High-Performance Data Workstation under $5K

[DataHog01]

BLUF: I am a first-time builder looking to create a high-performance data analysis workstation for under $5,000.

 

Thank you for your consideration!

 

I provide consulting and professional services (non-technical) to large companies and U.S. government agencies. I am self-employed, work from home and the build will serve as my home office workstation.

 

My Lenovo IdeaCentre 310S Desktop (AMD A9, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM, Windows 10, Intel HD 620 Graphics) was an embarrassing $329 lesson for me in "How do Computers Work?" It died last week -- just under one full year of heavy use.

 

My workflow transitioned to the Surface Book laptop (i5-7300U @ 2.6GHz, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OS, Intel HD Graphics 620) I purchased back in April this year for travel.

 

The Surface Book has performed well for my routine multitasking: MS Office; Adobe InDesign and Acrobat; Tableau; Chrome (40+ tabs); music and video streaming; no gaming; etc. It also performs adequately with basic analysis of datasets (1-100MB) in Excel and related document and presentation production. My analysis does not currently leverage any programming, machine learning or complex modeling.

 

The Surface Book can open large datasets (1 GB+) but lacks the RAM for even basic analysis. I need to eliminate this constraint and scale my analysis and existing workflow up to 10 GB+ datasets and beyond.

 

I am actively developing a related SaaS platform based on datasets over 1TB. That platform will have a data layer (PostgreSQL database), processing layer (Java Server), web server layer (Laravel PHP) and user interface layer (JavaScript). As the non-technical founder (actively looking for a technical cofounder…) I will not personally be developing or programming in these environments. Still, I want to collaborate and test the business intelligence value of the platform during development from this workstation.

 

Guiding principles for the build: (1) Pay for Performance; (2) Best Value over Lowest-Price Technically Acceptable; and (3) Keep it Stock and Simple (KISS). Regarding KISS, I want to avoid significant changes to my existing workflow, ease installation and minimize opportunities for operator error.

 

I have considered cloud services and concluded they are not a good fit for me. I have two existing monitors I intend to use: an HP27SC1 (1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz) and a TCL 32S305 (1366 x 768 @ 60Hz).

 

I will value your perspectives on performance, compatibility or installation concerns, recommendations for optimizing configuration and any substitutions that can provide meaningful cost-savings or cost-effective performance upgrades.

 

Thanks in advance for your time!

 

PCPartPicker part list:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Threadripper 1920X 3.5 GHz 12-Core Processor	$409.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler	Fractal Design - Celsius S24 87.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$105.13 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus - ROG Strix X399-E Gaming EATX TR4 Motherboard	$325.91 @ B&H
Memory	G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$479.99 @ Newegg Business
Memory	G.Skill - Trident Z RGB 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$479.99 @ Newegg Business
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$147.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 970 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$539.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Seagate - BarraCuda Pro 10 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$344.00 @ Amazon
Video Card	Asus - GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB Dual Series Video Card	$334.89 @ OutletPC
Case	Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass (Black/White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$94.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$122.26 @ B&H
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit	$124.79 @ OutletPC
Case Fan	Phanteks - PH-F120MP_BBK_PWM 53.3 CFM 120mm Fan	$14.89 @ Amazon
Case Fan	Phanteks - PH-F120MP_BBK_PWM 53.3 CFM 120mm Fan	$14.89 @ Amazon
Keyboard	Logitech - G610 Wired Gaming Keyboard	$69.99 @ Amazon
Mouse	Logitech - G602 Wireless Optical Mouse	$36.95 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$3746.64
	Mail-in rebates	-$100.00
	Total	$3646.64
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-12-17 09:53 EST-0500

[Radium_Angel]

12 minutes ago, DataHog01 said:

Regarding KISS

I'd start by matching monitors. You will quickly appreciate matched resolutions. I'd even consider going triple if your workflow will be helped by it (I know mine it, photographer here)

My latest system has dual Xeons in it, 20 cores, 40 threads and ram as far as the eye can see so you are on the right track there.

 

[DataHog01]

Copy that and thanks, good suggestion. As you can imagine, I've piecemealed the monitors as my requirements grew. Now would be a good time to baseline the workstation with additional monitors to match the HP27.