I am a new FileMaker Developer, working with version 8.5, and I need
to invest in a new computer. This machine will be used primarily for
*designing* databases. It will not be used for hosting, etc.

I understand the minimum requirements...

http://filemaker.custhelp.com/cgi-bi...p?p_faqid=6036

.... but I'd like to understand what components I should pay attention
to in order maximize FileMaker's performance. For example, when I
click and drag a set of fields in design view, I want it to happen in
real time. The computer I'm currently using has a delay of a few
seconds when I do this common task.

While a Mac is on my wish list, I am limited to buying a Windows
machine. That said, what components are most important for me to
invest in, i.e., processor, RAM, hard drive? What would be the ideal
computer for a FM 8.5 developer? What does the dream machine look
like?

Warm Regards,
Eric

In article <1175963989.941580.73880 (AT) w1g2000hsg (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
"Eric" <ggroups1 (AT) ericmakela (DOT) fastmail.us> wrote:

Why be "limited"?? Yes, the Mac tends to LOOK a bit more expensive to
buy, although if you price an equivalent specced Windows PC you often
find there's no real difference. The Mac tends to be a much more stable
machine, with NO virus problems and a tendency to last a longer useful
life, it is much cheaper in the long run. With the new Intel-based Macs
you can also use Boot Camp or Parallels to run Windows for testing your
databases on the "Dark Side" (just keep the Windows side off the
Internet to still be free of nasties on your Windows side), giving you
both systems on one computer. Most "switchers" never go back again.
)

The Mac is probably THE best developer system you can buy.

"Dream machine" - try an 8-core Mac Pro with dual 30" Cinema Displays,
maxed out RAM and hard drives. And don't forget the colour A3 laser
printer for printing out your database's user manuals. An easy buy at
around US$10,000. ;o)

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

Eric,

There's one very important factor you left out of your spec, which is your
budget. There is a different "dream machine" at every price point.

Additionally, you stated that you are limited to buying a Windows machine.
I'm not sure if you realize this, but these days every new Intel-based
Macintosh is also a Windows machine. Apple's "Boot Camp" (free) allows you
to partition the Macintosh disk drive into two sections, one for Mac and one
for Windows. When you restart the computer, just hold down the Option key
and select which environment you want to use. If you boot into Windows, you
are running in a 100% native Windows environment, just like you were using a
Dell, Gateway or other PC. The latest version of Boot Camp even supports
Windows Vista.

It gets even better when you add Parallels ($70). With this utility, you can
access that Boot Camp partition (os/programs/data) from within Mac OS X,
without rebooting and at pretty much full speed. You can even drag/drop
files between the two systems, share the clipboard, etc. Not to mention
running Linux if you really want to. The latest MacWorld has an in-depth
look at running Windows on Macs. Cover story: "The Ultimate PC: It's a Mac!"
You should really look into this.

Without knowing much more about your requirements, I would recommend a
MacBook Core 2 Duo running at 2GHz ($1299).

- Nice specs on the hardware, compared to any notebook, Mac or PC.

- It is more than speedy enough to run FileMaker on both platforms at full
speed, no delays. The 2GHz Core 2 Duo is simply one of the faster processors
out there.

- Comes with 1GB of RAM, which is plenty for most operations. If down the
road you feel you need more RAM, I would recommend buying it 3rd-party (I
paid $149 for a 2GB upgrade at NewEgg; Apple store wants $175).

- Comes with a speedy 80GB drive. I've yet to fill mine up, but if you want
a larger capacity drive, I also recommend getting this 3rd-party. It's very
easy to upgrade the RAM and hard disk yourself.

Of course, you can add an external keyboard and mouse, and hook it up to a
large-screen display for when it's sitting on your desktop.

I would suggest that even if you never ran Mac OS X, the MacBook would be a
great Windows machine for the price. But the very nice thing about using it
as a development platform is that you do have the ability to switch between
operating systems, to ensure that your solutions look good and work properly
on both Windows and Mac. Additionally, with FileMaker Advanced, any
standalones you build with developer must be authored on the platform you
are targeting. That is, Mac standalones need to be created on a Mac; Windows
standalones need to be created on Windows.

If the MacBook is a little too pricey, you might also consider the Mac Mini,
which has all the benefits of being able to run Windows as above, but starts
at $599.



"Eric" <ggroups1 (AT) ericmakela (DOT) fastmail.us> wrote

On Apr 7, 6:28 pm, "Bill Marriott" <w... (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote:
Yes, I mistakenly left out my budget information. Sorry. Money is
indeed a big issue for me.

I am hoping to spend less than $300, but I'm prepared to spend up to
$450. Obviously, I can't afford any of the new Macs, even the Mini.
However, I know I can build a new (or slightly used) Windows machine
within that price range.

So, I should clarify that I am not so much looking for a dream
machine. Rather, I need to understand how to best invest that limited
amount of money. I don't have a handle on which computer components
are most critical to the FileMaker development environment. Processor
speed? Hard disk size/speed? Memory/RAM? All of the above? Something
else? This is the part I most need to understand.

The reason I am limiting myself to a Windows machine is due to my
budget constriants. And it is not just the cost of the computer
itself. It is the software that I will need to do my other work. If I
were to buy a Mac, I'd also have to put my money towards the Parallels
application since I already own a set of Windows programs.
Specifically, the Windows OS, the Microsoft Office suite, etc.

Again, a Mac remains on my wish list. But it is going to be a while
before I can afford going down this road. I'd appreciate it if folks
could explain which computer components (on a Windows box) are most
important for FileMaker development. I want to stress that this
machine will *not* act as an FM server at any point. It will primarily
be used designing layouts, scripting, etc.

Thanks again.
Eric

Eric,
For development with FM8.5, my own take is that any modern new PC machine
will fit, even with a very low budget.
By 'modern' I mean CPU with at least 3MHZ - obviously the best are the new
Core2 Intel or the equivalent and less expensive AMD but it is not at all
necessary - a low end mother board - even the AZRock ones - with integrated
Video 'card' - here again obviously it would be better to have an AGP port
or better an Express one for future enhancements, but again not absolutely
needed - , I'd say no Vista (because of its need of large RAM), but Windows
XP Pro if you have it, if not Home will fit, then a RAM with at least
512MB - 1GB would be better, but not needed - (for RAM, know brands are
better for reliability), last a hard disk of any size with 7200 rpm - but
all of them have it, and a box with a 'good' power unit - to avoid
failures -. The last is the monitor, here again any CRT would fit - I still
advise to get at least a 17" one - or of course a 15" or greater LCD if you
can afford them as it takes less space and blinks less, but that is just for
comfort.
So I repeat, in my opinion, even for a large project development, any of the
very low end 'modern' PC would fit.
I would not advise so much to buy a used PC as you never know its previous
use and if there is some hidden bad parts.
In short go to any 'chinese' local store and ask them for advice - then you
can claim on them if something goes wrong -, or any reliable internet
reseller but then you have to add transportation costs.
I didn't say much above, but I do mean it.
In short don't worry, everything new would work as a CPU, then you may get a
used CRT monitor.
Remi-Noel


"Eric" <ggroups1 (AT) ericmakela (DOT) fastmail.us> a écrit dans le message de news:
1176074013.506996.101430 (AT) l77g20...oglegroups.com...

Eric,

I hope you've got some room in your budget for the upgrade to FileMaker Pro
9, which is due sometime this summer

At $450 tops, you're going to want to look first at upgrading your current
system as opposed to trying to buy a new one. Even re-using just the case,
optical drive(s) and the power supply can save you $100 - $200 depending on
the quality. Yes, you can get case/PSU combos for cheap, but the last thing
you want to happen during development of your solution is to hear a pop and
smell the telltale aroma of burnt silicon. But check that your power supply
is compatible with any new motherboard you select.

As for the subsystems:

- Almost any SATA-based hard disk these days will give adequate disk I/O for
FileMaker. But for best performance, select one with bigger cache, ideally
16MB, as opposed to larger capacity.

- RAM is a very good thing, consider 1GB as your minimum and ideally 2GB.
Always go with two sticks of identical RAM so you can take advantage of
dual-channel memory speeds.

- CPU is important for the responsiveness of defining fields, manipulating
layout objects... and the trickiest part. Depending on your existing
motherboard, you may be able to just upgrade the CPU and get a decent boost.
However, it's more likely that your current system has limited upgrade
options for the CPU. You'll need to consider upgrading the motherboard as
well. If you're buying a new mobo, invest in one that accepts the Intel Core
2 Duo line of processors, since this will give you the most upgrade options
down the line.

- Don't overlook the video card. This is where you'll bog down when
scrolling through records, moving windows around, switching programs. Shared
video RAM is usually a recipe for slow performance (integrated video on the
MacBooks being a notable exception). Consider getting an inexpensive
6200-series nVidia card, which is the base configuration for aero effects in
Vista.

Your biggest challenge: A decent CPU will eat up most of your budget just by
itself, and will probably require new components to match it.

A quick trip to NewEgg.com, and I was able to put together the following for
under $450 before shipping:

- MSI 945GM3-F LGA 775 motherboard -$73
- Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8GHz CPU - $170
- 1GB Corsair ValueSelect RAM (2 x 512MB) - $75
- 250GB Western Digital Caviar WD2500KS hard drive (7200 rpm; 16MB cache;
SATA 300) - $75
- EVGA 128MB GeForce 7100GS video card - $40

Add

- Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD burner - $30
- Antec Sonata II ATX case w/ 450W power supply - $70

....and you've got a completely new system. One that should be enough
horsepower for FileMaker, Vista, and even games for the next couple of
years. But just think... even a modest FileMaker Pro consulting project
could bring you into range of the Mac you *really* want. Unlike user-built
PCs, they have great resale value and come with a 1yr warranty.

Parallels is by no means necessary but certainly very nice. Apple's free
Boot Camp utility will enable you to run Windows, Office, etc. Furthermore,
the excellent and free NeoOffice will let you work with Office documents on
the Mac.

On Apr 7, 3:50 pm, Helpful Harry <helpful_ha... (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com>
wrote:
Agreed.

However, I don't want or need an overpriced intel Xeon, let alone two
of them. The issue for me, at least, is that I wouldn't want an
'equivalent' specc'd Windows PC either.

If they released a tower with a normal core2duo I'd buy a mac
tomorrow... well... might wait until fall now for leopard.

Until then, I'm stuck with PCs. The mac mini is underpowered. The
imac's integrated screen turns me off, especially as I already have 2
large high end viewsonic lcd panels. The graphics chips in them range
from terrible to ok. And neither are very upgradable and I like
adding/swapping hard drives, upgrading video, and optical drives etc,
etc. (I still have a G4 tower, with upgraded hard drive, dvdrw, and
video card as a 2ndary)

The current mac towers are beautiful well designed systems, but dual
Xeons? They're great workstations if someone else is buying them, but
unless you actually NEED dual xeons they're just way overkill and
terrible value.

I priced out the next pc system I'd buy - Core2Duo, 2GB RAM, GB-LAN,
WiFi, optical 7.1 audio, nVidia 8800GTS, DVDRW, premium alminum case
and premium power supply, with vista ultimate, and it came to $1800
(Canadian).

The Mac Pro starts at $2500 with half the ram, smaller hard drive, no
wifi, and a comparatively crappy video card. Sure its got 2 xeon quads
vs a single core2duo, but seriously I'm much better of with double the
ram, wifi, the high end video card, and an extra 600 bucks in my
pocket.

Maybe if I did a lot of real time video editing or photoshop work a
dual xeon would make sense... but I don't, and it doesn't. But like I
said, Apple, if your listening out there, if you spec a prosumer Mac
Pro along the lines of what I listed above I'd buy one in a heartbeat,
even at $200-300 more. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be the only one
either.

cheers,
Dave

Dave,

Is the old "42" back? Hurrah! Where ya been?

I totally agree with you about the desktop system picture. MacBooks are a
great laptop, great bang-for-buck. But Apple's got a real problem right now
with the <$2K space, for exactly the reasons you describe. The iMacs are
basically laptops on a pedestal, and I hate that the only upgradeable
desktop configuration is going to cost three grand by the time you're done
with it.

In article <1176481167.717353.202130 (AT) w1g2000hsg (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
"d-42" <db.porsche (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

But as a developer you may have to run Windows as well, so you will
need all the power you can get - in fact you might need a new 8-core
Mac Pro just to get a usable speed out of Microsoft's resource hog
operating system. ;o)


Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

Helpful Harry <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote:

surely.
And with an only mac, you can run in the same time, and without
rebooting, MacOSX, Linux, WXP and Vista (not less than 2GB Ram
needed...).
This can be useful to a dev, and justify some bucks.
Keeping your mac 2 years, an overcost of 1000$ give a charge of 4$/day
for this comfort and time gain.
--
Philippe Manet