The advantage of a second box is that you can use the main and test machines side by side. if you switch drives, you're cut off from your main development environment while you're using the other system.
There are disadvantages too, of course, such as increased desk space, power usage, and heat in your office, and inability to work on the subway.
VMs are good, though VMs don't solve the original problem of letting you test on an older CPU. (Their IO is generally slower, but not in the same way as an older machine.)
There are disadvantages too, of course, such as increased desk space, power usage, and heat in your office, and inability to work on the subway.
VMs are good, though VMs don't solve the original problem of letting you test on an older CPU. (Their IO is generally slower, but not in the same way as an older machine.)