BleepingComputer.com: Wanting to build a Computer

Hello everyone. I am getting into CNC programming, which is software that demands ALOT from the video card/graphics. With my current computer(which is an older dell) it is pretty much running at full capacity(I have done everything but overclock it). It seems I spend more time waiting on parts and files to load then actually working also the computer locks up(overloading) all the time. I want to build a computer that is built really well for this task alone. i was wondering where I should start. Thanks

Well, first you need a budget. What, precisely, CNC? I'm aware of CAD. If that form of programming utilizes graphics heavily, expect to get a huge case and a high-end graphics card, combined, these two parts alone could cost as much as some low-end PC's. The HIS H697F2G2M Radeon HD 6970 2GB is one of the most powerful cards on the market and should help. There are professional workstation graphics cards you could use, but those are far more expensive. If your CNC program enjoys physical cores, the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz CPU paired with an ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX motherboard would also increase speed. If the CNC program is 64-bit enhanced (Meaning, it uses more than 4GB of RAM) get as much DDR3-1333 RAM you can, which is four sticks. Depending on your workload, an SSD could also be considered.

This guide is useful, they keep it pretty updated as well. Should get you started and provide tips with helping you figure out what you're looking for. They even make a couple build suggestions based on budget.

As I see it there are three main things at work here.

First is the processor. Since CNC is pretty much just a single threaded or slightly multi threaded app I would not suggest anything more than a quad core CPU. Something around 3 Ghz should be fine.

Second is the memory. Since the CPU can only spit out data as fast as it gets it if you can load most or all of the CNC data to system memory your speed should be much improved. If you are using a 32 bit OS I would go for 4GB of the fastest memory available to your motherboad. For a 64 bit OS max out the memory if you can or go to at least 8GB.

Finally the biggest bottleneck will be the hard drive(s). You want the fastest thing you can afford here....period. It will be a compromise of space versus speed for the cost. SSD's will give you lightning quick load times but at a steep price for the size. For me the next step would be a 10,000 rpm drive and last would be the fastest 7,200 rpm drive.

Video will be hard to nail down since each CNC software uses system resources differently but I would say any realtively new card ( ATI 5xxx series or better) with at least 1GB of onboard memory would suffice.

Of course if you would be willing to supply the CNC program name and version you are using I could make a more specific recommendation.