My first system- does it make sense?

[NucleoBoy]

I'm a newbie to this forum and to PC building as well.
I've put together a list of components which I intent to buy ans assemble. However, I'm not 100% sure all those components are compatible and appropriate. The PC will be used for engineering report writing so there is no need for top of the line graphics. The applications will mainly be MS Office and FORTRAN.
I would appreciate some of your input on this.
Thanks in advance.

1. Motherboard : ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA1156 P55 DDR3 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI SLI CrossFireX USB3.0 SATA 6GB Motherboard
2. CPU: Intel Core i7 870 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.93GHZ Hyperthreading 8MB Cache Retail Box
3. Computer case: Coolermaster USP 100 ATX Mid-Tower Case RED/BLACK 4X5.25 1X3.25 6X3.5INT Front USB Audio W/ 550W PSU
4. Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Dual Proc Hard Drive OEM
5. CPU Heatsinks: Zalman CNPS10X Performa CPU Cooler LGA1156 1366 775 AM3 AM2+ 754 939 940 Support Dual Fans
6. Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 2XDVI HDMI Display Port DIRECTX11 PCI-E2.0 Video Card
7. RAM: Corsair XMS3 TW3X4G1333C9DHX 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit

[CTA]

i suggest you to use i3 or i5 system...

[tzetsin]

I agree, if your just doing office and need no gaming whatsoever use an i3 with matx board and a smaller on the desk style case and use onboard vid.

the reason i say this is that onboard vid today is more than good enough for most things (gameing 100% excluded) also, the desktop style matx case because office style machines typically transfure alot of files and having the dvd drive and usb ports on the desk is alot handier than having to bend down to do it.

the rig you've got parts for would qualify for a mid/low range gaming setup, you dont need the horsepower.

[ilya]

Um the OP mentioned he would be running FORTRAN right? He's going to definitely want faster RAM and some hefty CPU power.

I'd suggest either an 890GX/1090T build with onboard graphics and at least DDR3-1600 RAM or if the OP can afford it, an i7 1366 with some fast triple channel RAM and the cheapest graphics he can find.

May I ask exactly what kind of engineering we're talking about here? Some CUDA apps might be worth looking into. FORTRAN kind of has a broad spectrum of uses.

[crazyhorsejohnny]

Don't think that case comes with a good power supply. Get better case and seperate power supply (Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone).

[bf1]

+1 i5 or i3 and onboard graphics

[_dangtx_]

welcome aboard maite.


i sugest you go even cheaper, athlon II and giga board, say a nice 785g?

ps04b for case

antec 430 earthwatts for psu of a cx400.

cm 212+ for heatsink

[3.0charlie]

Your rig is fine as-is for Fortran, except down-grade the GPU to a HD5450.
Change the case for a CM 690, and use a better-grade PSU (Corsair, Enermax, Seasonic). 600 would be plenty.

[Reyzac]

You could even try like an i5-750 or -760 OC'ed. Even an i3-540 is pleasantly speedy under the right circumstances.

[NucleoBoy]

Thanks everyone. I will consider all your advices. I may have gone a bit overboard on some components. I definitely will not add a graphics card if not required. A separate Power supply makes sense.

I am in the nuclear engineering field. We (still) use FORTRAN for developing applications. I will also be using some established codes (but that's not the majority of my work).

Thanks again. This seems like a great forum!