Workstation for a software developer

Question

I'm a software developer, planning to get a new desktop workstation. Partly because of company policies and partly because I've got other things to do than building hardware, the machine must be a readily available package from a major manufacturer such as Dell. But I'm overwhelmed by the choice, as I'm not really a PC hardware geek or game enthusiast. Regardless, I would like to get a decent machine since I'll be spending lots of time with it.

Some requirements:

• Quiet!
• At least 6 GB memory
• Quad-core processor
• Raid 1
• 24" 1920 x 1200 monitor

Easy enough, but how about:

• Graphics controller. How much memory? Which chipset? What brand? I have no clue what I need (so probably the cheapest one would do?)
• What's a good enclosure/chassis? Is some of the Dell ones strudy and quiet?

I had a quick look at Dell Precision T5500, but don't know why I should pick it and not something else. So, any good (or bad) experiences and recommendations appreciated!

Edit: Starting to realize that I'm just looking for a simple good quality computer, nothing fancy, except maybe a bit more than average processor muscle and memory. Nevertheless, raid 1 is still almost mandatory: while normal backups prevent working data loss, they don't help with re-setting up every tiny detail of a good development box in case of hardware failure; it would take days. Well, taking a disk image of a working setup would be some kind of poor man's option, but...

Answer 1

Have you thought about getting an iMac and putting Windows and / or Linux on there using Bootcamp? The 27" model meets most of your requirements, especially for being quiet, and for having good build quality. They also have decent graphics hardware for a non-gamer-dedicated system.

Answer 2

I develop apps for a living... tools include Visual Studio 2005, 2008, SQL Server 2005, 2008, Reporting Services, Analysis Services, etc. I also have VMs (VMWare Workstation) to run older versions of browsers for compatibility testing (IE 6.0), run Servers, and so on. I also do image and video editing (Adobe Photoshop/Premier) on my rig so here are the parts that I put on my latest built and which I highly recommend:

1. CPU: Intel i7 860 Quad Core Hyperthreading with Turbo mode when not all cores are running.
2. RAM: 4 x 2 GB sticks DDR3 1333 Kingston Value RAM.
3. Motherboard: Intel P55 based chipset (Gigabyte P55A-UD4P).
4. HDD: 1 x 640 GB Western Digital Black for OS and Apps; 1 x 1 TB Western Digital Black for Data; 1 x 640 GB Western Digital Black dedicated to page file, Photoshop and Premier Scratch files, and to store Virtual Machines.
5. Video Card: ATI Radeon 5850 based. I also use my PC for playing games.
6. Power Supply: Corsair HX650W
7. External Drive to store backup and for imaging OS drive: 1.5 TB Western Digital Green.
8. CPU Heatsink/Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus.

Answer 3

I would reccomend an HP. Their systems are reliable, and they also offer servers, so your minimum reqs shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I prefer HPs over Dell's simply because HP's Technical Support wins heavily over Dell's 2 hour call-time average, and 3-4 year product lifetime. We currently uses HP laptops and desktops for virtually all of our non-linux/solaris machines.

Answer 4

I have had great sucess with the HP Workstation line. Very broad range. My personal system is an older XW4400Q and it is very quiet and very expandable. Have also looked at the Z800 and it is very quiet and very expandable.
Not inexpensive.

Very expandable, great graphics options and loads of RAM expansion. Great build qulaity and three year warranty standard.

Z800

We have used quite a few Dells and support has generally been good especially if you have the upgraded warranty.

Answer 5

I had a couple ThinkPads and was quite happy with those; though I'm uncertain as to their quality since Lenovo took them over.
I'm now running an Alienware M17x and it is golden!

Of course this assumes you're considering a desktop-replacement laptop. The laptop itself wouldn't have a 24" monitor, but since they basically come with dual-video built in, you can just slap another monitor (or two or three) on it without any problems, and actually get CrAzY desktop space.

Only caveat with a DR laptop is the price will be steeper; you just need to decide if it works for you. Personally I LOVE working on a laptop instead of a desktop that can't go anywhere. e.g. When we have development/coding meetings or pow-wows at our office, we can all bring our systems into one room and compare notes right then and there. Very handy!

Answer 6

My team has a bunch of dual quad-core T5400s which we we've been very happy with, and we've recently added some T5500s which are very nice too. If you think you might ever want to plug in multiple Tesla cards for scientific number crunching (or a Tesla plus a top-end graphics card), then it might be worth considering the T7500 variant (much the same spec as a T5500 but in a big chassis with a monstrous PSU). They all seem pretty quiet to me but a lot depends on how noisy your workplace is. If you're not running any 3D graphics, just get the most basic card Dell offer now (probably one of the fanless Nvidia "Quadro NVS" cards) and upgrade it if you ever need to.

If we were an HP shop instead, I'd be wanting Z800s.

Answer 7

I've been using a XPC Shuttle with an add in $100 video card. I've got my loaded with 4GB of RAM and a large SATA hard disk. It's running 64-bit Kubuntu and I can also run Windows side by side with Linux using virtualbox should you need it.

Sounds like you'll want to get the highest end shuttle you can afford to fit your quad core processor and extra RAM. If you really need RAID you may need an add-in card for that.

Answer 8

Other than the alternatives already mentioned, I suggest you take a look at the Dell Vostro 4XX series (info from the Swedish page, I couldnt navigate on the Finnish page). I am using one such machine for the past year and I have to say I am very very happy with it running OpenSuse.