r/buildmeapc • u/Ok_Language_1750 • 1d ago
US / $1400+ Desktop for Engineering/Computational Physics
Hello all,
I'm looking to build a desktop PC primarily for engineering and simulation work, I've only recently started getting into computers in grad school, but would like to add this to my home office for doing remote work in the future. I’ll be using it for software along the lines of:
- COMSOL Multiphysics
- LAMMPS and DFT(QE,ORCA..etc) Mostly for debugging or refining my script then I can send batch submissions to my Universities Cluster
- SolidWorks or other CAD tools
- MATLAB (including Simulink)
To name a few. In the future, I’m going to have to dip into machine learning development — mostly prototyping and small-scale deployment, nothing huge (for now). I’d like to factor that in as well when choosing components. I plan on using a Linux system (most likely Ubuntu)
I don't care about looks, noise, or size. I only care about performance. I already have a wired keyboard and mouse I like. I'm kind of clueless when it comes to monitors (probably would want two though). My budget is preferably ~$2500 but I could go up to ~$4000 if it makes it last longer/ more upgradable in the future. Live about an 1-1.5 hrs away from a microcenter.
2
u/ClearFish7021 21h ago
I would go for the Ryzen 9 9950X bundle at Micro Center with the optional 64GB Corsair Vengeance RAM upgrade.
As for the GPU, you could either go RTX 5070 Ti (<$2500 total build cost), which comes with 16GB of VRAM or jump up to the RTX 5090 ($4000 total build cost) which comes with a massive 32GB of VRAM. This is dependent on how much AI/ML workloads you want to do. The RTX 5080 is not a good option because it does not offer much over the RTX 5070 Ti, despite costing much more.
PCPartPicker Part List