Help building a computer for using R

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next few months. I'm not in a rush.

BUDGET RANGE: ($600-850)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Its primary purpose is for using the statistical program R for econometric and other statistical work.

As you can imagine it is incredibly difficult to look up suggestions for a program called R. I have searched for recommendations on building computers that are intended for using matlab. But I am worried that the programs may be different enough, that for a given budget a suggested mix of components for a computer running matlab maybe suboptimal for running R.

Other than that, my usage is limited to word processing, Internet usage. The only gaming I do is online poker, which doesn't seem to require anything special.


PARTS NOT REQUIRED: OS (I plan on using Ubuntu or another Linux distribution), keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: No preference, provided that it is reputable. I'm not adverse to open-box components and even previously used items.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: I'm from New York.

PARTS PREFERENCES: None. I'm partial towards a larger case.

OVERCLOCKING: As anyone reading this can probably tell I'm extremely uneducated when it comes to computer hardware. From what I believe I understand about overclocking it is something that I would be interested in being able to do. But I wouldn't say "yes this is an option that I need."

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I don't have a preference. If there are reasons why someone with my needs and interests would want these, I would want to incorporate them into a build.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: not sure