Building a computer for Grad School, Will this all work?

[TBay]

I am starting graduate school next week in simulation based engineering. Thus, I want a computer that can quickly run simulations. Much of the code is not written in parallel. That is why I chose a faster 4 core processor instead of AMD's 6 core processor. Here is currently what I have picked out

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

Western Digital AV-GP WD10EVDS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal AV Hard Drive -Bare Drive

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power

SAMSUNG 24x DVD Burner - Bulk SATA Model SH-S243N/BEBS LightScribe Support - OEM

Windows 7 Professional for system builders



Use: Running Simulations, watching videos

Budget: $800

Country: USA

Brand Preference: Whatever you guys recommend!

Parts: Buying Everything New

Similar Threads: I have found a few, but non with the exact setup. I guess I am just looking for the final "ok" that all the parts will work together.

Overclocking: Eventually I would like to, after I add water cooling later this year.

WHEN: Hopefully ordering the parts today.


What do you guys think? Will the parts work together? Should I buy faster RAM?

Thanks for the help!

 

[videogames101]

Can your simulations be run on a GPU? (DirectCompute, openCL, CUDA)

Also, the RAM won't be running at that rated speed unless you overclock anyways, so the speed is more than fine.

If your simulations are I/O intensive, I'd look into a SSD because thats where you'll find the greatest boost in performance in terms of I/O.

 

[heyheybooboo]

OC SuperCombo: $428 ($403 after rebates) "while supplies last"

# Antec Three Hundred + BP430w
# MSI 890GXM-G65
# Phenom 955BE
# Kingston 2x2gb DDR3 1333


The Kingston SSD Now V Series 64GB is $135 before a $30 rebate.

Not sure what your plans are with that 750w PSU ... but with it and a 1TB HDD you should still be under $700 when all the rebates come in ...




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[TBay]

Can your simulations be run on a GPU? (DirectCompute, openCL, CUDA)

Also, the RAM won't be running at that rated speed unless you overclock anyways, so the speed is more than fine.

If your simulations are I/O intensive, I'd look into a SSD because thats where you'll find the greatest boost in performance in terms of I/O.

I won't be doing anything with GPU's in the short term. Most of the projects are more demonstration of concept where speed is not super critical (provided it doesn't take months). Also, there will be no IO.

I was worried about the RAM speed, but it sounds like I should go less.

Thanks heyheybooboo! I think you're right, the PSU is overkill. Your link looks like a great deal. I just swapped everything over to use that package and its down to 600ish!

Unless anyone has something else to add, I think I'm gonna go ahead and order it!

Thanks for all the help!

 

[darkewaffle]

It looks good, just keep in mind the board is micro ATX if your simulations require any significant amount of addon cards or you ever plan for xfire it could get tight.

 

[mfenn]

You don't really want a "AV" drive for your system drive. Those are tuned for sequential access. Something like the Samsung F3 500GB would be good.

 

[Cerb]

Are you using Matlab, by any chance? If so, it's known for really loving Intel CPUs.

Oh, and check on a cheaper student copy of Windows 7.

 

[TBay]

Are you using Matlab, by any chance? If so, it's known for really loving Intel CPUs.

Oh, and check on a cheaper student copy of Windows 7.

I am using MATLAB. Does Intel really make a difference? Since it is a student edition (currently) it does not have the parallel computing tool box.

I couldn't find a student edition of Windows 7. Just the Student Windows 7 *Upgrade*. Is there a complete student copy? Microsoft store told me that there wasn't.

Thanks for all the help!

Update:

I just called mathworks. They said that their are no compatibility issues. I also ran a benchmark test (using the function "bench(5)" = 5 benchmarks). They had other computers listed. Looks like there were no significant differences between AMD and Intel, at least from what I can see.

 

[MisterDonut]

Looks good. I'd probably do the HDD swap like mfenn suggested and getting an Antec 300 over the Centurion 5. You also probably don't need to spend that much on a PSU while a quality 400w would probably run that setup.

 

[Cerb]

I just called mathworks. They said that their are no compatibility issues. I also ran a benchmark test (using the function "bench(5)" = 5 benchmarks). They had other computers listed. Looks like there were no significant differences between AMD and Intel, at least from what I can see.

Then go for it.

I'm not too knowledgeable, but have seen some Matlab benches and tweak guides not long ago, showing, in highly parallel operation, i7 CPUs just stomping Phenom IIs. Now, maybe that needs other added software to the mix. Maybe there have been improvements in AMD performance in recent versions. Maybe you need to be doing specific types of matrix maths, etc.. Just wanted to throw it out there, in case it were a big enough difference to warrant stretching the budget a bit for an i5.

If AMD will be fine, take the OC combo, throw a decent HSF in there (Xigmatek+fan of choice for performance, AC Freezer for value), and OC as desired/needed. If you get a nice CPU cooler now, you'll be fine sticking with air through the life of the PC, unless you go for serious overclocking.

 

[MisterDonut]

^ I would imagine a higher-tier architecture smashing on an lower/older one . It's whether or not you want to shell out the premium for it...

As for a cooler, those suggested are good, but they're also old. The new value HSF (IMO) is the Hyper212+. Honestly though, the Denebs weren't fun to overclock for me, so I'd probably leave everything stock and save a few bucks. On the 955, I got it to 3.6 on stock settings, 3.8 with a slight bump in voltage, and 4.0 with tweaks everywhere. This was all done on a Mugen2 though, so I never had troubling temps. <60c on load, I think.

 

[Cerb]

Right. And, in the time since then, AMD has gotten faster chips out, and Intel slower ones. I also don't have too much confidence in analyzing the results of what I can find, having 0 experience in any software like matlab. I just figured it was worth looking at, because his budget could stretch out to include an i5, though it would have cost in other parts (IE, a PII X4 is a better value, as long as the Intel's don't get 50%+ more performance w/ their $200 or thereabouts chips).

No arguments about the coolers, either. The AC is just nice, because it carries no more hassle than the retail cooler.

 

[Davidh373]

I would say you have a good build, but switch out the HD for that Samsung mfenn linked you to. It sucks that you can only use 1 thread. How are students supposed to get this stuff rendered in time for it to be due!

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I think others have mentioned these issues but I'll toss my $0.02 into the hat anyway:
1. your psu is overkill. The 380W Antec Earthwatts or the 400W Corsair will be sufficient for that system.
2. you don't want to run off a low-power AV/Green drive. The Samsung F3 series is great, as are the WD Blacks.
3. AMD's integrated video chipsets are far superior to Intel's, so without a dedicated graphics card, I think AMD is a wiser choice than Intel, but if you're not gaming, then an Intel solution might be better. The i5-750 is not much more expensive than the PIIX4 965 and is a better number cruncher. I have a PIIX4 945 at 3.33ghz at home and a stock clock i5-750 at my lab and the i5-750 edges it in simulations. Not by a large margin (~10-15 percent at best), but enough to be noticeable. The selling point of the i5 to me is that it uses a lot less power. (The main reason I have the 945 at home is that it was given to me, so in my case the 750 was a lot more expensive, ha.)

Have fun with your build.