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Best Hardware Configuration for Visual Studio.Net programming

Hi All,

I need to buy 2 machines for .NET programming. I will be using Visual Studio.NET and MS SQL as my basic softwares for the application development.

I need to buy 2 desktops for this.

I need to make a choice on the hardware front on should i buy --
1. a P4 3 GHZ with 1GB RAM or
2. a Dual Core 3.4 GHZ with 1GB RAM along with the other standard items or

Can anyone tell me which one would be a faster machine for my programming requirements ?

Also can anyone tell me if Intel has stopped manufacturing P4 processors ?

Thanks!
Nitin

graye

The Pentium D was the last of the breed. The new "Core" and "Core 2" processor are the choice for new PCs these days.

Getting a dual core processor will help with running both VS and SQL Server on the same PC. Quite frankly, I'd go for 2 Gb of RAM under that scenario.

PresageSolutions

ASKER

Graye,

So would a dualcore 3.4 GHZ be a good server machine to have WIN 2003 server with the MS SQL server sitting on it ?

Would a dual core 3.4 ghz with 1 GB RAM be faster then P4 3 ghz 1GB RAM ?

Thanks!
Nitin Khachar

graye

Yep....

Just a note... the clock speeds of the "Pentium 4" max out at about 3.4 Ghz, but the new "Core" and "Core 2" speeds are about 2/3 of the Pentium 4 architecture (but still run programs faster). Both the "Pentium D" and "Core" are available as "dual core" processors. Since "Core" is in the title, a "dual core core" is thankfully called a "Core Duo" (otherwise there'd be waaay too confusing).

So, a "Core 2 Duo" at 2.6 Ghz would be my choice over a "Pentium D" at 3.4 Ghz. Both are dual core processors, but the one with the *slower* clock speed is actually faster.

Again, I'd like to emphasize the importance of RAM... I'd gladly trade a few Ghz of processor speed for an additional 1 Gb of RAM (for a total of 2 Gb)

YoungBonzi

Go with a dual-core CPU. I reap the benefits of one everyday. If a process, for whatever reason, decides to hog 100% of your CPU, you'd never notice, because the second core picks up the slack. In essence, my operating system has never been non-responsive because of a faulty program.

And in the near future, many applications will support SMP to utilize both cores. Vista and the programs that come with it are examples.

1GB of RAM is a good start. If you feel like you need more, then get more later...it will only be cheaper.

PresageSolutions

ASKER

YoungBonzi,

Are you using Dual Core 1.8 GHZ ? E6300 ? Also are you using Visual Studio.NET on it ?

Thanks!
Nitin

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

YoungBonzi

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