Best PC build for architectural visualization (AutoCAD, ArchiCAD)

Hi there,

I’m looking to put together a powerhouse workstation specifically for high-end visualizations and rendering—mostly running ArchiCAD and AutoCAD.

I just received a quote from for $3633 before taxes. I wanted to get a second opinion—is this actually a solid deal? Or am I potentially overpaying for specs I don't even need? Any advice, gut feelings, or technical recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Could you please lay out the full specs from the quote? I'm also wondering if a monitor is included in the package, and if so, what kind we're looking at... Since AutoCAD isn't exactly cutting-edge when it comes to squeezing every bit of power out of modern hardware, I can't help but feel this might be a bit more expensive than it actually needs to be.

wanderingbison9 said:Maybe you should list out the full specs—and let me know if a monitor is included or what kind we're talking about. To be honest, AutoCAD isn't exactly cutting-edge when it comes to pushing hardware to its limits, so this might be overkill and unnecessarily pricey...

The link shows the photo and the quote for the PC itself. The monitor and everything else fall outside that $10.9k budget.

Here’s the link for the ArchiCAD requirements: https://graphisoft.com/resources-and...m-requirements .

Would you say this setup is actually overkill even for the most intense projects? I'd love to hear your thoughts—any advice on what to scale back, beef up, or swap out entirely? Thanks in advance.

The link doesn't even show up unless you actually go into the quote... this forum is such a pain.

First off, I’d suggest stepping down the processor to a Ryzen 7 3800, because once you start adding more cores, you don't really see that much extra bang for your buck with these types of programs. Wouldn't it be better to take those savings and put them toward a Radeon RX 5700 XT, which performs significantly better than the RX 5500 XT when you're working in OpenGL?

As for the memory... I'm not entirely sure if 32GB will be enough, so wouldn't the smartest move be to grab 2x16GB now and just add another 2x16GB later if things get heavy? After all, AM4 doesn't support Quad Channel AFAIK, and besides, the post doesn't even specify which motherboard you're using.

Jerry Cruz4 said:Hey there,

I'm looking for a killer PC to handle visualizations and rendering for ArchiCAD and AutoCAD.

I got a quote from for $3633 before taxes. Is this actually a good deal? Maybe I'm overpaying for stuff I don't need... any advice or suggestions would be great.

Look, ArchiCAD and AutoCAD aren't really "visualization" programs per se. AutoCAD is vector drawing, and ArchiCAD is BIM modeling.
Both have plugins for rendering, though.
ArchiCAD has more options.
To even give you a straight answer, I'd need to know which engine you're planning to run, because that changes everything—whether you need raw CPU power (more cores) or a beastly GPU (massive graphics card)...
At the very least, you should be looking at 32 GB of RAM and at least 8 GB on your graphics card. Your choice of processor (and by extension, the motherboard, the power supply, etc.) depends entirely on whether you're rendering in something like V-Ray or if you're moving toward Lumion or Twinmotion...

P.S. I can't see your actual quote on my phone, but judging by the price alone, no, it's not too high... if anything, it's reasonable.$1667 A decent graphics card alone costs that much.