Engineering machine

A

Attean

Gawd
Joined
Oct 24, 2004
Messages
697
Hey guys, often lurk these boards to stay educated. My Dad is setting up a home office for doing chemical assays and asked me to build him one and since he's not being stingy for the first time in his life I'd like to give him a good environment to work in. :) Thanks in advance for any help.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Hooked up to an EDX machine used for assaying geological material. Basic number crunching, web surfing, email. Business machine.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
No budget but my requirements don't really necessitate a high end system imo

3) Where do you live?
Dallas, Texas

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word
Monitor, core components+case including a good backup system, a good UPS

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Best value possible is important here. A good work space with options for split screen, minimum 1680x1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Immediately

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Some redundancy might be nice.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Will need to purchase one. I'm not entirely sure on this one yet, but let's work on the assumption that the software he needs is 7 and 64 bit compatible. Will post soon on this one.
 
Ok, I recommend that you come back and bump up this thread in about a week. By then, Newegg's combo deals should be out and about and therefore we can save you money and get you a really good bang for the buck system.
 
Attean said:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Hooked up to an EDX machine used for assaying geological material.
Click to expand...
How will this machine be hooked up to the PC?
 
Do you guys think my recent engineering workstation build may fit his needs?

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1594270

My new boss needs a computer so I will be building another one. I ended up removing the SSD and blu-ray. I think I even dropped the ram from 16 to 8 GB. If I remember correctly, the final price was near 1k.
 
DaConfusion said:
Do you guys think my recent engineering workstation build may fit his needs?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, no for the following reasons:
- That Antec is currently OOS and even sites with it in stock are overcharging for it. In addition, there aren't any good $90 750W PSU around like it was when you first bought that PC. However, the OP's hardware requirements are a tad light so a smaller PSU can be used.

- That Coolermaster HSF has jumped up in price by $10 on Newegg which means it's no longer that good of a buy if buying from Newegg alone.

- That motherboard is more than likely overkill for his needs.

- That AMD video card is pretty much overkill his needs

- The 2600K might still be a tad overkill
 
DaConfusion said:
So is it time now to start proposing a build for OP?
Click to expand...

Dude hasn't logged in since a day after he made the OP. So, no point in proposing a build if he's not paying attention to the thread.
 
Right, especially as we can't really propose a build until we know how this "EDX machine" is interfaced. If it needs serial (and doesn't get on with USB-serial adapters) that would limit the board choice. If it needs PCI we would need a motherboard with PCI slots. Even worse if it needs ISA then that would both push up the motherboard cost hugely and limit the build to LGA775 (at least i've never seen a LGA1156 or LGA1155 board with ISA slots).
 
Hey guys. Danny, I was taking your advice. I always take your advice. Please don't tell me to jump off a cliff.

I'm actually still waiting on the EDX interface. Just called the sales department and left a message so am just waiting for them to get back to me.

Believe it or not, I think we're gonna go for a 27" or 30" monitor on this one. He wants a really slick desktop experience with a few perks this time and is willing to pay for it.
 
The EDX uses ethernet, so not an issue. The real stickler here seems like it's going to be the UPS.
 
Attean said:
Hey guys. Danny, I was taking your advice. I always take your advice. Please don't tell me to jump off a cliff.
Click to expand...
Well I wasn't saying "jump off a cliff". Simply I wasn't going to spend time building a list if the OP hasn't logged on to confirm that he's actually reading the thread. How else will I know that the OP is paying attention to the thread?

Anyway here's a prelim build:
$287 - Intel Core i5 2400 CPU + Asus P8H67 Pro/CSM Intel H67 mATX Motherboard Combo
$185 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM + Windows 7 Professional 64bit OEM Combo
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$59 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
----
Total: $697 plus tax and shipping.
 
Haha, no I meant if you told me to jump off a cliff I probably would, not allegorically in the context of this thread. :p

I'll check that build out when I get home from work and start looking for a UPS/Monitor. Thanks man.
 
if you're going for a high res 27/30" (2560x1xx0 res), then you'd likely need a dedicated GPU, since:

Intel IGP doesn't support anything over 1920x1200, unless if it's on a DP (DisplayPort) connection, and few LGA1155 boards have a DP connection.
 
Attean said:
Haha, no I meant if you told me to jump off a cliff I probably would, not allegorically in the context of this thread. :p
Click to expand...
LOL! Gotcha. :)
jeremyshaw said:
if you're going for a high res 27/30" (2560x1xx0 res), then you'd likely need a dedicated GPU, since:

Intel IGP doesn't support anything over 1920x1200, unless if it's on a DP (DisplayPort) connection, and few LGA1155 boards have a DP connection.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, thats true. Then I recommend getting this video card then Attean:
$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card

Also forgot to ask about the backup system: What kind of backup system were you thinking of? I.e external hard drive, NAS with built-in RAID, NAS, file server, cloud storage, etc
 
I recommend checking out excessups.com for your ups needs. I have gotten a refurbished UPS from them and it's been a fantastic purchase. I recommend the Smart UPS series because they output true sinewaves (very important for good clean power) and have a much longer battery life typically than their desktop counter parts (Backup series).

Something like this: APC Smart UPS 1500
 
mdonuts that UPS looks great, thanks.

As far as the backup system goes. I'm not entirely sure. Ease of setup and maintenance is crucial. Prebuilt NAS with raid so the rest of the home network can use it as well, perhaps?

Here's the build I have so far:
$287 - Intel Core i5 2400 CPU + Asus P8H67 Pro/CSM Intel H67 mATX Motherboard Combo
$185 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM + Windows 7 Professional 64bit OEM Combo
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$59 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$440 - (after coupon code ASUSIPS60) ASUS ProArt Series PA246Q Black 24.1" 6ms P-IPS

Total
$1,133.14 after tax and shipping

Edit: That price is without a backup system and the UPS
 
Ok, nearing the end here. I think I just changed my mind on the NAS. I did some research on the NAS and for price/performance to maintenance I'm thinking I'd like an ssd variant and because of cost probably only a dual bay. The prebuilt market doesn't really deliver that yet. BYOD isn't really an option here because I live an hour away, and physical drives failing in an essential backup system with me being the only phone call he can make is a bad idea. I'm aiming for a 10 year life span before having to replace a single drive and I just don't trust traditional drives to give me that kind of lack of maintenance. That requirement may seem kind of insane in the NAS world so I'm considering cloud backup or would you guys recommend a BYOD NAS? I'm thinking my mom would probably be pretty suspicious of cloud backups (not entirely unfounded) so the NAS would make the most sense for them but if cloud has matured enough I could probably sell them on it.

As far as the monitor goes, I just went for a smaller, quality build monitor. He asked for a good monitor but frankly I think 30" is overkill (he still uses a 19" tube tv for pity's sake), so I went with good quality 24", 16:10 widescreen. 24 seems like the sweet spot for resolution/size. Either way it will blow his mind, haha. If someone has a similar build quality (you're right color is less of an issue but still...bad color monitors piss me off so bad) for less expense then suggest away.
 
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Oh, I also would like to put an ssd in the build for the primary partition.

I was thinking :
$249.99 - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3B5 2.5" 120GB SATA II
 
for backup SSD drives are just awsome. From what i have been hearing on the interwebs is that when SSD drives fail, its normally the ability to write that fails and the drive is usually still readable... So a raid type setup may not be nessicery. As for storage, my take on it is to use external drives that can be fully disconnected easily. With thumb drives now at 16Gb and are at a reasonable prices i use those. Don't remember where i found it but but I recently bought a 16Gb flashdrive that has a blank area for a personal label... that may prove to be a good idea for your needs.
 
Attean said:
Ok, nearing the end here. I think I just changed my mind on the NAS. I did some research on the NAS and for price/performance to maintenance I'm thinking I'd like an ssd variant and because of cost probably only a dual bay. The prebuilt market doesn't really deliver that yet. BYOD isn't really an option here because I live an hour away, and physical drives failing in an essential backup system with me being the only phone call he can make is a bad idea. I'm aiming for a 10 year life span before having to replace a single drive and I just don't trust traditional drives to give me that kind of lack of maintenance. That requirement may seem kind of insane in the NAS world so I'm considering cloud backup or would you guys recommend a BYOD NAS? I'm thinking my mom would probably be pretty suspicious of cloud backups (not entirely unfounded) so the NAS would make the most sense for them but if cloud has matured enough I could probably sell them on it.
Click to expand...
I don't think ANY backup solution, even SSDs, will you a ten year life span before drive replacement or lack of maintenance. So yes, it is a tad insane, even for a BYOD NAS.

I also wouldn't trust cloud backups as the sole source of backup. Considering your rather high requirements, I recommend that you make a new thread over in the Data Storage subforum and see if anyone can give you better help in regards to the NAS.
Attean said:
I was thinking :
$249.99 - Intel 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3B5 2.5" 120GB SATA II
Click to expand...
I recommend taking a look at the Crucial C400/m4 128GB SSD for the same price.
 
Final:
$287 - Intel Core i5 2400 CPU + Asus P8H67 Pro/CSM Intel H67 mATX Motherboard Combo
$185 - G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM + Windows 7 Professional 64bit OEM Combo
$249 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$65 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$21 - LG iHAS124-04 DVD Burner
$59 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$60 - Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$1499.99 - Dell UltraSharp U3011 30"

Total
$2,473.56 after tax and shipping

UPS:
249.99 Refurbished APC SMART-UPS 1500

One last question, do you guys think the video card will be a problem if he goes with that monitor? No display port...
 
Hmm. so I just had a talk with him and found out more about what this EDX machine really is. It's basically a low voltage scanning electron microscope and uses electron microscopy mixed with xrays. In other words, it costs more than one of my kidneys and I really don't want to mess it up by getting an inadequate UPS, and possibly not a refurb.

Was thinking something like this http://excessups.com/smartups-1500va-racktower-120v-smx1500rm2u-p-175.html
a similar product on newegg costs 1358. :( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101380
 
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