My machine setup …
Aug 1, 2011

I generally run lot of virtual machines on my desktop. For any development activity, I use VM’s. These days, the cost of machines plummeting, I got my self a new machine recently. My considerations are these:

  1. Lot of memory: I need to run VM’s.
  2. Lot of parallel processing: Again, needed to run VM’s.
  3. Not so much for the high graphics controller: I am not a gamer. I suck at most games, including computer games. All I need to do is to run two monitors from my machine.

I wanted to, but cannot make a case for an SSD. I know it makes the system blindingly fast, but they are still pricey. I don’t want to spend $450 on a small SSD now.

I looked at the big players like DELL and HP and was not happy with the offers. They seem to focus on Xeon based servers which are marketed to the SMB market. As an enthusiast, I want to pick and choose my parts.

I finally ordered a computer from Avadirect. It’s prices are very reasonable (I calculated the cost for me to assemble and it came to be a difference of just $75 or so) and the delivery times are OK (it took them two weeks to deliver).

Here are the parts I chose:

All in all, it set me back by a $1000 dollars including shipping.

If anybody is looking for getting a machine custom built, I can recommend Ava direct. It is exactly what it seems.