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I currently use a Dell Precision 3500 (8GB RAM, 64-bit Windows 7) for some fairly heavy SQL database work. It's a standalone device which doesn't need to be accessed by other users. The Dell goes better than a high-end PC but I haven't been happy with its overall performance.

Any suggestions for hardware better suited to this purpose?

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If the database is hosted on the same PC, I'd have a look at the hard disk performance - what's currently fitted (make and model)? - and how about more RAM? How big's the database? Which version of SQL server?

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My immediate suggestion would be to install a secondary hard disk and have the SQL databases stored on that if you don't have that set up already. Lots of SQL queries will be heavy on disk I/O and hinder the overall performance of the machine if you are still using it for other tasks while SQL is running queries for you in the background.

A happy SQL server is one that has:

  • Fast disk I/O access times
  • Lots of memory to store the database in
  • A fairly quick chip to process the queries to the disk, depending on the type of queries.

FWIW I believe SELECT and UPDATE are the most resource intensive out of the popular operations, which is why scalable services charge you more per query for these operations.

A definitive answer will depend on these factors as well as the questions Linker has mentioned.

A SQL profiling tool like ClearTrace can help you track down and optimize your queries as well:

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Thanks for your responses. I don't know what the hard drive is. The Device Manager says: WDC WD5000AAKS-75A7B2 Two main databases are about 80GB each. A typical task involves creating tables of (up to) 5 million records based on more than one data file(s) of (up to) 2m records each. The process involves some calculations accessing other tables (e.g. if BigTable.Field A = 1 THEN SET BigTable.Field 2 to BigTable.Field A * OtherTable.Field Z). Using SQL Server 2008 Developer's Edition. As well as hard drives, is there better machine/processor combo I should try? – MarkS Dec 15 '10 at 2:00
Is SQL stored on your OS drive? i.e. the same drive you have your windows installed on? That is mistake Nr.1 unless you are running everything virtualized off a SAN. – John T Dec 15 '10 at 2:03
Yes, the machine only has one hard drive. – MarkS Dec 15 '10 at 2:13
Ok, the first thing I'd recommend is installing a second physical drive on the machine and moving your databases over to it. – John T Dec 15 '10 at 2:14
Thanks. I have to decide if it's best to buy a new hard drive for the Precision 3500 or buy a whole new machine (with a second drive). Any suggestions on what that machine might be? – MarkS Dec 15 '10 at 2:40
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