$400-4500 system build. Recommendations?

[ShowponyStuart]

I am currently setting up a computer for a final year project for my mechanical engineering degree at uni. The project will include Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) which is VERY computationally expensive. After researching, talking to people from the CFD community and more research I have narrowed the system down to that shown below. The system is (as best I could) optimised for CFD simulations, I just need help finalising the build design as I am not sure which way to go when it comes down to the specifics.

Price: Aiming for $4-4500 Australian.
Timeline: Order and build within about a month
(Note: I also plan to overclock given the chance too)

*Provisional Specs*
Keep in mind this machine is primary built for CFD (pre/post,sims) but also pro-e, matlab, strand 7 etc...(So its basically a Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) workstation)

CPU --------> i7 3930k
MOBO ------> ASUS P9x79 Deluxe?? (not sure if this is the best bet or not)
RAM -------> 64Gb quad channel DDR3 @ 2133MHz (brand?)
HDD(1st) -> 60Gb SSD(For programs ie windows, ansys, proe etc.)
HDD(2nd) -> 240Gb SSD (working drive for ANSYS simulations) (brand? Best type for random read/writes?)
HDD(3rd) -> 2x1Tb 7200rpm in raid0 (for "longer term storage" )
GPU -------> Nvidia Quadro 4000
Case ----->cooler master HAF-X OR Azza Hurrican 2000
PSU ------> ??? (850W or higher to cope with demand and overclocking?)
Cooling --> Corsair 100

Thoughs or recommendations about the system and what brands and components I should go for?

 

[Dangman]

How much is that setup now?

RAM wise, make sure that it's rated at 1.5V or lower. Any higher and you risk damage to the PC.

SSD wise, from price to performance stand point, you really want to stick to SSDs sized 128GB and above. The 64GB and below SSDs are often overpriced for what they are. SSD wise, stick with the Crucial M4, Plextor m3, Samsung 830, Intel 520, or Corsair Performance Pro series SSDs.

 

[tiraides]

"Longer term storage"? Did you consider using RAID 1 rather than RAID 0 for your storage drives?

 

[ShowponyStuart]

"Longer term storage"? Did you consider using RAID 1 rather than RAID 0 for your storage drives?

The reason I went for raid 0 here is that I will still need to access this data and read and write to it after I have done most of the "leg work" on/to it. (this is because I will need to check and correlate results etc.) ie I do all the heavy work (simulating, pre/post processing) then move it to the HDDs to free up space on the ssds.

I plan to back up all the data to an external hdd as well to be on the safe side, especially considering I am running raid 0.

 

[tiraides]

Gotcha. I didn't know whether or not you already had some form of backup on hand.

 

[ShowponyStuart]

Im thinking about just a Corsair Force Series GT 240GB ssd. Has anyone had experience with these? Good, bad?

also for ram I was thinking something like this, but again I am unsure. The G.Skill RipjawsZ seems okay yeah?
http://www.mwave.com.au/sku-3714104...y_Kit_DDR3_2133MHz_PC3_17000_CL_9_Unbuffered_

 

[Dangman]

Please answer my last question.

 

[ShowponyStuart]

Please answer my last question.

As to how much the setup is now? Im not sure, Im still trying to pull numbers together (lol struggling, especially because im in australia and cant use newegg and those sites like people are suggesting)
I think its looking at around around $3600Australian (cheapest I think) if i go for

CPU --------> i7 3930k -------------------------------------($600)
MOBO ------> ASUS P9x79 Deluxe ---------------------($400)
RAM ------->G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 64GB ram---(~$800)
HDD(1st) -> 240GB corsair Force GT------------------($335)
HDD(2nd) -> 2x1TB seagate -----------------------------(2x$88)
GPU -------> Nvidia Quadro 4000 ------------------------($1000)
Case ------> Azza Hurrican 2000 -------------------------($130?)
PSU ------> ??? ----------------------------------------------($150?)
Cooling --> Corsair 100-------------------------------------($150)


Pretty rough numbers I think though.

 

[lightp2]

Hi, observation per post #1, opinion only

1. Most common folks nowadays view USD2000 top as upper-level build
2. Computer Aided Engineering is stated as focus.
3. To commit Aus Dollar 4000+ of your own money (still at university, as indicated) (I assume since you are at uni so there is no company or salary funding this build) implies you appreciate this particular build highly and is determined to build a worthwhile project out of it.
4. Based on this general common sense/expectation, may I suggest you consider a setup that will include ECC memory. (I am not sure but I guess in actual companies where this particular usage is critical, I would assume they basically use workstations with ECC RAM?)

Just a suggestion.

 

[Dangman]

As to how much the setup is now? Im not sure, Im still trying to pull numbers together (lol struggling, especially because im in australia and cant use newegg and those sites like people are suggesting)
I think its looking at around around $3600Australian (cheapest I think) if i go for

Yes.

Well I asking about the price because here in the US, $4500 is enough to get you a dual-CPU setup that would probably outperform that planned setup if your usage is heavily multi-threaded. But considering how much the build is now without a PSU, probably won't happen just eyeballing it. If I have time tommorrow, I'll see if that's actually true or not.

As for your actual planned setup:

MOBO ------> ASUS P9x79 Deluxe ---------------------($400)

The track record for that motherboard hasn't been that great. So I recommend the cheaper and more reliable Asus Sabertooth X79 motherboard instead.

RAM ------->G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 64GB ram---(~$800)

I'm honestly not sure if your usage would actually benefit from higher speed RAM. At least in normal/more common apps and games, higher RAM speed offers little to no performance increase over DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600 RAM. But besides the possibility of overkill and being overpriced even for the Aussie market, the RAM itself is fine.

HDD(1st) -> 240GB corsair Force GT------------------($335)

I wouldn't recommend the Corsair Force GT at all since it's a Sandforce SSD. Again, stick with the Crucial M4, Plextor m3, Samsung 830, Intel 520, or Corsair Performance Pro series SSDs if you want reliability.

Case ------> Azza Hurrican 2000 -------------------------($130?)

Not a good case due to the limited space and limited cable management. The Corsair 400R and 500R are solid choices.

PSU ------> ??? ----------------------------------------------($150?)

You should be fine with the Corsair TX650 V2 or Corsair HX650 if you want modular.

 

[ShowponyStuart]

Hey Danny Bui. Yeah the only reason I didnt go for a dual cpu was due to licencing restrictions imposed by the program I am using. Basically it boils down to only being able to utilise 4 cores for each simulation.

As for the RAM, talking to the guys on cfd-online has led me to the conclusion that faster ram does have a noticeable impact on simulation time, so thats why I went down that route.

What has been the issue with the Asus P9x79 deluxe? I chose it over the sabertooth because the sabertooth couldnt handle the faster ram I wanted to use. Also I was under the impression that the ASUS was a bit better for overclocking, as that is a path I am going to go down.

A lot of people have been telling me to go for the performance pro series of the Force gtx (if i want to go Corsair), so that is something I definitely will amend.

For the case I was also considering the HAF-X fulltower which is a bit more expensive but a lot of people seem to like it.

 

[slh28]

Yeah the only reason I didnt go for a dual cpu was due to licencing restrictions imposed by the program I am using. Basically it boils down to only being able to utilise 4 cores for each simulation.

Then why are you going with a 6 core CPU? And is that 4 cores or 4 threads that can be used?

 

[ShowponyStuart]

Then why are you going with a 6 core CPU? And is that 4 cores or 4 threads that can be used?

Fair question. It was chosen for various reasons, the primary being that is is by the far the fastest processor for CFD purposes (when compared to other processors running at 4 cores). (excluding the 3060X, but the margins become negligible when both are overclocked). The other reason is, that because cfd will invariably max out the cores, the 6 cores provided me with a buffer that allowed me to use my computer to some degree even when a simulation is running.

And that is with 4 threads, but hyperthreading will be turned off as it slows down the cfd calculations (i have not delved into exactly how, but even the software manufacturers recommend it).

 

[Dangman]

Hey Danny Bui. Yeah the only reason I didnt go for a dual cpu was due to licencing restrictions imposed by the program I am using. Basically it boils down to only being able to utilise 4 cores for each simulation.

As for the RAM, talking to the guys on cfd-online has led me to the conclusion that faster ram does have a noticeable impact on simulation time, so thats why I went down that route.

Fair enough.

What has been the issue with the Asus P9x79 deluxe? I chose it over the sabertooth because the sabertooth couldnt handle the faster ram I wanted to use. Also I was under the impression that the ASUS was a bit better for overclocking, as that is a path I am going to go down.

Well this is basically laziness on my part but if you check the Newegg reviews, out of the 60 reviews for the Asus P9X79 Deluxe, 42% of those are two stars and below. For the Sabertooth, out of 109 reviews, only 25% of those reviews are two stars and below. So yeah, that kind of gives me the impression that you probably don't want the Asus P9X79 from a reliability standpoint. With that said, take Newegg reviews with a grain of salt as those who have negative experiences tends be more vocal and forthright of their opinion of a product.

Up to you man. Personally I'd rather have the higher chance of reliability with the Sabertooth series.

For the case I was also considering the HAF-X fulltower which is a bit more expensive but a lot of people seem to like it.

Not a fan of the HAF X myself as there are better quality cases out there for around the same or lesser price:
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$162 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case

 

[psy81]

Why can't you just use the computers on-campus? If you're in engineering, they should provide you with modern computer/workstations to do this type of work on.

 

[zandor]

I've got a P9X79. It was a pain in the ass before due to ram problems, but now it works fine after a bios flash except for the flaky legacy USB support. Basically it's ok if you know what you're doing and don't mind doing a little work. If your build skills are limited to plugging things in and installing Windows I recommend running away.

There's probably a better alternative. I just ended up with the P9X79 because that's what Microcenter had in stock. They had a couple other boards, but they were either really expensive (ROG or something like that) or only had 4 dimm sockets.