System for data analysis / deep learning

N

Nico

Member
I am trying to build a system that I will mostly use for data analysis (mostly in R and Python). This will involve large volumes of data, and often very large images. I definitely need a decent GPU on this system, as I am going to use some deep learning.

I have a budget of around £2000-2200 and I would like something durable and reasonably fast. I am absolutely aware that to have a great system for deep learning I will need more than that, but I do have access to other options (I can access a cluster when needed for extremely heavy calculations), so this would be a system for "everyday use". I will run Linux (probably Fedora) on this system.

Below is what I am currently at. I would appreciate any comment on specific parts and obviously, any suggestion for decreasing the price is always more than welcome! I have highlighted a couple of things I am not sure about

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window) (Special Offer)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! <- I chose this pretty much randomly... any help?
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW) <- My idea is to put the OS on the SSD and use the other disk for data. I am assuming I can always add a third HD later on if needed, right?
2nd Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET <- Choice motivated by this post, although when saving the quote the system tells me I can go down to 650W...
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition <- Another random choice... suggestions welcome
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
H

humourme2

Active member
Nico I am far from an expert and I'm sure they will soon jump in, however, I have been pouring over specs for the last few weeks with the idea of primary use being R. One issue is getting large files in and out of memory. The second is doing some number crunching when it is there. Although my budget is more constrained than yours which nudged me towards less RAM, a deferred GPU and I choose the Intel route, my conclusions were to primarily select the motherboard based on ability to service SSD disk read/write speed as everything else can be upgraded later and I wanted some future proofing. This eventually tilted me towards a Firecuda drive and a motherboard with M.2/ PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD support. There isn't always quite enough information on the configurator to always identify this so it a case of checking manufacturers websites.

I actually specified two 500Gb SSDs, one for the OS, the other for data/programmes. I intend to add an old 500Gb HD when I get the system. Once I identified the motherboard I then specced RAM to take advantage of it.

Your board choice is good for the fast M.2 support https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards-Components/Motherboards/PRIME/PRIME-B550-PLUS/

The SATA interface though for the SSD is I believe slower compared to an M2 slot. In the desktop guide there is a suggestion that you can use one SSD for 'blistering fast' OS loading, and a second as a cache drive. If you have the budget there is no need for it to be a cache drive - just a larger, faster data drive. I don't fully understand these though so I might be corrected.

The challenge for a data PC is identifying the bottlenecks and then getting complementary items that work around these. Everything goes through the motherboard so that is a good place to start.

Oh with the cooler if you think you may be hammering the CPU then I bought into the argument that an AIO was the way to go. However, there is some debate as to the utility of the additional thermal paste.

Hope that helps.
 
Last edited:
B

Bigfoot

Grand Master
While not an expert in your use case, I would make a few changes here, primarily CPU, motherboard, storage, PSU and cooling. Please provide the configuration link, so that we can suggest the changes.
 
B

Bigfoot

Grand Master
Here is my attempt, but I don’t know all the requirements of your use case. I am sure some others will weigh in with their suggestions.


Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) newer generation CLU
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready! suitable board for the CPU - includes WiFi
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR dropped this down due to budget - I don’t know if VRAM or CUDA cores is better for your use
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE the drive you selected is designed for servers and noisy and bigger Barracudas are slow
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W) super fast drive for your OS and applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) still fast drive for current projects
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET better PSU will run cooler and quieter, will likely last longer and will allow future upgrades
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler these CPUs need good cooling
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof) this could be removed
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 forgot to remove this - not needed as on the motherboard
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,297.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/cRZEh26QgR/
 
N

Nico

Member
Hello again! I was about to proceed with the order, but when continuing I get a warning that the motherboard (does not support USB-C ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI), which is a bit annoying. What would be a suitable replacement for that with USB-C support?
 
B4zookaw

B4zookaw

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I think the exact wording is "Please note that the motherboard you have selected does not support USB-C. Therefore, the front USB-C port on the case will not be functional. If you wish to have a functional USB-C port on the front of the case, please amend your motherboard choice." So this means you can't connect a USB-C port that might be on the case front to the motherboard. But the motherboard I/0 panel itself has a USB-C port.

1642698616770.png
 
H

humourme2

Active member
B4zookaw

B4zookaw

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
N

Nico

Member
IRLRobinS said:
I think the exact wording is "Please note that the motherboard you have selected does not support USB-C. Therefore, the front USB-C port on the case will not be functional. If you wish to have a functional USB-C port on the front of the case, please amend your motherboard choice." So this means you can't connect a USB-C port that might be on the case front to the motherboard. But the motherboard I/0 panel itself has a USB-C port.

View attachment 31945
Click to expand...
Ahhhh... that makes sense! I was a bit too hasty in reading it.

Thank you for all the suggestions in any case!
 
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