There is no such thing as "idle time" The CPU is guessing it based on the number of context switches.
Incedentally, CPU usage and memory are not related. If you need to swap something into or out of memory, the CPU moves onto the next proccess while waiting for the disk to get done...
Get a complete description of what the database is to do, the rest will follow from there. Take a database design class. Bad table desgn pisses me off. Learn Functional Dependentcies in it.
I suggest PHP and PostgreSQL. I use that and it's easy.
It happens on mine too, but only after a lot of disk accesses. I've tried defragging the ram, but no to success. I think it's a software problem in windows.
What's more I noticed it after I u/g from 256 to 768 megs of ram.
Anything out there will work. Of I prefer Oracle, Postgre or MySQL.
The two best above are of course Oracle and Postgre. Postgre is free and almost as good as Oracle. MySQL gives you glorified tables but lacks a lot.
Without a better description of the data and queries that the DB is for I...