New build advice for VM Workstation

phill · 12 Oct 2012 at 15:30

Hi all

I have been out of the game for a while now. I am looking to build a PC capable of running W7 with VMWare Workstation on top, this will be used primarily to run roughly 4-6 VMs for software demos. I don't expect high CPU usage, although I will be multitasking and possibly the odd game for personal use.

Boot time and HDD speed is high priority as is 16GB RAM minimum. Like the idea of SSD caching on some of the boards I have been looking at. Budget, well ideally I'd like to keep this to £500.00 if possible.. Thanks in advance guys

Monitor, k/b and mouse not required.

Banzai_Joe · 12 Oct 2012 at 15:42

If you're thinking of SSD caching does that mean you plan on using mainly mechanical hdd's?
Surely any 64-bit cpu with virtualisation, something like LGA775 Q-series chip (Q6600, Q9550) would suffice. Although you may find it hard to get a board supporting 16gb of ram.
I use hyper-v and find that VM guests boot pretty quickley anyway even on mechanical hdd's.

You should easily get what you need for £500. The only iffy bit is your gaming, as you could blow a good portion of your budget on a decent gaming card.

Mei · 12 Oct 2012 at 16:02

ive only used vmware a little, just for testing stuff im too scared to str8 out install

does it help its intel then?

Narj · 12 Oct 2012 at 16:27

I run pretty large virtual environments on my machine (Checkpoint, GNS3, JunOS, VirtualBox VMs). At least 8GB RAM is a must, and if you have the space to put your VMs on an SSD, then they boot in seconds. I'd highly recommend SSD space for images in all honesty. Dynamic allocation means it's not too much of a space hog.

Not sure why you'd want more than 16GB. I've not quite managed to use that much yet.

dunn2010 · 12 Oct 2012 at 16:35

Will all of these vm's be running simultaneously?

phill · 12 Oct 2012 at 17:13

dunn2010 said:
Will all of these vm's be running simultaneously?

Yes they will be. Thanks.

dunn2010 · 12 Oct 2012 at 17:23

I'm not sure how many vm's an I3 with Hyperthreading could host but i think it might start to struggle with 6? so an i5 might be best

what games do you plan on playing? using the I5's hd 4000 on baord graphics will play most games (not on high just on low) then get a gfx card later on.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £80.99
1 x PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply - White £59.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £58.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED316G1600HC11DC) £53.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 60GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £50.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x LG GH24NS90 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.59
Total : £534.61 (includes shipping : £11.75).

phill · 7 Jan 2013 at 15:33

Hi guys,

picking this one up again now

This is what I have come up with, any other suggestions?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3330 3.00GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £139.99
1 x Samsung S22B300HS 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £99.98
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £89.99
1 x Intel 330 Series 60GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £65.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Elite 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED316GM1600HC11DC01) £59.99
1 x Xigmatek Tauro 500W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £29.99
1 x Samsung SH-224BB/BEBE 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £17.99
Total : £622.90 (includes shipping : £12.50).