Computer for software development

misterpotatomato on 10/07/2019 - 22:59

Hello my ozbargain friends.

I currently have a computer (i7 920, first generation intel! :O ) and its showing its age so I am thinking of upgrading to the recently released Ryzen processors.

I don't really game, I just crunch code and make apps etc. So mainly will be doing software development, maybe having a couple of vm's, etc.

This is the wishlist: https://www.computeralliance.com.au/wishlist/4245. It's also here.

16GB DDR4 Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3200C16 (2x8G) 3200MHz Vengeance LPX BLACK RAM  $149 (The timings for this seem okay for the speed of it)
550 Watt Corsair TX550M Modular 80 PLUS Gold Power Supply PN CP-9020133-AU   $125 (Its not RGB and its gold so its efficient, yay)
250GB Samsung 970 Evo PLUS M.2 PCIe SSD PN MZ-V7S250BW $119 (Its smallish but with PCIe 4 SSD around the corner I'd rather get that in the future)
Fractal Design ATX Meshify C Tempered Glass Mid Tower Case (No PSU) PN FD-CA-MESH-C-BKO-TGL  $159 (I just like how it looks)
MSI AM4 ATX MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI DDR4 Motherboard  $339 (Expensive, but newest chipset (X570) and has wifi built in, so less periphal cards)
AMD AM4 Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 3.6GHz 65W CPU 100-100000071BOX $519 (8 cores yay)

I already have a graphics card :) The 250gb NVMe storage is supposed to tie me over until I can get a bigger drive. Plus, PCIe 4.0 NVMe storage is supposed to be out soon right? So I should wait for that ideally.

Thoughts/concerns/general feedback appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Computing

Comments

  • skid on 10/07/2019 - 23:03
    +5

    Get 32GB DDR4 for the vm's. You'll run short with 16GB.

    • misterpotatomato on 10/07/2019 - 23:16

      Okay, how concerned do I need to be with the speed of the memory vs timings etc? Or does it not really matter that much

      • xuqi on 10/07/2019 - 23:36

        Agree with 32GB as running short of physical memory isn't great for development. Anyting 3200MHz+ will be fine. Personally I wouldn't worry much about timings.

        Also suggest going for a 500GB SSD as a bare minimum. SSD prices are currently low enough to forgo smaller units: (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/469385 )

      • p1 ama on 11/07/2019 - 00:45

        It doesn't matter that much - for Ryzen 3000 series, the infinity fabric is no longer tied to memory speed. Capacity much more important than speed. 3200 MHz is a good sweet spot, but even 3000 MHz is fine. I'd say even 64GB DDR4 for VM's. I can easily eat up over 16GB in just Chrome tabs.

  • User2049 on 10/07/2019 - 23:15

    In addition to above I would also knock nvme up to 500gb as realistically you won't notice much difference with pcie 4 for a while.

  • misterpotatomato on 10/07/2019 - 23:16
    +1

    This is ozbargain, convince me to spend less, not more :(

    In all seriousness the suggestions are good and I will take them on board :D

  • misterpotatomato on 10/07/2019 - 23:42

    Updated pricelist on computer alliance, now 32gb, no wifi on board (i'll just use my usb wifi for now)

  • corneliu on 11/07/2019 - 00:03
    +1

    Few comments:
    1. 32Gb is a must. Not sure what IDE you use but once you open 2-3 IDEs, 4-5 VSCode, 1-2 SQLs you will be running low
    2. 500SSD is a must
    3. Try to go wired. I found Wireless to put unnecessary extra pressure on the PC.
    4. Try to go at least dual screen. I just upgraded from 3 x FHD screens to 2 x 4K Screens and (Kogan 32" 4K) and the amount of real-estate I have is crazy. On a large 4k you have the equivalent of 4 FHD screens. 2 x 4K = 8 x FHD screens. Makes development so much faster!

    • p1 ama on 11/07/2019 - 01:07
      +4

      I found Wireless to put unnecessary extra pressure on the PC.

      I agree with everything you've said, but how does wireless "put unnecessary extra pressure on the PC"? This doesn't make any sense.

  • altitudinous on 11/07/2019 - 01:09
    -3

    I develop software for a living, now I work for myself.

    Macbook Pro has done the job for me since 2010. I've had two. You don't need heaps of grunt to develop, it is a unix based system, and most of all it is portable.

    That said I'm not a fan of the keyboards or the touch bar of the most recent models, and I'm holding out for a new design before I buy another Macbook Pro.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join