Best PC build for AutoCAD?

Greetings!

My dad is looking to put together a new PC specifically for 2D drafting in AutoCAD. My understanding is that the software relies quite heavily on the graphics card, so we’d ideally like to prioritize a decent GPU, along with a solid processor. He's planning to reuse his current case, hard drive, and potentially the power supply—though I still need to verify the specs on that PSU to see if it's actually worth keeping.

I would appreciate some recommendations for a motherboard, CPU, graphics card, RAM (either 8GB or 16GB), and an SSD (let's say around 256GB). Also, let me know if a new power supply is necessary, provided the total stays around $1.25; if we can come in under that, even better. Thanks!

You don't need a beefy GPU for AutoCAD. Honestly, it shouldn't even touch the budget—you should be able to save that cash. A decent integrated chip will handle it just fine.

CPU recommendation:

https://www.nabava.net/procesori/amd...ijena-89984231

RAM (all that matters is getting 2x8GB sticks with high clock speeds, since there isn't much of a price gap for slower ones anyway).

SSD (Go with 500GB if you can, but 250GB works if you're trying to shave off a few bucks).

https://www.nabava.net/ssd-disk/ssd-...nvme-105090891
Motherboard:
https://www.nabava.net/maticne-ploce...-ddr4-92851951

Let me know what kind of power supply you've got. You can easily find a solid one for around $300-$167.

Thanks!
I'll double-check the power supply and get back to you. One thing though—is the processor actually handling the heavy calculations? It’s pretty critical when you're tackling a massive architectural project involving tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of lines... you really need everything to run smoothly and fast.

I'm not sure exactly how much of the load falls on the CPU versus the GPU, but if you ask me, AutoCAD relies mostly on single-core performance. This processor is decent enough—just an old quad-core i7 from a few years back paired with a stronger graphics card.
For 2D CAD? It’ll be fine. That's a light workload for a processor like this.

By the way, if you're strictly sticking to 2D work, you could honestly get away with an Intel i3 9100 (just not the f version). It’s a bit cheaper and the integrated graphics aren't great, plus it lacks HyperThreading—unlike that 3400G which gives you 4 cores and 8 threads—but for basic 2D CAD? None of that actually matters.

The real bottlenecks are going to be your SSD and your RAM. 16GB should cut it, but I’d personally grab a motherboard like the one I linked—something with 4 slots—just so you have the option to toss in another 2x8GB later if things get heavy.

So, the power supply is a Platinum MS 400 ATX P4.
I’m assuming there isn't much worth salvaging from it, right? If so, I'm open to suggestions.
Basically, yes—AutoCAD is primarily a single-threaded program. You often see it hitting maybe 50% on one core while the second core sits at 6%, and so on...
Since the main goal here is strictly AutoCAD, along with some light web browsing and a few minor tasks, that’s exactly how the configuration should be tailored.
I’ve been looking at the "single thread performance" rankings over here: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
And if there's any way to squeeze a bit more out of the build, I'd definitely prefer picking components that are somewhat "future-proof."
I noticed the motherboard is a B450M mATX, which might matter since we're keeping the existing case, but I don't see what RAM speed it supports if I were to go with 3200MHz. Thanks!

That MS Platinum claims to be 400W, but it’s only pushing 168W on the 12V rail. 😁😁😁
In theory, it might handle that build, but it smells like cheap, bottom-tier junk to me. I wouldn't risk it.
Any B450 motherboard will handle 3200MHz RAM just fine. With Ryzen, RAM support mostly comes down to the CPU itself. Just grab one with 4 slots if you want any hope of being futureproof.

BTW, we aren't talking about massive performance gaps here.
The Intel i3 9100 f would be slightly faster, but it's not a dealbreaker.

As for the PSU, this one is decent enough, but there are plenty of other options out there.

https://www.amazon.com/power-supply-units/b?node=12731351

No clue about the case, but basically, they all fit mATX motherboards.

Thanks so much!
Just one last thing—could you suggest where I should go to pick all this stuff up? I’m looking for somewhere that makes the whole process easy and has reliable shipping options...

Everything is listed on eBay
cpu 3400g
psu fortron 400w
mbo gigabyte b450m-ds3h
2x8gb patriot viper steel 3200 ram
ssd m2 crucial 500gb
around $1133