Question First PC build

[morjon96]

Hello, I'm in the process of building my first PC. The basic use of the computer is for engineering workstation and heavy software use with CAD, CAE, and simulation software like SIMULINK. My budget is $1500 +/- $250. Later on into the rest of the year I would like to build a raspberry pi 5 cluster (for parallel computing) to not only train AI but other applications as well so it doesn’t overload the main computer most of the work I would like to do in the future. There was also the case of future proofing the computer for eventual storage upgrade, GPU upgrade, and RAM upgrade for more complex projects, software. I am also planning on using the CAELinux but first have Windows 11 as a dual OS system. The reason why I am mentioning this is because while you go through the parts list I would like to keep the uses of the computer in mind.

My main problem with building the PC was the PSU unit. I was thinking about upgrading the PC in the future with more memory and storage but I don't want to buy another unit. I was thinking about a 750 W but I am thinking about getting something higher than that for the future. As well the GPU I chose is supposed to be below the average price since I won’t be playing any games in 4k. However, I would like a second opinion on the choice because I will need it for training in CAD and my most concerning; simulation application.

The computer will be in enclosed space with the idea of it being quiet. I chose the mid tower case to fit in the enclosed space of a cabinet. The reason being is that I don’t live alone and I don't have access to a personal space for the computer. I wanted an ATX form factor board for potential future upgrades as explored in the earlier statement above. I pick liquid cooling to keep the PC as quiet as possible plus the lack of airflow in the cabinet (The back of the cabinet is removed to help it.) I am paying extra for the heatsink in the SDD card for extra cooling. Everything else is self explanatory.

Finally, before the parts list, I actually started to order the parts to do the final build by the end of June, also for anyone that is interested I will deploy my cluster by the end of the year and I will definitely ask for advice as well on the build of this cluster of this computer. The parts that are already ordered and received are the Windows OS, The Case and the Motherboard. They are kept in boxes not put together and the most recent purchase was the motherboard which is still possible to return if not recommended thoroughly in this forum thread.

Here is the list: The link provided is everything in the place and I will provide links for further investigation if I want to look into the specification more. I have noticed that in order for the motherboard to be compatible with the CPU, I need a BIOS update in order to use the CPU at all. If there is a recommendation or a change to either fix the compatibility issue. I still have a budget left over to use for any other parts or change of parts that would help the goal of the computer.

My main goal aforementioned above is looking for a second or third opinion about the build. Any parts recommendation or any advice in general will help.
Parts list:
AMD Ryzen 5700 G
Fractal Design Focus 2
Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240L
MSI B450 GAMING PLUS MAX AM4
Mushkin Enhanced Redline Stiletto 64GB (2 x 32GB)
Western Digital BLACK SN850X
PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 6600
CORSAIR RM750e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply

 

[In2Photos]

I'm curious why you chose to build a PC that is well below your budget, especially when you talk so much about being able to upgrade it in the future? Your current parts list is not necessarily a bad build but a few components are already 1-2 generations old. The b450 motherboard and the 5700G for example, only come with PCIe Gen3, but PCIe Gen 5 is out on current platforms. You then chose a PCIe Gen 4 drive, but won't be able to achieve its max performance. Will you be able to leverage the iGPU in the 5700G for your use case or will the RX6600 be doing all of the heavy lifting in your workloads?

So if you stick with the AM4 build consider the 5700X over the 5700G and go with a B550 motherboard so you get PCIe Gen 4 at least. If not, since you are buying new the MSI B450 board should come with a BIOS new enough to run the 5700G without needing to update it yourself. The board you chose does have a BIOS update button so you don't have to have a compatible CPU in order to update the BIOS.

Also consider the AM5 platform. The current gen CPUs (Zen4, 7000 series) from AMD are the first generation on this platform and could see 1-2 more generations before moving to AM6. In fact the new Zen5 CPUs (9000 series) are expected to be announced in June at Computex. Release likely won't be until late summer though.

For your use case it appears through some Googling that Simulink is a Matlab product. Matlab appears to use CUDA for GPU tasks so an Nvidia GPU might be a better option despite AMD having some better priced cards in the lower range. Maybe something like an RTX3060?

As for the PSU the 750W unit will support a pretty good amount of CPU/GPU combinations up to an RX7800XT or RTX 4070Ti Super unless you opt for a power hungry CPU like the Intel i7 or i9 variants. If you feel like you may want more in the future you could step up to an 850W or 1000W unit, but you still have room for growth with the 750W.

I edited your parts list a little based on my feedback. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qmfQn6

 

[Tech Junky]

As @In2Photos points out there's a huge problem with logic here.

A LC setup won't be quieter than fans alone since the pump makes noise and vibrations.

Going AM4 doesn't make sense since it's a legacy platform at this point and moving to AM5 isn't that big of a budget jump at this point since prices are falling.

PSU if you want bang for buck the 850W is the price break before you start getting gouged for 1000W+

If you @morjon96 put in the effort in sourcing the parts you can be cheap and on the cutting edge within budget. Also, just leaving parts in the boxes over a duration of time can come to bite you in the ass when the return period expires and you have to deal with the RMA process instead when something doesn't work. If you're that tight on funds just save them until you can procure and put them together for testing in a reasonable time period.

 

[morjon96]

First, sorry for taking so long

@techjunkie @In2Photos. My logic of choosing the components that I did is that through my ignorance I wasn’t as confident in choosing the right components. My lack of experience in general is primary reason I made such simplistic errors. I wanted to build the PC to my needs but went way below my budget so I can get help from more experienced people such as yourself to correct any mistakes I made and learn from this. Which I did learn a lot through your responses and I have taken the advice to heart. For the PCIe question, I just didn’t do my research well enough to know exactly what I was looking for in the build. Knowing what I know now. It doesn’t make any sense at all. With the current build I wouldn’t be getting the full performance that I wanted to. Trust me that wasn’t the plan. So thank you for the correction. For the PSU I completely understand. I’m not going to use the Intel I9 processor anytime soon and eventually they will be obsolete by the time I need a new build. As well as upgrading the GPU, RAM, and storage will be the main priority through the years. I will be upgrading it depending on my needs. I still have plenty of room to work with after seeing my parts list and your parts list. I will be fine. Next, I personally thought about the AM5 platform but I thought the AM4 was not far behind in terms of generations with the AM5 so I was trying to be conservative with the budget considering the processor I chose was what I needed (In terms of specification. But I didn’t know that I would be 2 generations behind soon. So again thank you for that. Finally, I thought AIO was always quieter than fans so thank you for that. I will definitely look into more options and look into manufacturers that specialize in quieter options.