Next message: John Nurick: "Re: [WinMac] Wintel purchase recommendations sought"
Hi, Will!
I mostly agree with my pal Leonard; but I also differ with him on a few
salient points...
First off, I would *not* use USB peripherals, since NT4 does not support
USB. NT5, err, Windows 2000, does support USB; but you'll need dual boot
(NT4 & 5) capability since Win2k will not take off until next year.
Second off, I agree with Leonard about getting a name brand box; but the
support can vary widely amongst manufacturers. Quality of support can be
anything from gold plated to "dial-a-prayer." Also, even among a
manufacturer's lines (home, office, workstation, server) the support can
vary widely.
With that being said, I've found over and over that IBM's service and
support to be the best - It's today as good as Apple's was 6-8 years ago,
with 24/365 availability. On the other hand, H-P's support - Even for their
NetServer line - stinks. Gagway, Compaq and Dell are somewhere in between.
Since you're working with databases, I/O throughput is more important than
CPU cycles, which means SCSI... You'll also want lots of RAM of the ECC
type (Error Checking and Correcting) so you don't get unexplained crashes
due to "soft" errors.
Video performance is not critical, since you're working with 2D & 4D, but
not 3D. As long as you can slam up 1600x1200 pixels at greater than 60
cycles - So you can look at your monitor for hours on end without
flickering - you'll be OK.
You'll also want to consider a dual CPU machine with slower (400-500 mHz)
CPU's rather than a single (expensive) CPU, since NT is multithreaded: This
way even when one CPU is "pegged out" at 100% the other CPU can still
handle the rest of the "housekeeping" chores (such as disk access and
networking.
[More below, inline]
At 02:20 PM 3/14/00 -0600, Will wrote:
>I am a database developer who for years has managed to work entirely on
>Macs. Many of my clients use PCs, but I run VirtualPC to test my software
>and usually it works okay. I have reached the point however where it's
>obvious I need to buy a real PC. I know the Mac market and product line very
>well (compared to the choices in the PC world, it's childs play to keep
>track of the Mac options). But I'm quite lost when it comes to the Wintel
>options and would be grateful for recommendations and/or caveats. I do NOT
>want to start a product-loyalty fight here, and I don't really mean to
>invite everybody with a good or bad experience with one product or another
>to give a testimonial. I am willing to assume that most of the brand names
>produce relatively reliable and decent products. And of course I'm going to
>try to do a little homework on my own, so if you recommend X, I buy X, and I
>have trouble with it, rest assured I'll blame the makers of X and not you!
><g> I would be happy to receive recommendations off list, if you prefer.
>
>Here are my requirements.
>
>1. Cost matters. Although this is a business purchase, I'd like to keep it
>as far below $2000 as possible.
>
>2. The machine must run Windows NT. I'm doing work now in 4D, and the 4D
>compiler needs to be run under NT. Are there machines that COME with NT
>installed?
IBM IntelliStation
>3. In spite of the need to run NT, the networkability of this machine is not
>a critical issue for me. If it were possible for me to put it on my ethernet
>network and get web access at work, that would be great, but it's not
>critical.
Speaking of networking, you should think twice about underestimating its
importance: After all, very few databases are single user(!)
>4. I will naturally need a CD-ROM drive and probably a Zip drive as well.
>Floppy not needed. USB ports would be preferred because I have a USB
>Hewlett-Packard inkjet printer that I could use with a PC machine if I
>needed to.
See my note above USB and NT4...
>5. Other things being equal, I would prefer a laptop to a desktop box.
>Portability is important. I've noticed that there are IBM Thinkpads for
>under $1300. But it's more important that I get the right machine than that
>it be portable. Can I really get a lot more machine for the money if I buy a
>desktop box and a monitor than if I buy a laptop?
Then kiss your performance goodbye: I/O throughput *really* sucks on a
laptop because not only are you stuck with a single IDE hard drive, it's
going to be a 2.5" slogger...
>6. I use a Mac PowerBook G3 as my primary machine presently. (I have bunches
>of other Macs as well, servers, backup machines, etc., but the PowerBook is
>my main tool.) The PowerBook uses a trackpad/touchpad. If I were to get a PC
>notebook, I think I might prefer to use a trackpad on it as well, since I'm
>familiar with it. But obviously this is also not critical.
Plug in a Microsoft IntelliEye mouse: You can use it on your pants leg!
>7. I have no idea about the difference between Pentium and Celeron
>processors and would be grateful if someone could steer me in the direction
>of info about them. I get the impression that Celeron is a "consumer"
>processor and Pentium is "for business," but to be honest, I don't find that
>distinction particularly meaningful.
Two inexpensive CPU's are worth more than a single "racehorse" almost
every time (`cept for gamers).
>8. I would like to get a machine that comes with some software on it,
>particularly Microsoft Office. Is this wishful thinking? This is the least
>important thing of all.
Funny how M$ Office will mysteriously "appear" on your machine. :)
>For what it's worth, I will probably make the purchase either from PC
>Connection (online) or from the Micro Center near my office (large,
>excellent computer superstore).
>
>Many thanks in advance. As I said, I'd be happy to get your recommendation
>off list, if you would prefer not to appear to push one brand over another
>on the list.
>
>Will
Cheers from the trenches!
Dan
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: Tue Mar 14 2000 - 21:49:47 PST