cpu or ram for programming

[Bryan 2760]

Hi, everyone

If i wanted to have the best computer for programming, would i need the best cpu or alot of ram or both? 

[skimmilk5]

Think of programming software as a Word document. It's not demanding AT ALL to run the software. You'll run into issues at compilation. High compile times are almost always due to CPU time limitations. That being said, don't go and pair 4GB of RAM with a Ryzen 7 1800x. For programs with under ~200 active lines (that is, not-note-lines), you could probably skimp by with 8 or 12GB. Any more, and you should seriously consider getting 16GB of the stuff. For over 2K lines, you should consider getting 32GB.

[Bryan 2760]

2 minutes ago, kimsejin5 said:

Think of programming software as a Word document. It's not demanding AT ALL to run the software. You'll run into issues at compilation. High compile times are almost always due to CPU time limitations. That being said, don't go and pair 4GB of RAM with a Ryzen 7 1800x. For programs with under ~200 active lines (that is, not-note-lines), you could probably skimp by with 8 or 12GB. Any more, and you should seriously consider getting 16GB of the stuff. For over 2K lines, you should consider getting 32GB.

Ok thanks for the info. I was thinking about getting the 8700k and having 16gb rams. 

[skimmilk5]

The other big question is, what are you coding in, and what language are you coding in? Java, MatLab, Python and similar are generally less demanding than Flash, C, C# or C++.

[Bryan 2760]

Just now, kimsejin5 said:

The other big question is, what are you coding in, and what language are you coding in? Java, MatLab, Python and similar are generally less demanding than Flash, C, C# or C++.

c++ !

[skimmilk5]

Even an i5 8400 would suit your needs for most programming, TBH.