Build for TCAD work

[allse]

Hello everyone,

I need some advice on a very specific build. I am working with semiconductor device simulation using technology CAD from Synopsys. I was asked to build a new PC dedicated for these simulations and I have limited budget of 1500$ (not including monitor and peripherals). This system is not meant for graphics rendering but rather doing mathematical computation. It will run the software via VMware using RHEL 6.

Please suggest which components would result in shortest simulation times as I would like to have the best balanced system.

Thanks.

[Imakuni]

Hello everyone,

I need some advice on a very specific build. I am working with semiconductor device simulation using technology CAD from Synopsys. I was asked to build a new PC dedicated for these simulations and I have limited budget of 1500$ (not including monitor and peripherals). This system is not meant for graphics rendering but rather doing mathematical computation. It will run the software via VMware using RHEL 6.

Please suggest which components would result in shortest simulation times as I would like to have the best balanced system.

Thanks.

I don't know anything about those softwares, but here are some guidelines:

1. If they make heavy use of CPU, look for the cheapest X99 mobo with a 5820k. If they don't make THAT much use of CPU, get a HT Xeon (say... 1230 v3) with the cheapest h81 mobo you can find.
2. Check for how much RAM do these programs actually use. No point in getting huge chunks if they only consume a few GBs.
3. 500gb HD should do it. Make sure it is 7200rpm with 64mb of cache.
4. Check if those programs make good use of GPU, and if they do, check if Quadro cards are optimized for it. There are instances where a Quadro card gets destroyed in games when compared to a Gtx price equivalent, but it gets the job done on certain programs twice as fast than the same Gtx card. It's all about dem drivers...
5. You don't need any sort of aftermarket cooler, so don't worry about that.
6. You probably won't need an SSD, as those machines will (most likely) be on all the time. If they do constant resets, however, it might be wise to invest in one.
7. As long as it's a good PSU, don't worry about it being modular. Again, if the machines will be turned on most of the time, it might be wise to invest in 80+ gold. But if not, Bronze will suffice.

[techguru]

x99 isn't the right option here

you want a server with tons of cores..budget might be a bit tight tho

[techguru]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TwW4hM

something like this

[techguru]

the ram on there might need to be adjusted tho

should probably be 4x4gb

[allse]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TwW4hM

something like this

So you are saying that higher spec GPU is not needed for this sort of system? I saw a report that claims CUDA cores would improve 3D mesh simulations. See figure:

"The computer that performs this benchmark test has a quad-core Intel i7-3770 CPU, with NVidia GeForce GTX 690 (3072 cores, 4 G GDDR5) and 32 G system memory."

[techguru]

only if the program you are using is enabled with cuda

you need to find that out first

[techguru]

http://www.synopsys.com/Tools/TCAD/Pages/default.aspx

is this it?

[allse]

http://www.synopsys.com/Tools/TCAD/Pages/default.aspx

is this it?

Yes, this is it

[techguru]

looks like it will use cuda

 

thats changes things then

[allse]

looks like it will use cuda

 

thats changes things then

 

So could you suggest an alternative?