Workstation for Software development

Approximate Purchase Date: 2 weeks to 1 month


Budget Range: $1000-1300


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Software development in C/C++, VMWare


Parts Not Required: Monitors - Dell 21.5" Ultrasharp (http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Displays/pr...)



Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newgg.com


Country of Origin: USA


Parts Preferences: No preference as long as they are name-brand with emphasis on reliability. I would like to run GNU/Linux as well as Windows 7; I'm still finding mixed results of ATi driver quality relative to nVidia.


Overclocking: No


SLI or Crossfire: No


Monitor Resolution: >=1680x1050


Additional Comments:

I am attempting to setup a box so I get back into developing software. The projects I have in mind aren't terribly demanding right now, but I would like the flexibility to take on larger, more resource-demanding projects. In addition, I would like to run virtualized OSes for testing purposes.

A card that can handle two (possibly three) monitors, two 20-22" widescreen, is required. I may be doing some graphics programming but it will be simple things, so priority on a powerful graphics card is low.

I don't think I would need the benefits of Xeon or Opteron. Time isn't exactly equal to money as this is only a serious hobby. If anything, I would like to stay at the 80-20 rule: 80% as powerful as the best components, leaving 20% room for future upgrades.   I would like to start out at 6 to 8GB of RAM.

I don't know much about the components out there these days. Every review or guide is seems slanted towards gaming than compiling code or running vmware.

Any direction would be helpful. Thanks!