This workstation is a dream for CAD/CAM and more
Why Aftershock’s Focus workstation and its Intel Arc Pro A60 graphics card are a killer professional combo.

It might seem redundant to say it, but by far the most important requirement for a PC workstation is that it works... with everything... reliably... all the time. That’s what you’re paying for and Aftershock’s Focus workstation is a case in point. It’s not just been tested to ensure that it works reliably and consistently under heavy workloads, it uses hand-picked, top-quality components to ensure that all the applications which CAD, CAM and BIM designers use, operate without configuration incompatibilities, driver mismatches or any the other issues that commonly cause costly downtime. Most noteworthy of all is that it utilises Intel’s latest Arc Pro A60 workstation graphics card. Here’s what you need to know...
What’s so special about the Intel Arc Pro A60 workstation graphics card?
Many readers will have been using integrated Intel processors for many years and are more-than familiar with the rock solid reliability and high performance they afford. Utilising professional-grade discrete-graphics from the same vendor is the logical next step in a space where harmony between hardware and software is paramount and so the benefits of having similar silicon supplied for the processor, motherboard and graphics card, are self-evident.
The facilitation of platform-wide consistency in software and drivers limits the potential for failures caused by third-party code and updates. What’s more, Intel is committed to providing new, certified driver releases every three-to-four months so you won’t need to wait forever to support new features or receive updates and you’ll know that, when they arrive, they will work.
Indeed, Intel has a long working relationship with the core ISVs in the professional design software industry and many are part of its official certification program. They include: Autodesk (3ds Max, AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Inventor, Maya and Revit); Bentley MicroStation; Dassault Systèmes; Nemetschek; PTC; and Siemens. For other ISVs, such as Adobe, Intel provides an internal validation program for common tasks and functionality across third-party applications. Meanwhile, broad compatibility means the Arc Pro A60 works reliably with multiple modern viewport API languages and standards including DX 12 Ultimate, OpenCL and Vulkan.
It’s also worth noting that Intel’s Arc Pro A60 is much more than an upscaled, integrated GPU with certified drivers. It’s entered the market to provide innovation and competition in terms of hardware performance too.
Features and performance
The Arc Pro A60 brings with it enhanced ray-tracing, double the amount of high-speed memory (compared to previous cards) and enhanced AI-acceleration. The cards are designed for PC case-friendly, single-slot installation, they’re built with premium components and are manufactured using aerospace-inspired techniques for additional reliability. The latter includes using a robust, aluminium shroud, aluminium base plate and a dense, 25-blade, thermally efficient, high-speed fan that works in conjunction with specially crafted exhaust vents.
In terms of performance, it has a peak FP32 throughput of 10.04 TFLOPS at Single Precision which comes courtesy of 16 Xe-cores and 16 ray-tracing units. It has 12GB of GDDR6 RAM, supports PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 (and is PCIe Gen 3 compatible) and can facilitate AV1 hardware-based video encoding along with HDR and high-definition audio. It has a peak power requirement of 130-Watts and four DisplayPort 2.0-ready outputs which can support four UHD monitors simultaneously.
There are additional benefits when choosing Intel’s professional graphics card, too. Hyper Compute technology enables Intel’s GPU and their CPUs with integrated graphics to combine for ultimate performance and AI acceleration in tasks like machine learning. Dynamic Power Share technology intelligently routes power to the CPU or GPU depending on which needs it most while Hyper Encode combines the media engines on the CPU and GPU to save time on exports.
Meet the Aftershock Focus
Naturally, if you’re going to invest in top-quality components you’ll need a top-quality integrator to build you a top-quality system and Aftershock has you covered. The local, Australian PC company has partnered with Intel to produce the Focus workstation, with Intel Arc Pro A60 graphics, to maximise performance and reliability.
The first thing you’ll notice is that it’s not your typically bland workstation PC case, it uses the high-quality, stylish and high performing, Fractal Design Meshify 2 case which boasts an attractive geometric design at the front and a translucent side panel so you can see the components at work.
It’s based around Asus’ premium Prime Z790-P-CSM motherboard and a speedy, 3.4 – 5.7GHz 14th-Gen Intel Core i7-14700K processor with eight Performance cores and 12 Efficiency cores that operate across 28 threads. It’s backed-up by 32GB of Crucial DDDR5-4800 RAM and a fast, 1TB PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro NVMe hard drive.
Cooling is provided using Aftershock’s bespoke Glacier Mirror system plus, premium thermal compound. Power comes via a super-stable, 850-Watt DeepCool 80+ Gold PSU. The case has five Aftershock 2,200rpm fans, meaning it will run cool and stably whatever you throw at it. You can buy the preconfigured system here and make use of Aftershock’s extensive and intuitive configurator to tailor every part of the specs to your bespoke requirements.
The Aftershock advantage
So, whatever your professional PC requirements are, Intel and Aftershock have you covered. Intel provides the heritage, certifications, experience, partnerships and core-system chipsets to ensure peak performance, compatibility and stability, while Aftershock provides the local support, expertise and trust you need from a specialist partner-integrator – did we mention the three-year pick-up-and-return warranty? So, check out the Aftershock Focus, with Intel Arc Pro A60 graphics, and get the workstation you can trust not to let your business down.
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