building PC for work

[bpsg119]

My boss has given me the ok to buy a new computer. Many people in the lab I work in have 27 inch imacs, which are beautiful, but I'm a PC guy. I would rather build my own as opposed to buying prebuilt, so I've spent some time putting together a list of components. My budget is not specifically defined, but I'm using a high end imac as my guide, which is in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000.

I work in science, and a large component of my work will involve processing thousands of images from a microscope using a java based program called imageJ. The program is supposed to be multithreaded, so I've chosen a i5 760 (quad core), but I expect that the computer will benefit greatly from having a lot of ram. I will also be doing some coding, fitting, and normal desktop work in addition to some minor photoshop stuff. I want something beefy, but it doesn't need to be a gorilla, just a souped up desktop PC.


Intel Core i5-760 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core

ASUS Maximus III GENE LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7Q-16GBRL

ASUS VH236HL-P Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor w/height & swivel adjustment

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

IN WIN Z589T.CQ350TBL Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply


In addition to this list, I'll get a DVD drive, and a video card, but since I won't be gaming, it doesn't need to be anything special. I will be running a dual monitor setup. I'm still considering whether or not upgrade to a 120GB SSD or not. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Just a note on the case. I have a nice 7 inch wide (maybe a bit more) cubby next to my desk that I would like to place this PC, otherwise it will be on my desk taking up useful space. Most of the cases from Antex and Lian Li are too wide to fit, so I've fallen back on In win, which I haven't used in many years.

Thanks.

 

[fffblackmage]

If you're dealing with a heavily multithreaded program, you may want to consider a i7-8xx, which will have Hyper Threading.

Let's bump the ram up to DDR3-1333 for $20 more. That'll match the standard memory speed on LGA1156.

I would highly recommend finding another psu at the very least. It's not the 350W I'm worried about; it's the fact that it's most likely a POS PSU. Try this Corsair CX430 psu. Cheap, but reliable.

The mobo you chose is rather expensive for LGA1156. There are plenty of cheaper mobos, though I'm not sure what features you need.

Any modern cheap gfx card should work. You may want to check your software(s) to see if you could benefit from CUDA support with nVidia gfx cards.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

I'll give my standard recommendation for a PC that does any type of productive work: get a pre-built PC.

Since you only have 7" cubby, look into the HP Z200 SFF Workstation. If you stand it up as a tower, it's only 4" wide, which should give plenty of room for ventilation.

 

[bpsg119]

I'll give my standard recommendation for a PC that does any type of productive work: get a pre-built PC.

Since you only have 7" cubby, look into the HP Z200 SFF Workstation. If you stand it up as a tower, it's only 4" wide, which should give plenty of room for ventilation.

I understand some reasons for wanting to go prebuilt, but I get excited about building machines, do you have a story or experience that would convince me to drop the plans to custom build?

 

[theevilsharpie]

I understand some reasons for wanting to go prebuilt, but I get excited about building machines, do you have a story or experience that would convince me to drop the plans to custom build?

Let me throw out a car analogy.

A pre-built computer is a lot like a car that you buy off the lot. The cheap cars are kinda slow, and the fast cars are expensive, but you know what you're getting.

A custom-built computer is a lot like tuned import. The person modding the car was probably excited about it at the time, and it may have even gotten higher performance numbers in a few areas than a more expensive sports car, but many of them end up becoming run-down pieces of shit in short order.

Any time I've seen custom-built PC's used in a business environment, they've been, without exception, slow and unreliable to the point of disrupting the flow of business. Large manufacturers like Dell and HP have the resources to perform testing of their machines on a scale that is simply not feasible for an independent system builder, and it shows in the consistency and reliability of their machines. While you may be excited about building a new computer today, that excitement will wear off in short order; disappointment and frustration with an unstable computer that prevents you from doing your work lasts a lot longer.

 

[fffblackmage]

Well, with pre-built, at least you don't have to spend time setting this computer up. If anything goes wrong, you'll also get the benefit of a warranty (from HP or whomever), so you don't have to spend time fixing it yourself.

Remember, time is money.

 

[mfenn]

^^ Those two guys are absolutely right. You should absolutely not be building a work PC. The lack of support translates to long downtimes while troubleshooting and getting replacement parts, which a business can't afford. Get an HP, Dell, or Mac.

 

[0roo0roo]

your labor = cost.
maintenance/build = additional cost on this computer.
unless ur pay is low, it isn't worth it. and as said, warranty

 

[Davidh373]

I would get an i7/ xeon, not an i5, but as said before, I'd also get prebuilt.

If your office has mostly macs, and you're transferring images, you're likely to run into problems. If you don't, don't worry.

An HP or Dell workstation will work. This is what I would recommend for a build/ hardware in a prebuilt. I'm not sure how high the resolution is on those images, but you'll not likely use all 16GB RAM.

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...;20elite%20335

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-034-_-Product

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-214-_-Product

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-299-_-Product

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-311-_-Product

Graphics (No IGP with i7 8xx)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-579-_-Product

Optical
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106276

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...spinpoint%20f3

Total: $782.89

You asked for a build, so you got one, but I'd still recommend pre-built for your situation. Just look for a Dell, Mac (prolly iMac), or HP fitting this profile (case, psu, and Graphics excluded of course).