What is good configuration of a laptop for a .NET programmer?

CataclysmicQuantum

You need at least 2gb of ram, 7200rpm hard-drive >= 120gb, Dual-core is a must, but an AMD processor may take care of your needs. I would definitely go for discrete graphics. A mobile GForce 8600 or even a 8400 should take care of most gaming needs. I would try to pack all this into a 15.4 inch notebook with at least a 1440x900 screen. HP makes some nice well equipped notebooks for a reasonable price, check around with all the major laptop vendors to see what they offer for the price.

Word, write letters and sh*t yo.

Sathesh Sakthivel

For XP 1GB is enough.

SSK. Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

CataclysmicQuantum

It might be enough, but unless he plans on purchasing more ram in six months he might as well go for 2gb now.

Word, write letters and sh*t yo.

Christian Graus

Yes, but unless you ask for it, you get Vista by default now

Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++ "also I don't think "TranslateOneToTwoBillion OneHundredAndFortySevenMillion FourHundredAndEightyThreeThousand SixHundredAndFortySeven()" is a very good choice for a function name" - SpacixOne ( offering help to someone who really needed it ) ( spaces added for the benefit of people running at < 1280x1024 )

hogan john

I hope microsoft won't publish any version newer than 2008 before 2010. Isn't it? So my current purpose will satisfy 1gb

hogan john

i like XP because vista needs more graphics

Sathesh Sakthivel

hogan.john wrote:

I hope microsoft won't publish any version newer than 2008 before 2010.

No may be by 2008 a new version of VS 2009 may be released we don't know.

SSK. Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

Sathesh Sakthivel

Its enough to go for XP itslef.

SSK. Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

Andy_L_J

I have Inspiron 1720 - Dual Core, 3Gb Ram, 2 x 160Gb hard drives, Ge Force Graphics card. Vista is a breeze. VS runs like a cheetah. :wtf:

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blackjack2150

I bought a laptop for the same purpose about a month ago. A DELL Inspiron 1501. My configuration is AMD X2 1800 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 120 GB HDD. I got the N series model (with no preinstalled OS) and threw XP on it. It runs VS 05 like a dream. I am eager to see how it will go along with VS 08. (That's exactlty why chose 2 GB RAM instead f 1 GB).

Vikram A Punathambekar

Not sure if a dual core processor drastically improves performance, but by all means, go for 2 GB of RAM.

Cheers, Vikram.

"If a trend is truly global, then that trend ought to be visible across ANY subset of that data" - fat_boy

rob net

I saw a good blog post about just this topic the other day... Basically make sure you get (at least) a 7200rpm hard disc and as much RAM as you can... Then if you've still got money left over upgrade the CPU. Dual core is good! I personally use XP with 4GB RAM, 7200RPM disc and a AMD Athlon X2 3800+ and it flies! http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2007/11/01/tip-trick-hard-drive-speed-and-visual-studio-performance.aspx[^]

Daniel Grunwald

Vri SSK wrote:

For XP 1GB is enough.

Not if you install SQL Server.

The Nightcoder

Consider a larger disk and more memory - then try out virtualization. Having a testbed Windows (of whatever version you need) image that you can test install and run your programs on (and then roll back whatever happened during the test, leaving the image ready for next test session) is worth every cent it costs in terms of hard disk and memory space... For virtualization, use whatever you feel most at home with (MS or vmware). I use vmware currently, but as I'm moving to a new Vista laptop (160GB HD, 4GB RAM), I'll first try out the latest MS stuff. I can't stress enough how valuable it is to have a testbed (or several with different configs) to run your own (or other) software in without affecting your development environment. It just ROCKS! /Peter

blackjack2150

Not sure what to think of the processor you have, the Athlon X2 3800+. I like AMD, but is Athlon really suited for laptops? Aren't overheating and power consumption (hence low battery life) a problem?

Fred_Smith

I would stress CQ's point about hard-disk speed - Vista will work much more efficiently with a high-speed disk

Rama Krishna Vavilala

I recommend you to read this blog: http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2007/11/01/tip-trick-hard-drive-speed-and-visual-studio-performance.aspx[^]

Co-Author ASP.NET AJAX in Action CP Quote of the Day: It is the same Friday that blooms as a new enriching day with novelty and innovation for us every week. - Vasudevan Deepak Kumar

Nish Nishant

hogan.john wrote:

Is it a combination of Dual core processor, 1 GB Ram, 80 GB SATA Hard disk will serve my purpose?

No. VS 2008's splash screen needs 1 GB :-) More seriously, you'd need at least 2 GB of Ram, preferably 3, a core 2 duo processor, at least a 7200 RPM hard disk (which are expensive for laptops).

Regards, Nish

Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
My latest book : C++/CLI in Action / Amazon.com link

Ravi Bhavnani

I strongly recommend getting a laptop with:

At least 2M L2 cache
At least 2G RAM
At least 100G disk space (although 80G should do)
A primary drive that runs at 7200rpm

/ravi

This is your brain on Celcius Home | Music | Articles | Freeware | Trips ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

Ri Qen Sin

I got a laptop with a 2 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2 GiB RAM, and a 160 GiB had drive (5400 RPM). The hard disk capacity isn't so important (but the minimum you'd want is 30 GB). It's the processor and the RAM that counts. I'd recommend getting more than 1 GiB of RAM since Visual Studio tends to suck up a lot of memory. A good processor (preferrably a fast dual core) is recommended for compiling code.

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