Feedback/Suggestions for Programming/IT build....

[DevilishBooster]

I need some advice/confirmation on a build I am trying to finalize/budget for.

 

I started really getting into computers when I was finishing up college. My interest was further boosted when I was unemployed for about a year and I spent a lot of my time reading and researching. Now I am actually making a track to move over to the Cyber-security department in the company I work for. I have a list of IT/programming courses that I'm taking online, and I am also starting to look at working on basic robotics in my spare time. While I won't be compiling huge programs, I will be doing a lot of code writing for various applications and running multiple virtual machines at one time. Does anyone know what the absolute bare minimum CPU I could go with is? Since I'm not going to be doing any kind of heavy graphics I know that my GPU doesn't need to be special (aside from driving multiple monitors), but I'm guessing I need to get a really good CPU and lots of RAM. This is the build I currently have picked as a rough idea: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hQJP4D

I figured that's pretty much a balls-to-the-wall build, so I would like feedback on how overkill that is and what the best CPU would be to go with is. I don't want it to be a ridiculously over-powered rig, but I definitely don't want it struggling when I am running upwards of 4 or 5 virtual machines or compiling code. Thanks!

[brob]

An i7-5820K is not really needed. Compiling actually depends as much on storage speed as processor speed and is typically single threaded. It is possible to compile independent modules in parallel, but that depends on the build system being used.

 

A Skylake iGPU will support multiple monitors and should provide more than adequate graphics power for the tasks described.

 

The M.2 drive in this build is 4-lane and will provide up to 32Gb/s performance as opposed to the 6Gb/s performance of the Intel 535.

 

An after market cooler is not really required in this application. The stock cooler will do a good job.

 

Going with a 2x16GB memory kit is more expensive, but leaves open two slots for possible upgrade.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($314.99 @ Directron)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H-GSM Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($72.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($371.39 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1104.57
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-31 01:55 EDT-0400

[Streetguru]

I need some advice/confirmation on a build I am trying to finalize/budget for.

Changed a few things, the motherboard is overkill, but if you're going X99 you might as well go overkill

I'd also start at 16gbs of RAM and upgrade if needed, and the cooler is a bit overkill in your set up

Skylake is an option, but if you have the money, ya might as well go X99 Since it doesn't cost too much more than an i7 skylake build, well if you get a normal motherboard anyways

If you want a case suggestion it's in there, the HAF XB EVO is a pretty solid case for productivity with it's built in hot swap bays

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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yg2Yxr

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yg2Yxr/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.99 @ Amazon)

Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($82.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Mushkin Chronos 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($144.89 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($183.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case  ($86.40 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: Rosewill 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.89 @ OutletPC)

Total: $1287.12

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-31 03:14 EDT-0400

[DevilishBooster]

As I stated in the OP, I knew that what I had put together would be overkill. I like to plan out a "worst case scenario" and then work backwards from that because then the final build sees a little more reasonable in price. And I knew the cooler would be overkill but I picked it quick because it was the first one to pop in my head, and if I decided to OC a little then it would help. Lol

I was actually thinking about it a bit more while trying to fall asleep last night. My current rig is a pure AMD build (I was pretty broke when my laptop died and built its replacement), so maybe I should just plan this build as it's replacement and then convert the AMD rig into a purely folding machine....

An i7-5820K is not really needed. Compiling actually depends as much on storage speed as processor speed and is typically single threaded. It is possible to compile independent modules in parallel, but that depends on the build system being used.

 

A Skylake iGPU will support multiple monitors and should provide more than adequate graphics power for the tasks described.

 

The M.2 drive in this build is 4-lane and will provide up to 32Gb/s performance as opposed to the 6Gb/s performance of the Intel 535.

 

An after market cooler is not really required in this application. The stock cooler will do a good job.

 

Going with a 2x16GB memory kit is more expensive, but leaves open two slots for possible upgrade.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($314.99 @ Directron)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H-GSM Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($72.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($371.39 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1104.57
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-31 01:55 EDT-0400

Thanks. I asked because I wasn't sure if compiling would be thread dependent or storage speed dependent. I thought most mobos (except for high end specialty boards) only natively supported one video connection per type... So are you saying I should run an iGPU and daisy-chain some DisplayPort monitors? That would make sense and might reduce the cost of the build a little bit, but if I decide to make this my new daily driver then I might just go with a discrete graphics solution. I picked the m.2 drive because I knew it would give me way better read/write performance. Lol.

Changed a few things, the motherboard is overkill, but if you're going X99 you might as well go overkill

I'd also start at 16gbs of RAM and upgrade if needed, and the cooler is a bit overkill in your set up

Skylake is an option, but if you have the money, ya might as well go X99 Since it doesn't cost too much more than an i7 skylake build, well if you get a normal motherboard anyways

If you want a case suggestion it's in there, the HAF XB EVO is a pretty solid case for productivity with it's built in hot swap bays

-

-

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yg2Yxr
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yg2Yxr/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor  ($369.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($144.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($183.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case  ($86.40 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Rosewill 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1287.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-31 03:14 EDT-0400

*hnnng!* I want that mobo so hard! Lol!

Seriously, if I'm going to go overkill it's going to be with that one. Lol. And yeah, I thought about the RAM deal and I really don't see myself needing more than 16 since I'm not running CAD or rendering videos at this point (I might be in the future). Yeah, I picked Skylake because I was comparing prices and it didn't seem to make much sense to pay almost as much for an older chipset system. I like the case suggestion. I hadn't really gotten around to picking a case yet, so I'll give that one some serious thought. My current rig is in the HAF Stacker.

 

Thanks for the help guys! It at least gives me some direction in the final decision. Maybe I'll do it with integrated graphics to start and then, once I have the money saved up, get a kick ass nvidia card like a 980Ti or something and then start using it as my daily driver.

I'll redo a build list taking your suggestions into mind and post it here in a little while.

 

EDIT: I'll probably start with the stock CPU cooler, but Iove watercooling so I'll probably be making a loop for the system at some point in the future.

[DevilishBooster]

Here's what I've come up with. I don't have a PSU picked because I already have a 650W that I can use, and that will be more than enough for this system.  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KcKdkL

I figure, if I don't have to spend money on a GPU, then I'm not going to skimp on the CPU/chipset. Yeah, I know it makes it more expensive that using a DDR3 chipset, but this way I'll be set for upgrades in the future.

 

@brob

Thanks for pointing out the need for storage speed - it helped me decide to go with a mobo that has two m.2 slots. Since I don't need a graphics card then I'll just use as many PCIe lanes as possible for fast storage. Plus this way I'll have a DisplayPort 1.2 connection on the mobo and I can just get DisplayPort monitors and daisy chain them.

 

@Streetguru

Thanks for pointing out the case - I looked at it and I really like it a lot for this application. Also pointing out the excessive amount of RAM helped too. Since I'm not yet doing CAD or rendering videos (although that is on my list) I don't need that much RAM just yet. Going with a 2x8GB set gives me what I need but leaves room for expansion.

 

I'm going to watch to see if anything goes on sale with the holidays. Hopefully I can get the parts within a few months. :-)

[brob]

@DevilishBooster, the MX200 M.2 ssd have a 6Gb/s interface. In addition, a single larger ssd would be a better choice IMO.
 
While more expensive M.2 (M) ssd (as opposed to M.2 (M+B )) use 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes providing a 32Gb/sec interface. Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive will be released in a couple of days and looks to be an excellent choice. Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive is available now.
 
Daisy chaining monitors using DisplayPort 1.2 (or higher) multi-streaming is a decent option. Unfortunately monitor selection is a bit limited. Another option is to get a single larger and higher resolution monitor. When daisy chaining there is a limit on the total resolution. If you have not seen it yet, http://www.displayport.org/cables/driving-multiple-displays-from-a-single-displayport-output/ is a decent explanation.

[DevilishBooster]

@brob

I didn't realize there was that big of a difference. I'll have to re-evaluate the build a little more.

Edit: Even thought it's hella expensive, that one does make sense. I'll just have to watch the price of it.

[DevilishBooster]

@DevilishBooster, the MX200 M.2 ssd have a 6Gb/s interface. In addition, a single larger ssd would be a better choice IMO.

 

While more expensive M.2 (M) ssd (as opposed to M.2 (M+B )) use 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes providing a 32Gb/sec interface. Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive will be released in a couple of days and looks to be an excellent choice. Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive is available now.

 

Daisy chaining monitors using DisplayPort 1.2 (or higher) multi-streaming is a decent option. Unfortunately monitor selection is a bit limited. Another option is to get a single larger and higher resolution monitor. When daisy chaining there is a limit on the total resolution. If you have not seen it yet, http://www.displayport.org/cables/driving-multiple-displays-from-a-single-displayport-output/ is a decent explanation.

Question (something I just thought of). If code compiling time really just depends on the storage speed and not the number of CPU cores, couldn't I just go with a Haswell i5 system and save some money on the CPU and RAM? Or will the reduction in cores and/or speed hurt the performance too much when I'm running several VM's for my network security IT courses?

[TechGod]

Question (something I just thought of). If code compiling time really just depends on the storage speed and not the number of CPU cores, couldn't I just go with a Haswell i5 system and save some money on the CPU and RAM? Or will the reduction in cores and/or speed hurt the performance too much when I'm running several VM's for my network security IT courses?

So what's your budget again? Maybe I can show you a good build. 

[DevilishBooster]

So what's your budget again? Maybe I can show you a good build. 

I don't really have a solid budget set because I'm going to be buying the parts piece-meal, and with NewEgg's Black November sale, along with other holiday sales, I'm hoping to save a good chunk of money. It definitely can't really be over $1000 right now, and with not needing to worry about a discrete graphics solution that shouldn't be a problem. Basically I've been shopping around and putting together parts lists trying to find a combo that will give me enough performance to comfortably handle my needs while being as cheap as possible. Like I said in the OP, I knew that one build I put together was overkill.

 

If a Haswell i5 can comfortably run upwards of 4 or 5 virtual machines at one time then I have no problem with using a "last-gen" system, but if storage speed is going to be a big factor in how long it takes to compile code then I'm definitely not going to skimp on the storage and I will be going with something like the Samsung 950 Pro m.2-2280 listed above. If you have experience with these kinds of builds and have a good idea of what will fill my needs without breaking the bank, then I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

[TechGod]

I don't really have a solid budget set because I'm going to be buying the parts piece-meal, and with NewEgg's Black November sale, along with other holiday sales, I'm hoping to save a good chunk of money. It definitely can't really be over $1000 right now, and with not needing to worry about a discrete graphics solution that shouldn't be a problem. Basically I've been shopping around and putting together parts lists trying to find a combo that will give me enough performance to comfortably handle my needs while being as cheap as possible. Like I said in the OP, I knew that one build I put together was overkill.

 

If a Haswell i5 can comfortably run upwards of 4 or 5 virtual machines at one time then I have no problem with using a "last-gen" system, but if storage speed is going to be a big factor in how long it takes to compile code then I'm definitely not going to skimp on the storage and I will be going with something like the Samsung 950 Pro m.2-2280 listed above. If you have experience with these kinds of builds and have a good idea of what will fill my needs without breaking the bank, then I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure an i5 can. RAM should probably be 16GB to be comfortable. Hmm, I'm not sure how much an M.2 SSD would help for compile times. How big do you want the SSD to even be?

[TechGod]

I don't really have a solid budget set because I'm going to be buying the parts piece-meal, and with NewEgg's Black November sale, along with other holiday sales, I'm hoping to save a good chunk of money. It definitely can't really be over $1000 right now, and with not needing to worry about a discrete graphics solution that shouldn't be a problem. Basically I've been shopping around and putting together parts lists trying to find a combo that will give me enough performance to comfortably handle my needs while being as cheap as possible. Like I said in the OP, I knew that one build I put together was overkill.

 

If a Haswell i5 can comfortably run upwards of 4 or 5 virtual machines at one time then I have no problem with using a "last-gen" system, but if storage speed is going to be a big factor in how long it takes to compile code then I'm definitely not going to skimp on the storage and I will be going with something like the Samsung 950 Pro m.2-2280 listed above. If you have experience with these kinds of builds and have a good idea of what will fill my needs without breaking the bank, then I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($216.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.89 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($95.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Kingston Predator 240GB PCI-E Solid State Drive  ($204.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.66 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Thermaltake Overseer RX-I ATX Full Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($101.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1159.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 19:35 EST-0500

 

Its $150 over:/

[DevilishBooster]

I'm pretty sure an i5 can. RAM should probably be 16GB to be comfortable. Hmm, I'm not sure how much an M.2 SSD would help for compile times. How big do you want the SSD to even be?

The reason I'm going with the 950 pro that @brob suggested is because it has a 4x PCIe interface, not SATA, so in theory it's over 5x faster than a SATA drive (although we all know that real world performance is never 100%) so if compiling times really is ultimately determined by storage speed then you really can't do any better than a PCIe drove. In terms of size, definitely no smaller than 256GB, but I'll probably just suck it up and buy the 512GB.

[TechGod]

The reason I'm going with the 950 pro that @brob suggested is because it has a 4x PCIe interface, not SATA, so in theory it's over 5x faster than a SATA drive (although we all know that real world performance is never 100%) so if compiling times really is ultimately determined by storage speed then you really can't do any better than a PCIe drove. In terms of size, definitely no smaller than 256GB, but I'll probably just suck it up and buy the 512GB.

I'm guessing you don't need a super powerful GPU?

[DevilishBooster]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($216.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.89 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($96.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($95.89 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Kingston Predator 240GB PCI-E Solid State Drive  ($204.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.66 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card  ($299.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Thermaltake Overseer RX-I ATX Full Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($101.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $1159.38

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 19:35 EST-0500

 

Its $150 over:/

 

That's not a bad option so I'll look at it closer, but you can actually reduce the price by $400 because I'm just going to go with integrated graphics since I don't need really heavy graphics power, and I already have a spare 650W modular PSU sitting around. Lol. Save money where ever I can.

[TechGod]

That's not a bad option so I'll look at it closer, but you can actually reduce the price by $400 because I'm just going to go with integrated graphics since I don't need really heavy graphics power, and I already have a spare 650W modular PSU sitting around. Lol. Save money where ever I can.

In that case, I can do better...

[TechGod]

That's not a bad option so I'll look at it closer, but you can actually reduce the price by $400 because I'm just going to go with integrated graphics since I don't need really heavy graphics power, and I already have a spare 650W modular PSU sitting around. Lol. Save money where ever I can.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($254.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.89 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($94.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB PCI-E Solid State Drive  ($369.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.66 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Thermaltake Overseer RX-I ATX Full Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $1002.50

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 19:48 EST-0500

[brob]

Question (something I just thought of). If code compiling time really just depends on the storage speed and not the number of CPU cores, couldn't I just go with a Haswell i5 system and save some money on the CPU and RAM? Or will the reduction in cores and/or speed hurt the performance too much when I'm running several VM's for my network security IT courses?

 

CPU speed (as opposed to power) is most important, then storage speed.

 

For a pure progamming system an i5 would be fine. It is in fact what is in my development machine. However, an i5 would be a bit limited running multiple vm. Although it could handle one or two, depending on what they are doing, without a problem.

[TechGod]

CPU speed (as opposed to power) is most important, then storage speed.

 

For a pure progamming system an i5 would be fine. It is in fact what is in my development machine. However, an i5 would be a bit limited running multiple vm. Although it could handle one or two, depending on what they are doing, without a problem.

Maybe my list could be modified to get an i7 in there?

[brob]

Maybe my list could be modified to get an i7 in there?

 

Sure,

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($314.99 @ Directron)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H-GSM Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($72.00 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($371.39 @ Amazon)

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.60 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.60 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $1104.57

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 21:15 EST-0500

 

[TechGod]

Sure,

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($314.99 @ Directron)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H-GSM Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($72.00 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($239.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Samsung SM951 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive  ($371.39 @ Amazon)

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.60 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($66.60 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $1104.57

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-01 21:15 EST-0500

 

Much better than mine for his purposesO.O

[DevilishBooster]

@brob

Much better than mine for his purposesO.O

So basically if I want to be able to comfortably run multiple VMs at once then I have to get an i7? How much more performance would I really be getting from a 3.5GHz quad core i7 vs a 3.5GHz quad core i5?

[TechGod]

@brob

So basically if I want to be able to comfortably run multiple VMs at once then I have to get an i7? How much more performance would I really be getting from a 3.5GHz quad core i7 vs a 3.5GHz quad core i5?

The hyper threading on the i7 will help a lot I believe.

[brob]

@brob

So basically if I want to be able to comfortably run multiple VMs at once then I have to get an i7? How much more performance would I really be getting from a 3.5GHz quad core i7 vs a 3.5GHz quad core i5?

 

About 30%, depending on application mix.

[DevilishBooster]

@brob @TechGod @Streetguru

Well, an interesting turn of events just transpired. I just read an email that informed me - my work will be proving a laptop for the network security course that starts in Jan. So, maybe I won't really be needing to do this build if they are providing a laptop that can do the virtual machines. I'm not gonna lie, part of the reason I was planning this build was because I want a bad ass Intel build, but I also wanted to make sure that the system I would be using could easily handle the workload. I guess if my current rig will suffice for my programming needs then I will probably save the money for something else (maybe a watercooling loop so I can OC...). My current set up is:

CPU: AMD FX-6350 Black Edition

RAM: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 1866

Mobo: ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer

OS SSD: 180GB Intel 530 Series m.2 (Maybe upgrade to the Samsung 950 or 951?) (I have other additional drives as mass storage)

GPUs: 2x Sapphire R9 280 Dual-X OC Edition

PSU: EVGA 1050GS

 

Will that system be able to handle the code compiling and running one or two VMs comfortably? (I'm asking because, since I'm new to the IT/programmer field, I really have no idea what kind of performance is needed for these tasks.)