Planning to build a desktop PC for SharePoint 2013 development but there’s no guarantee that I won’t going to play games on it too :-).
I have already done a lot of research and came up with this build,
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/SharePoint2013/saved/#savedbuild_477284
However still confused as if i7’s Hyper threading will be any helpful for SharePoint 2013 (as much as i heard SP2013 is only memory and disk I/O hungry)
My budget is around 1000 British pounds so Laptops are too expensive (less future proof) to be considered for SP 2013 development and the way I work laptops are not quick enough (3,4 virtual machine running at same time with hundred of browser tabs -_- )
So here’s the deal with SharePoint 2013:
1. You need ram, 32GB is a must for a single server everything in one machine – IF you want it to have decent performance.
2. You want as many cores as possible. You want little or no Processor Queue Length
why? So you have a truck full of apples, and you have to move them from point a to point b. If you have one core – you can pick up one apple, move it from point a to point b. You’re constantly busy, but you’re a body builder and could lift a 500lb apple if it existed, it does not. They’re 0.5lbs. So you’re never utilized fully, you have no load. Now if you have a 4 core system + HT … you now have 8 guys – so maybe they can only life 350lbs, but now you’re moving 8 apples at a time… better right?
That’s how SharePoint 2013 works, lots of little tasks- all timer job related. You really never need the guy who can lift 350lbs even. I would if I could find it take a 32 cores @ 1ghz machine to run SharePoint on over an 8 core 4Ghz or worse 1 core at 32Ghz.. see?
3. Next is I/O especially the disk. You will find it doesn’t matter what CPU and Ram you have – if you get a single spinning disk.. you’re going to be waiting for SharePoint. I would recommend an SSD – Especially if you’re going to run in a VM (writting / reading to one file)
Look at this site: http://www.logicalincrements.com/ in USD. So you can build about $1500 USD.
This might get you started.
