I am starting to search for a higher performance desktop than my current system. Mainly I need an Intel 8 core system because I am doing some Mathematica stuff that needs the performance boost. (Mathematica's std license will launch up to 8 kernels if you have 8 or more cores. I have just discovered how easy it is invoke all the cores at once with my particular Mathematica app, but I only have 4 at the moment).
Currently I have a Dell XPS desktop. Shopping at Dell, I learned their only 8 core system is an Alienware Area-51 R2. The rep says he expects 8 core to migrate to their XPS systems pretty soon, but didn't have an announced launch date. I am not buying until Jan, so may wait. The Alienware seems somewhat pricey for what you get, but I would certainly like to hear any experiences with that model.
Any recommendations/experiences with *any* manufacturer using Intel 8 (or more) core systems. If you have one, what is your cooling system?
Let me bump this thread because I found a very interesting possibility in
Thinkmate (the apparent hardware dba of
Integrated IT Solutions, Inc.).
The things I like:
- Best configurator on the web
- They have been around for a long time
- I can configure a relatively high performance desktop that I like that is *not* a gaming machine (unlike like Dell Alienware)
- Apparently, they use ASUS and Supermicro motherboards, which seem well-regarded (Supermicro was outrun's recommended solution), but my sense is I will get a lot more hand-holding from an experienced systems integrator, which I like. In fact, the configuration I like best so far from them uses an ASUS motherboard.
The things I worry about:
- They are relatively small if one can believe the dba link
- They have no online forum (and little in the way of third party reviews), so one doesn't get to hear issues that people have had, and one doesn't get the benefit of users for support issues.
Anybody with experience with them?