of things to consider. Custom manufacturers are more flexible in how machines can be configured and are generally quicker at introducing new technologies. Many such firms overclock their CPUs, which can boost performance. OEMs, on the other hand, spend much more time on R&D to make

buyer’s guide

sure that components work well together and do extensive studies into acoustics, electromagnetic interference and thermodynamics.

OEM workstations tend to be more solid and easier to service, particularly as some custom manufacturers try to cut costs by using budget PC chassis.

OEM workstations also go through extensive testing and certification to make sure they work well and will be fully supported with many different CAD/BIM applications. With custom manufacturers, you are usually just getting the certification of the GPU.

Of course, many large architecture and engineering firms will only buy from major OEMs for reasons of support, management or global availability, so the decision is already made.

Performance

Nobody ever complains that their workstation is too fast, but the additional money one must spend to increase performance needs to be weighed up against the benefits experienced.

Some performance increases are easy to quantify, such as the time it takes to render a scene or process a reality model, so it is easy to envisage the potential benefits. 3D graphics performance, however, is harder to measure. More frames per second (FPS) is always better, but if you are unable to discern a difference, does it really matter? Generally speaking, anything over 25 FPS is fine for 3D design work.

You can get away with lower frame rates on the desktop, but Virtual Reality is different. An underpowered GPU could make you feel sick as it can’t keep up with your head movements – or it may mean you have to spend hours manually optimising BIM models every time you bring them into VR.

Know your bottlenecks

Understanding how your software works and where your bottlenecks occur can help you make informed decisions on workstation purchases. Many of the major workstation OEMs offer free workstation tuning software that can monitor resources in real time and over a set period. Other good tools include GPU-Z for monitoring GPU usage, CPU-Z for CPU and Windows Performance monitor.

If you are experiencing slow 3D performance, for example, check to see how much of your GPU is being used. If it’s 100%, then investing in a more powerful GPU would probably help. However, if usage is significantly less, you could be wasting your money and would be better off buying a higher frequency CPU.

Once you understand where your bottlenecks occur, it can help you assign budget to the correct areas and tailor a workstation for your specific workflows. Read this AEC Magazine article to find out more (tinyurl.com/WS-bottlenecks).

Processor (CPU)

In a workstation, you should always aim for a CPU with a high frequency (GHz). This is good for general system and modelling performance as many operations are single threaded. i.e. they use only one CPU core.

Multi-threaded operations can use multiple CPU cores (and sometimes virtual CPU cores). Rendering is the best example; as a rule of thumb, doubling the number of cores halves rendering time.

Simulation software and point cloud processing software also tends to be multithreaded, but there can be diminishing returns as you use more cores. In saying that, it is possible to do multiple simulations on a single machine at the same time, providing you have sufficient memory and memory bandwidth, storage bandwidth and software licences.

CPUs that have lots of cores typically run at lower frequencies, so it’s important to strike a balance. Another strategy is to optimise your workstation for modelling and send your multi-threaded calcs to a server or the cloud.

Intel used to dominate the workstation CPU market, but this is changing. AMD now has extremely competitive processors for all different workflows. However, with the exception of Lenovo, AMD-based workstations are still only available from specialist manufacturers like Scan, BOXX, and Workstation Specialists.

For CAD and BIM centric workflows, choose 11th Gen Intel Core or Intel Xeon W-1300 CPUs (up to 8 cores) or AMD Ryzen 5000 series (up to 16 cores). Intel still has the edge in single threaded performance, but AMD offers much better multi-threaded performance as it has double the number of cores (see page WS4).

For very high-end multi-threaded workflows, it’s very hard to recommend anything other than the AMD Threadripper or Threadripper Pro.

It’s important to note that CPUs from different families cannot be directly compared by GHz.

Graphics (GPU)

The professional 3D graphics card or graphics processing unit (GPU) is one of the key components that defines a professional 3D workstation.

Unlike consumer GPU drivers, pro graphics drivers are specifically designed to work with professional 3D software (especially CAD and BIM software) and are given an official stamp of approval for each application through ‘certification’. This comes with the promise of full support from the software developer.

Pro drivers can mean better performance, better stability and access to specific features, such as RealView in Solidworks, Order Independent Transparency (OIT) in several 3D CAD applications, and AMD Radeon Viewport Boost (see page WS26). If there are any display or stability issues in your CAD or BIM software, they are more likely to be fixed in a subsequent driver release.

Nvidia has the lion’s share of the add-in GPU market with its Nvidia RTX and Nvidia Quadro family, but AMD Radeon Pro also plays a very important role. Some Intel CPUs include integrated graphics. While the performance can be OK for entry-level 3D workflows, certain professional features might not be supported and the number of application certifications is much less.

Still, professional GPUs are facing increased competition from their consumer counterparts — Nvidia GeForce and AMD Radeon. Some of the major workstation OEMs now offer consumer GPUs in their workstations - both desktop and mobile.

High-end consumer GPUs tend to feature less memory than high-end professional GPUs but can easily compete on raw processing power.

For CAD and BIM workflows we still recommend sub-£500 entry-level to midrange pro GPUs, but when you get into the high end, an area where you need more 3D performance for real-time visualisation, GPU rendering or virtual reality (VR), the difference in price is greater and pro graphics cards are often a harder sell for those on a budget. Nvidia even has a GeForce ‘Studio’ driver for applications including Enscape, Unreal Engine and V-Ray.

Storage (SSD / HDD)

M.2 NVMe Solid State Drives (SSDs) have quickly become the standard in workstations. Sequential read/write speeds are superior to 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, although this won’t always result in real world benefits. M.2s are also smaller, which has helped reduce the size of workstations.

Newer workstations, including those with AMD Ryzen 5000 or 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs, support PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs, which offer double the sequential read/write performance of PCIe Gen 3 models. Those working with very large datasets, such as point cloud, simulation or video editing, should benefit most.

The cost of NVMe SSDs has come down a lot but Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) continue to offer the best price per GB. HDDs should absolutely not be used as a primary drive for operating system and applications, but they are good for secondary storage and do not impact load / save times of CAD models that much. However, if you need to process large point cloud or simulation datasets, especially if you don’t have enough RAM to hold the data entirely in system memory, then NVMe SSDs are always best.

Memory (RAM)

You should always aim to have enough memory so you never run out, as performance can significantly slow down if your workstation has to page data to your SSD.

Memory requirements will always change over time. Your datasets will get bigger and the memory footprint of applications will increase with new releases. With this in mind, it’s good to buy a workstation with spare RAM slots for easier upgrades. However, for best performance, memory should be installed in pairs, quads or eights, matched to the number of CPU memory channels. ECC memory can protect against crashes, which becomes important for lengthy calculations as you can lose hours of work.

Vs

Intel Core vs AMD Ryzen for CAD, BIM and beyond

With 11th Gen Intel Core and AMD Ryzen 5000, competition in workstation CPUs has never been so strong. Greg Corke explores the best CPUs for designcentric workflows from CAD and BIM to reality modelling and rendering

One of the questions we get asked most often at AEC Magazine is ‘which processor is best for CAD or BIM?’ Normally, we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Intel Core or low core count Intel Xeon processors (after all, Intel has demonstrated a clear lead in single threaded performance for the last fifteen years) but with AMD’s recent resurgence in the CPU market, things are no longer so clear cut.

In October 2020 AMD launched its AMD Ryzen 5000 Series, based on its 7nm ‘Zen 3’ architecture, and finally took the performance crown from Intel.

With more cores (16 vs 10), high clock speeds and superior Instructions Per Clock (IPC) , AMD Ryzen 5000 outperformed 10th Gen Intel Core in both single threaded and multi-threaded workflows. It quickly became the processor of choice for users of CAD or BIM applications like Revit, Inventor and Solidworks, as well as CPU ray trace renderers like V-Ray and KeyShot, or those built into the CAD applications themselves.

Well — it did for those who could actually get hold of one. The global chip shortage meant demand massively outweighed supply and even if AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs were in stock, prices were sometimes hugely inflated.

This bought Intel some time, and in March 2021 the chip giant hit back with its 11th Gen Intel Core desktop processor family (code-named Rocket Lake-S).

Based on its ageing 14nm manufacturing process, expectations were low. However, the new chip family came with the promise of a massive 19% IPC performance improvement, generation on generation.

In other words, if a single core on a 10th Gen and 11th Gen Intel Core CPU ran at the same frequency, the 11th Gen would be 19% faster.

This was obviously big news for users of CAD and BIM software for whom single threaded performance really matters, and it immediately put pressure back on AMD.

However, the single threaded boost came at the expense of multi-threaded performance. 11th Gen Intel Core had two fewer cores than 10th Gen Intel Core, so rendering times actually went up. AMD Ryzen 5000

There are four AMD Ryzen 5000 processor models, differentiated largely by the number of cores – 6, 8, 12, or 16. This is the same number of cores offered on the previous Ryzen 3000 series, but the IPC improvement is significantly higher – also 19% generation over generation.

The top-end AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores and 32 threads. It has the lowest base frequency (3.4 GHz) but the highest boost frequency (4.9 GHz), making it very well suited to both single threaded and multithreaded workflows.

The other three models in the range are the Ryzen 5 5600X (6 cores, 3.7 GHz, 4.6 GHz boost), the Ryzen 7 5800X (8 cores, 3.8 GHz, 4.7 GHz boost), and the Ryzen 9 5900X (12 cores, 3.7 GHz, 4.8 GHz boost). See table below for the full specs.

11th Gen Intel Core

Intel has significantly more models in its 11th Gen Intel Core family. These are differentiated mostly by power draw and base frequency, and less so by the number of cores. With 11th Gen Intel Core you only

# of CPU Cores

# of CPU Threads AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

6

12 AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

8

16 AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

12

24 AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

16

32 Intel Core i5-11600

6

12 Intel Core i5-11600K

6

12 Intel Core i7-11700

8

16 Intel Core i7-11700K

8

16 Intel Core i9-11900

8

16 Intel Core i9-11900K

8

16

Base Frequency 3.70 GHz 3.80 GHz 3.70 GHz 3.40 GHz 2.80 GHz 3.90 GHz 2.50 GHz 3.60 GHz 2.50 GHz 3.50 GHz

*PRICE TAKEN FROM SCAN.CO.UK ON 5/7/21 Max Boost Frequency 4.60 GHz 4.70 GHz 4.80 GHz 4.90 GHz 4.80 GHz 4.90 GHz 4.90 GHz 5.00 GHz 5.20 GHz 5.30 GHz

Cache L2 Cache 3 MB L3 Cache 32 MB L2 Cache 4 MB L3 Cache 32 MB L2 Cache 6 MB L3 Cache 64 MB L2 Cache 8 MB L3 Cache 64 MB 12 MB Intel Smart Cache 12 MB Intel Smart Cache 16 MB Intel Smart Cache 16 MB Intel Smart Cache 16 MB Intel Smart Cache 16 MB Intel Smart Cache

Default TDP / TDP 65 W 105 W 105 W 105 W 65 W 125 W 65 W 125 W 65 W 125 W

get a choice of 6 or 8 cores.

All Core i5 models have 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Core i7 and Core i9 models have 8 cores and 16 threads. As mentioned previously, this is a step down from the 10th Gen Intel Core processors which offer up to 10 cores and 20 threads.

With fewer cores than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Ryzen 9 5950X, it’s very hard for Intel’s 11th Gen Core processors to compete in highlythreaded workflows like rendering. It means the main battleground for Intel is in single threaded or more lightly threaded workflows, centring on CAD or BIM.

There are three main processors — the topend Intel Core i9-11900K (3.5 GHz base, 5.3 GHz Turbo), the Intel Core i7-11700K (3.6 GHz, 5.0 GHz Turbo), and the Intel Core i5-11600K (3.9 GHz, 4.9 GHz Turbo), all of which can be overclocked (see later).

Intel also offers non “K” versions, which are locked so can’t be overclocked, and have a lower base frequency, a slightly lower turbo frequency and draw less power. There are also slightly cheaper “F” variants which have the integrated graphics disabled. With most CAD, BIM and viz workstations featuring discrete pro GPUs from AMD or Nvidia this could save a bit of cash.

Major workstation manufacturers like Dell and HP tend to offer all three variants in their machines, as well as Intel Xeon W-1300 series CPUs, which are virtually identical to 11th Gen Intel Core processors, but include support for Error Correcting Code (ECC) memory.

Finally, it’s important to note that you can’t directly compare AMD and Intel CPUs in terms of their frequency. It’s not just the GHz of the CPU that matters, but the Instructions Per Clock (IPC) that it can execute. You should only compare frequency when trying to decide between two CPUs from the same series, although you should still get a fairly good idea across families. On test In an ideal world we would have tested all different models of Intel and AMD CPUs, but the time it takes to test with real-world applications (and processor availability) meant this was not viable. Instead, we focused on two different workstations — the Scan 3XS GWP-ME A132R with the top-end AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (16 cores) and the Workstation Specialists WS-184 with the Intel Core i9-11900 (8 cores). Unfortunately, we were unable to get hold of an ‘unlocked’ Intel Core i9-11900K which has a higher base clock and a slightly higher boost frequency (see table on previous page).

We’re aware that this is a bit of an ‘apples and pears’ comparison, so the results should be interpreted accordingly.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has double the number of cores of the Intel Core i911900, so is obviously better suited to

highly-threaded workflows like rendering. It also costs around 65% more (£574 vs £344 Ex VAT). However, in terms of single threaded workflows, the two workstations should give a good indication of relative performance between the two processor families. It should also be noted that different results could be seen with different motherboards and memory configurations. For consistency, both machines featured ‘‘ When it comes to rendering 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) of 3,200 MHz memory and a 2 TB Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD. To streamline our extensive testing, different GPUs were used for

AMD Ryzen different tests, but the same GPU was 5000 wins hands down. always used in both machines. The full specs can be seen on page WS9.

With the 11th

Gen Core processors maxing out at eight cores Intel simply can’t compete ’’

CAD, BIM and beyond

CAD and BIM applications like Solidworks, Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Revit, are bread and butter tools for product designers, engineers and architects. In the main they are single threaded and while some processes can use more than one CPU core, it’s only usually ray trace rendering that can take full advantage of all the processor cores, all the time.

In Autodesk Revit 2021, the RFO v3 benchmark (fig. 3) showed a clear lead for the Intel workstation in model creation and export, although the AMD workstation predictably won out in rendering. We saw similar results in Solidworks with the SPECapc 2021 benchmark (fig. 1), although Intel’s lead was extended considerably in ‘model rebuild’.

We also did some manual tests in Solidworks 2021 (fig. 2) and the AMD workstation closed the gap, coming in

Revit appears to run fastest on 11th Gen Intel Core