Nuclear Engineering + Home Office Build

[JBrew1313]

I am finally in the market for a new computer, but I noticed that everyone is pushing Windows 10 for their "off the shelf" models, which I have no intention on moving to. So I have started researching building my own, but I'm not an expert in this field so I defer to you all!

I am looking to build something that I can use for nuclear engineering (student for now), as well as run math programs like Mathematica and Maple (and yes, MATLAB as well), and the various AutoDesk products like AutoCAD, MotionBuilder, Inventor and Solidworks as well. I'll also be using this as a home office computer so MS Office, and web browsing too.

I would like to run 2 monitors and be able to dual boot Windows 7 and Linux (Ubuntu probably). Id like to keep the total build price (including monitors and peripherals) under 1000$. I dont need any fancy monitors or anything of the sort, but hey, if the components are cheaper then why not right?

I've done a little research and I'm mostly concerned about the graphics card and processor; whether they will be enough to handle (efficiently) the above stated requirements. I've maxed out the RAM and put in 2TB worth of storage, which is about what I'm looking for. Eventually, I'll move to getting a dedicated home media server too, but I'm sure that'll be a question for a new post in a couple years haha. Let me know what you all think I can improve on with the initial build that I've looked into:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/wx4sZ8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/wx4sZ8/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($67.81 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus A88X-PRO ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($98.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($62.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($62.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 240 2GB Video Card ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case ($87.25 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: HP DVD1265I DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Best Buy)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill N900PCE PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($18.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" 60Hz Monitor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" 60Hz Monitor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $819.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-16 08:50 EDT-0400

Thanks!

 

[anbello262]

Given your applications, you don't even need a graphics card, but you want a very strong CPU.
The cpu you selected is an APU, which means it includes an on-board GPU, which is probably about as powerful as the r7 240 you included, so first of all:

- Drop the graphics card, you won't need one. The only ones that would be useful for you are at least $200. For anything less, it is not worth it, just use the integrated graphics.

- Go for intel, an i5 at least. Your applications will rely A LOT on the cpu. Some of them scale well with multiple cores, while others prefer strong single core performance. It also depends a lot on the specific task you assign it (especially true with Matlab). Also, skylake integrated graphics are respectably good.

- You don't need the case fan, so drop it and save $20.

- It is usually VERY strongly recommended that you get an SSD. A 250gb would be a good starting point, a 500gb is probably the sweet spot if you have a few more dollars.

EDIT: Here is what I would recommend. It is a bit more expensive, but infinitely better for your applications:

$956 http://pcpartpicker.com/list/LMpLJV

It can be still improved a little bit more. If you have some more money, you can go with an i5-6600k with Z170 motherboard, a $30 cooler, and overclock, and you would get around a 10-20% increase in performance.
Here's an example (cheaper case to make up for the price difference):
$972 http://pcpartpicker.com/list/7yXq4C

Or you could get an i7, which would improve performance for other programs:
$1012 http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Qmq8Yr

 

[Rocky Bennett]

I highly recommend Windows 10 for that build, it is a fantastic, versatile and efficient OS. I have multi-booted Windows 10 with 11 other operating systems, and Windows 10 seems to be the most functional of all.

 

[anbello262]

Oh yes. I also highly recommend windows 10.what is the reason you prefer to stay on win7? That is an old OS that is already starting to show its age, win10 is better optimized for many new things (and is highly customizable, so you can work almost like with win7 if you want).

And I REALLY hate windows 8, and love win7. But even I consider that win10 is better in every way.

 

[JBrew1313]

Thanks for the info folks. I am not pro-Win10 due to all the privacy concerns. Frankly, I dont want big business getting into anymore of the intricacies of my life than necessary. Until MS sorts that out, I'm on the anti-Win10 bandwagon. Just my prerogative on that though.

 

[anbello262]

That is practically the only reason I can accept without any question.

Personally, I'm more of the 'they already have it, and I'm not doing anything I would hide from a complete stranger, let them see' mindset, but I completely accept what you said. Although I heard that win7 does the same with some new updates, you might want to look into it.

So, let's come back to the hardware!
What's your budget? How much money are you willing to spend on this build?

 

[JBrew1313]

1000$ is what I can justify, anything more than that and I have to beg a little. Will the onboard graphics card support dual monitors? Would I be able to slot one to VGA and the other to DVI or HDMI?

I keep hearing that due to AutoCAD using CUDA, the best thing is an NVidia graphics card, so again, thats really my main concern.

As for the processor, thats good info. I'll look into your builds for this as it seems you did a much better job than I did with those

i hear you on the "they already have it, so f- it" mentality. I do like to minimize the exposure regardless. One of the reasons why Im interested in the dual-boot to Linux also. Which honestly, I wouldnt mind learning Linux anyway...additional skillset and all...

 

[anbello262]

Although AutoCAD (3D only) works better with a good dedicated GPU, those are expensive (absolute minimun $200), and the performance of a good CPU will be a lot better than "cheap cpu + good gpu". Also, a good cpu shows benefits in every single program. And stilm, even with no dedicated gpu, we are talking about extremely good performance.
And, lastly, if at any point you decide you need a gpu, you can add it a few years later without having to modify anything else. Just buy one, install it, and ready, no extra expenses.


As for dual monitors:
I've checked, and the gigabyte motherboard supports up to 3 monitors (1 dvi, 1 hdmi and 1 vga I think).
The MSI motherboard, I couldn't find a lot of information, but we can change it for any other cheap z170 motherboard instead.

The i5 integrated graphics is quite powerful, compared to what used to be 'integrated graphics' a few years ago. It can even handle some gaming, to give you an idea.

 

[JBrew1313]

That is perfect info, thanks so much for your help with my noob questions! Let me know how I can thumbs up you on here and Ill knock it out. Thanks again.

 

[pepslight]

That is perfect info, thanks so much for your help with my noob questions! Let me know how I can thumbs up you on here and Ill knock it out. Thanks again.

I have an I5 6600k overclocked to 4.7 Ghz, 16GB dddr 4 I can say the i5 is really a beast, overclocking is really easy and it brings insane performance

 

[anbello262]

No problem, I enjoy seeing systems turn into reality.
When you decide to buy the parts, if you have any doubts, just ask