how easy (and cheap) is it to build a computer?

[Milpool]

Originally Posted by ratboycom

BUT a good graphics card (esp workstation based) can be utilized for number crunching and do it a hell of a lot faster than a normal computer since they have super fast ram and multiple processor cores onboard. Look at all the bruteforce hack work as of late, always using the gfx card to boost performance.

Also, maybe you should look into something like the Nvidia Tesla line of PCs, might be able to get a little older model for cheap.

Holy **** are those Teslas amazing. The major problem is that I would have to rewrite an entire piece of software into the CUDA language. It may not be too bad, as the original languages were C and Fortran. But still, not sure if I'm willing to go that route or not. Something to think about.

 

[Rambo]

Originally Posted by Milpool

Well, these computers are not too dissimilar from servers in the fact that they get no rest and are required to be constantly on. For example, one of my coworkers has a workstation connected to a data collection system. He has a measurement tool, some amps, then an analog to digital converter and then the workstation records that, for DAYS at a time. Everything absolutely must be stable with high workloads over long periods of time so that the data isn't lost or full of errors. The one I want to build is to do some advanced computations that I think hold some potential. The results will get tallied and stored. I could easily run it for hours on a computer cluster. Instead, I'll run it for days on one computer with as many parallel processor threads as possible. So it isn't raw speed that I need so much as a huge wide pipe that can do a lot of this at once. The graphics horsepower keeps any visualization off the main processors so that I don't slow down or disturb the real work.
Ok, now we're talking. When you first posted the thread I was under the impression you were looking for a desktop to run SETI or something similar and do a bit of work for you. Having read all this I definitely think you should buy it prebuilt. From support, to design, to customization options you'll have your pick of the litter and should be able to get whatever you want at a good price. Putting a machine of that caliber together isn't going to be too difficult but it will be pricey and shouldn't be that much cheaper than a prebuilt option.

 

[Milpool]

Well ****, I'm reading the programmers guide to CUDA now and there is a CUDA Fortran too!

 

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Milpool

Please... I do physics for a living. I could rebuild an engine.

actually it wasn't aimed at you, I was mostly being sarcastic, since everyone says 'change a tire' but few people can actually do it. Most people however, can change a wheel.

 

[XenoX101]

Originally Posted by Matt

can you change a tire?
Don't actually drive yet, but I'll definitely learn how once I do. Goes part in parcel with driving a car in my opinion, just like changing your oil. Oh and yes I meant change a wheel, don't think most people need to know how to change the physical tire on the wheel.

 

[Milpool]

Damn, found out I'll probably need CAD too. Well, so much for entry level graphics and relatively little memory.

 

[thiefclothes]

Its hard to beat a good deal off dells site. Back when the PC market was booming, Yes building your own system would be cheaper. But now with all the competition Your better off buying a pre built system.

Only reason to build your own, Is if you want a top-o-line system with own custom specs and quality parts or for teh fun of it.

 

[whiteslashasian]

Originally Posted by thiefclothes

Its hard to beat a good deal off dells site. Back when the PC market was booming, Yes building your own system would be cheaper. But now with all the competition Your better off buying a pre built system.

Only reason to build your own, Is if you want a top-o-line system with own custom specs and quality parts or for teh fun of it.

It's far cheaper to build a budget gaming system yourself if you know where to get the parts, even today. Actually, with almost any gaming desktop today it's still less expensive to build yourself; Dell and others charge often charge ~$300+ for a ~$180 video card.

 

[thiefclothes]

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

It's far cheaper to build a budget gaming system yourself if you know where to get the parts, even today. Actually, with almost any gaming desktop today it's still less expensive to build yourself; Dell and others charge often charge ~$300+ for a ~$180 video card.

True, I should have been more specific. I meant just basic computers as in the deals where you can get a whole system for 299.99 with PC/LCD etc. etc. dell has time to time.

 

[Milpool]

Originally Posted by thiefclothes

True, I should have been more specific. I meant just basic computers as in the deals where you can get a whole system for 299.99 with PC/LCD etc. etc. dell has time to time.

1) There is nothing fun about computers for me.
2) Those 299 deals don't even come close to the type of computer I need. This is a computer that will be used to make money by doing actual work (very complex work at that), not to play games or screw around on the interwebs.

 

[Helix]

If this was a regular desktop or one that would pull light duty numerical work I would say build it yourself but since it seems like you want something purpose built for number crunching just go for a prebuild. Dell makes some pretty nice workstation machines, can go up to 16 cores and more ram than you could ever need if you want/can afford it. The physics department at my uni has a couple of them that i've had ssh access to for a few FE simulations and they really blaze through them compared to the quad core I have at home.

That said if you go through the trouble of choosing parts and building your machine you'll end up with something a little nicer more often than not and the actual process of putting together a computer is pretty much dead easy. It's just that for this type of machine it's a bit harder than for your standard gaming or web surfing desktop. I wouldn't recommend it for a first build.

Also, though this is not as much of an issue as it once was, make sure that your hardware won't give linux fits. This is easier if you're building the thing yourself but it shouldn't be hard to find out whether a workstation works nicely with distro x. Prebuild might be a bit trickier but given the nature of this sort of work are probably a bunch of them floating around running linux for just the kind of work you plan on doing so the info shouldn't be that hard to get.

 

[Milpool]

Here is some more information on some of the software I'll use:

NetBeans / JDK (for java coding)
gcc / some other C/C++ compilers
GDB / DDD for debugging
MPICH2 (message passing for parallel coding)
Python and Fortran are probably good ideas due to the availability of Fortran stuff, and the ease/speed of throwing together something in Python.

Matlab

Paraview

Various other math packages.

With that in mind anyone have thoughts on hardware specs? I'd rather not buy more hardware than I'll need, yet it seems like I'll be able to use every bit of hardware that I buy.

 

[Willin]

For consultation on build compatability I would recommend going to hardforum(dot)com for advice.

 

[Willin]

Also - use newegg and read product reviews as a lot of time people post compatability issues in the review area!

 

[Cognacad]

I have built many computers for myself and sold many in the past years. I thought it was a great hobby, made a few bucks, and I was really into the stuff.

I suggest against going down this route though, unless you have a true passion about computer hardware and are up to date with all the information. Just get a Dell or a cheap computer from the store with some good stats. Warranty is nice and the service. Try calling some company because your power supply died that you worked 2 weeks researching and they are hard to contact.

You would be hard pressed to build your own computer that would be better than one you buy from Dell with an upgraded GPU. This do this for a living and sell millions of units, they have countless methods to keep their machines cheap.

They don't look great and people will tell you they are "crap", but there are just as many functional dells out there than anything else, including customs.

I didn't this whole thread but I hope this is helpful.

PM me if you have any questions at all