A new toy
I have been doing most of my development on a MacBook Pro 15 for a while now, but unfortunately, some of the projects I work on simply require more memory than it can hold (2GB in the version I have). This, combined with the fact that I could use the ability to run a bunch of VMs for testing means I had a couple options available to me:
- Buy a new MacBook
- Buy a Mac Pro
- Buy a “PC”
I considered all three, but in the end, a new MacBook wouldn’t hold more than 6GB of RAM, and still would only have 2 cores. Instead, I found a good deal on a Core i7 machine from Dell. But I didn’t buy it. Instead, I built a machine of my own this time. Same price, a lot better components:
- Antec ThreeHundred case
- Corsair HX520W modular power supply
- Asus P6T motherboard
- Intel Core i7-920 processor
- 12GB of OCZ DDR3-1600 memory
- EVGA nVidia GTS 250 video card
- Seagate Baracuda 1TB hard drive
- Pioneer DVR-1910LS DVR-RW drive
That should hold me for a while. I think. So now I will be using both, depending on the application, quite honestly. For portable use, the MacBook Pro can’t be beat.
This entry was posted at 9:05 pm on 12 May 2009 and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the post-specific RSS 2.0 feed.
Ubuntu 9.04 went on without trouble. Not sure I’m happy with it, but that’s more my issues with Linux as a desktop solution. I’m going to attempt to get OSX running on it in the next few days, so we’ll see how that goes.
The only issue I ran into was getting the nVidia drivers compiled. The “open source” ones are atrociously bad, so I wanted to use the company’s proprietary ones. It definitely wasn’t much fun. Part of that could be that I installed Ubuntu Server and added the desktop components.
I’m not using it for anything audio related (that’s what my Mac is for), so I’ve got no opinion on that. I’d definitely do your research. It does have TOSlink, so that might solve some of it.
The noise level isn’t bad. It’s definitely louder than my notebook—most things are—but it’s not bad by desktop standards. Right now it’s sitting on the desk next to me, and it’s fine. More of a “woosh”, not a whine. I’ll be moving it to the floor tonight and hopefully that will help even more.
Thanks very much for the response! You gave me some really helpful answers. And I totally hear you about the problems with Linux as a desktop solution. I’ve been using various flavors of Linux as my primary desktop for about 10 years now. And although it has improved (drastically!), it still has some way to go. I think Ubuntu is on the right path though.
[...] let’s set the stage of the hardware involved. This is what I discussed in a previous post, and the only thing that has changed is the [...]
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Really nice build. I’m in the process of doing the same thing now. Currently just choosing components (many of which are similar to yours). I was wondering if you managed to get it up and running with Ubuntu yet. If so, have you had any problems with Ubuntu recognizing any hardware? And is there anything you would change if you had a chance to go back in time and place your order again? I’m drooling over that 12Gb of memory.
The only additional piece of hardware that I’m planning on getting is an external sound card (since I need to have a way to deal with audio input—line in and midi—and I also listen to a lot of music with some high-quality audio gear. It’s hard trying to find a good compatible sound card. You didn’t happen to research this, did you?
And only one last question, I promise! How’s the noise level of your computer? I didn’t see any heatsinks/fans listed, so I take it you’re using the stock ones. I’ve had some prior troubles with high-pitched stock fans. Just curious how yours is working out.
Well, enjoy your new toy!