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I want to buy a computer (either laptop or desktop) which is super fast when performing Mathmatica 8 and running fortran code. What's the quickest?

JIng
2012-01-15 16:51:00
Many thanks to all of you :-)
James Bruce
2012-01-15 09:45:00
The fastest computer YOU can buy will depend upon how much MONEY YOU HAVE. If you say you have half a million dollars to spend, I will find you a supercomputer. Basically, buy the best you can with the money you have - there will ALWAYS be something faster - and even if you buy top of the range this week, by the time it is delivered there will be something faster. 
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Smayonak
2012-01-14 22:09:00
Mathematica 8 supports multiple threads, so the more cores the better. Core i7 and i5 has been outperforming similarly priced AMD CPUs in recent months - but AMDs have better long-term potential once driver updates come through the pipe.http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/ParallelTools/tutorial/Introduction.html It also supports 64-bit architecture and has graphics acceleration, with GPUs that support CUDA and OpenCL. So both Nvidia and AMD GPUs. So go for a 64-bit computer and also get graphics acceleration, PCIe plug-in.http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/features/system-requirements.htmlI have a short list of excellent deals on high end desktop packages. Some of these include monitors, others do not. The first one is my favorite deal:http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8m-AMD-FX-6100-Hex-Core-Desktop-6GB-1TB-Win-7-1GB-Video-Norton-15-in-1-MCR/20120112174http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Omni-220xt-2nd-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-2600S-Quad-Core-All-in-One-Desktop-6GB-1-5TB-Blu-ray-ROM-Win-7-WLAN-21-5-LCD-6-in-1-MCR/20120113175http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-Slimline-s5xt-2nd-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-2600S-Quad-Core-Desktop-6GB-500GB-Win-7-23-0-LCD-6-in-1-MCR/20120113105http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8m-AMD-FX-6100-Hex-Core-Desktop-6GB-1TB-Win-7-1GB-Video-Norton-15-in-1-MCR/20120113231
Smayonak
2012-01-14 22:01:00
Mathematica 8 supports multiple threads, so the more cores the better. Core i7 and i5 has been outperforming similarly priced AMD CPUs in recent months - but AMDs have better long-term potential once driver updates come through the pipe.http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/ParallelTools/tutorial/Introduction.html It also supports 64-bit architecture and has graphics acceleration, with GPUs that support CUDA and OpenCL. So both Nvidia and AMD GPUs. So go for a 64-bit computer and also get graphics acceleration, PCIe plug-in.http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/features/system-requirements.htmlI have a short list of excellent deals on high end desktop packages. Some of these include monitors, others do not. The first one is my favorite deal:http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8m-AMD-FX-6100-Hex-Core-Desktop-6GB-1TB-Win-7-1GB-Video-Norton-15-in-1-MCR/20120112174http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Omni-220xt-2nd-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-2600S-Quad-Core-All-in-One-Desktop-6GB-1-5TB-Blu-ray-ROM-Win-7-WLAN-21-5-LCD-6-in-1-MCR/20120113175http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-Slimline-s5xt-2nd-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-2600S-Quad-Core-Desktop-6GB-500GB-Win-7-23-0-LCD-6-in-1-MCR/20120113105http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8m-AMD-FX-6100-Hex-Core-Desktop-6GB-1TB-Win-7-1GB-Video-Norton-15-in-1-MCR/20120113231
Smayonak
2012-01-14 22:00:00
Mathematica 8 supports multiple threads, so the more cores the better. Core i7 and i5 has been outperforming similarly priced AMD CPUs in recent months - but AMDs have better long-term potential once driver updates come through the pipe.http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/ParallelTools/tutorial/Introduction.html It also supports 64-bit architecture and has graphics acceleration, with GPUs that support CUDA and OpenCL. So both Nvidia and AMD GPUs. So go for a 64-bit computer and also get graphics acceleration, PCIe plug-in.http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/features/system-requirements.htmlI have a short list of excellent deals on high end desktop packages. Some of these include monitors, others do not. The first one is my favorite deal:http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8m-AMD-FX-6100-Hex-Core-Desktop-6GB-1TB-Win-7-1GB-Video-Norton-15-in-1-MCR/20120112174http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Omni-220xt-2nd-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-2600S-Quad-Core-All-in-One-Desktop-6GB-1-5TB-Blu-ray-ROM-Win-7-WLAN-21-5-LCD-6-in-1-MCR/20120113175http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-Slimline-s5xt-2nd-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-2600S-Quad-Core-Desktop-6GB-500GB-Win-7-23-0-LCD-6-in-1-MCR/20120113105http://www.edealinfo.com/deal/HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8m-AMD-FX-6100-Hex-Core-Desktop-6GB-1TB-Win-7-1GB-Video-Norton-15-in-1-MCR/20120113231
FIDELIS
2012-01-14 21:44:00
Hello, First thing I would do would be to decide if you want to run programs in windows, linux or mac.  The second thing would be to research what the requirements are for running fortran code in said operating sytem/kernel and the binaries available for it.  Once you research the topic, you can find out what the requirements are for running the code.  For example, if you visit link below, you will see that there are binary versions that can run in x86 and x64.  http://gcc.gnu.org/wiki/GFortranBinariesI would say your best bet would be to run the x64 version with a multicore processor and at least 8 GB of RAM.  Also I would make sure that motherboard/cpu have energy efficient settings and also good ventilation.  If money is not an issue, I would buy the parts one by one trying to choose the best available.   Doing it this way is better because you know what you are installing and what you will be using it for.  At same time you can make sure your computer will be good upgrade wise for a few years. 
Jeff Fabish
2012-01-14 21:02:00
Processors can read only binary. No processor reads Fortran, It's architecture will have it's own assembly language
Monica The Hacker
2012-01-14 19:14:00
If you're just going to run that program, I think the "fastest" computer will not be a wise idea. Just choose what's "right" for you. COST:A laptop that costs USD800-USD1000 ora desktop that costs USD600-USD700 will do your tasks.LAPTOP OR DESKTOP:Assuming the same price, a desktop would be about 1.5x-2x faster than a laptop. The primary advantage of a laptop, of course, is handiness.PROCESSOR:Intel processors have the best reputation. However, an AMD processor with a speed of an Intel processor is cheaper, about 25%. Choose multi-core processors. FYI, the Guiness World Record holder for the fastest processor is not Intel. It's AMD.MEMORY (RAM):4Gig Memory is just enough.MACHINE:I recommend Acer, ASUS, DELL, LENOVO or SONY.I hope this helps.OOOPS! By the way, a fast computer will slow down in time if not maintained properly.Good Luck!
2012-01-14 11:46:00
you can look for Alienwarehttp://www.alienware.com/The Fastest Laptop Processor on the Planet¹http://www.intel.com/performance/mobile/extreme/index.htm