What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• EEG data analysis and audiovisual stimulus design in MATLAB and potentially Python in the future. Some of my analyses require matrix operations including matrix inversion. The matrices are large and require and is slow and memory intensive. Other times, I will be doing many small and trivial computations, but can do them in parallel. When working on the computing cluster at my university, I sometimes use 25-30 GB per CPU when I'm doing the matrix inversion stuff. I've also requested 20 CPUs when doing large quantities of computations that aren't memory intensive. The bulk of my analysis will be done on the cluster, but for piloting and testing my analysis, it's a pain in my ass so it would be nice to do as much of that on my own PC. Stimulus design requires the ability to present stimulus frames with very low temporal variability at 60Hz. I don't think this is going to be a problem for most modern video cards but though I should mention it. I don't expect to play graphically intensive video games. I like playing stuff like portal, but if my graphics card can't handle the newest games on low, I won't give any shits. That said, I do need to drive three monitors if that makes a difference with the graphics card.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• I would love to spend about $1000 US, but I'm willing to go up to $1500.

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• Within two weeks.

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (Tower/OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/etc)

• Tower only. I have an SSD (Samsung 850 PRO, 256G; purchased in 2017), and a power supply (Corsair HX620W; gifted from a friend) that I can use

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• NY, USA. I'm not near a Microcenter. :(

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• Samsung 850 PRO 256G SSD, Corsair HX620W power supply, WiFi PCI card, and a couple of HDDs for storage.

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• I don't think I need to. Happy to be convinced otherwise.

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• I would like at least 32 GB of RAM. With that, I can do one of my largest matrix inversions at a time and parallelize my more typical matrix inversions. If it's possible to get 64 GB (I realize this might be a pipe dream), I could parallelize my memory intensive computations to two of the Processor cores, which would be nice. I think the matrix invsersion is slowed by RAM speed maybe (I could be wrong, please correct me), so faster RAM might be useful? But I also want a good enough processor for the high computational volume analyses (I think number of cores is more important than the actual speed for what I need).

• I have three monitors that I need to drive. They are shitty, small, and old, but they do their job. They are all 21" and only have DVI-D inputs (I can just get a conversion cable or adapter, no?). I will eventually want to replace the middle monitor with a larger one probably around 27".

What type of network connectivity do you need? (Wired and/or WiFi) If WiFi is needed and you would like to find the fastest match for your wireless router, please list any specifics.

• WiFi primarily. I have a PCI card already. Ability to use wired is a plus, just in case.

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-tower/full-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• I've always had ATX cases and like that size. I prefer a black case over white. I would like for my PC to look good and simple (not a fan of angular designs) and I like a window, but I'd rather spend my money on performance if I were made to choose. Does the racing stripe performance boost observed in cars apply to computers?

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• Nope.

Extra info or particulars:

• Can't think of anything. I've made some suggestions of what I might need, but I came here for a reason (because I don't think I'm an expert in computing) so I'm open to the idea that my suggestions are wrong. I'm very appreciative that there is a community that enjoys designing PCs for others! Thank you! I'll be around to answer questions if needed.