Page 1 of 2 [ 18 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

11 Jun 2012, 12:16 pm

I'm in need of some multi-core processors(AND math coprocessors). So lemme be more specific: I'd like to find a multicore CPU chip with at least 16 cores and ideally up to 32 cores. Pretty sure such chips do exist. Anyone here know of any good models?



compiledkernel
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 10 Jun 2012
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 224

11 Jun 2012, 12:24 pm

I think Mac Pro Server boxes can be maxed out at 24 cores. (I cannot tell you right now, the apple online store is currently under maintenance).

But if you want killer number of cores,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_zEnterprise_System

I think the z114 gives you like 98 Cores total (if totally maxed out) with some ungodly range of memory in the near Terebyte mark.

Edit: The IBM solution assumes money is no object.



Fogman
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Jun 2005
Age: 57
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,986
Location: Frå Nord Dakota til Vermont

11 Jun 2012, 2:06 pm

AspieRogue wrote:
I'm in need of some multi-core processors(AND math coprocessors). So lemme be more specific: I'd like to find a multicore CPU chip with at least 16 cores and ideally up to 32 cores. Pretty sure such chips do exist. Anyone here know of any good models?


NVidia Tesla, 448 CUDA cores. Personal Supercomputer for 2.2K$, (US) from here:
http://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-Tesla-C2075-GDDR5-Workstation/dp/B005OCMZ7A


_________________
When There's No There to get to, I'm so There!


Oodain
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,022
Location: in my own little tamarillo jungle,

11 Jun 2012, 5:16 pm

best bang for the buck for scientific calculation is a modern gaming GFX card, they have API's for easing integration as well.


_________________
//through chaos comes complexity//

the scent of the tamarillo is pungent and powerfull,
woe be to the nose who nears it.


Kumorigoe
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 12 May 2011
Age: 41
Gender: Male
Posts: 94

11 Jun 2012, 6:49 pm

If you're talking 32 cores on a single chip, you'd better be prepared to drop a lot of money.

Azul Systems manufactures Java appliances that can have 54 cores per chip, and their top end model, the 7380D has 16 of these processors for a total of 864 processing cores. It also has 768GB of RAM, takes up 14U in a server rack, weighs in at 260 lbs.

The price? According to a GSA document, Uncle Sam gets one for $583,254.00 And of course, that's just for the hardware. Adding in software licensing and the required infrastructure to properly support such a machine could easily drive the cost closer to a million dollars.

http://www.azulsystems.com/products/vega/specs

Here's the spec sheet for their offerings. They're geared towards Java development, but I'm sure you could use it for whatever you needed to.



Oodain
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,022
Location: in my own little tamarillo jungle,

12 Jun 2012, 11:02 am

if he is talking about actual physical cores on a single ship, yes, he would have to drop a lot of money.
if we are talking about parralel processing capability there are quite a lot of workarounds.

most modern GPU's include dedicated physics and math coprocessors and they all employ several hundred parrallel pipelines

with the API's inluded they are becoming a favourite among universities and small labs where funding doesnt allow for dedicated supercomputers in every lab.

i have a friend who is studying molecular biology and in her lab is what most people would call a dedicated gaming desktop, the 4 ATI cards gives them the ability to calculate large amounts of gene sequencing data and to do some protein folding in a timely manner.


_________________
//through chaos comes complexity//

the scent of the tamarillo is pungent and powerfull,
woe be to the nose who nears it.


compiledkernel
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 10 Jun 2012
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 224

12 Jun 2012, 3:36 pm

Kumorigoe wrote:
If you're talking 32 cores on a single chip, you'd better be prepared to drop a lot of money.

Azul Systems manufactures Java appliances that can have 54 cores per chip, and their top end model, the 7380D has 16 of these processors for a total of 864 processing cores. It also has 768GB of RAM, takes up 14U in a server rack, weighs in at 260 lbs.

The price? According to a GSA document, Uncle Sam gets one for $583,254.00 And of course, that's just for the hardware. Adding in software licensing and the required infrastructure to properly support such a machine could easily drive the cost closer to a million dollars.

http://www.azulsystems.com/products/vega/specs

Here's the spec sheet for their offerings. They're geared towards Java development, but I'm sure you could use it for whatever you needed to.


While I thought my IBM solution was out there, I now see I wasnt terribly far off the mark.

Those sound like a hardcore build of system.


_________________
An Old NetSec Engineer. Diag 11/29.
A1: AS 299.80 A2: SPD features 301.20
GAF: 50 - 60 range.
PMs are fine, but my answers are probably going to be weird.


Titangeek
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Aug 2010
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,696
Location: somewhere in the vicinity of betelgeuse

13 Jun 2012, 10:41 pm

Would a Beowulf cluster be out of the question?


_________________
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.
- Bruce Lee


Oodain
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,022
Location: in my own little tamarillo jungle,

13 Jun 2012, 11:43 pm

Titangeek wrote:
Would a Beowulf cluster be out of the question?


there are some pretty well documented bit coin mining rigs out there, that is basically doing scientific calculations for credits.


_________________
//through chaos comes complexity//

the scent of the tamarillo is pungent and powerfull,
woe be to the nose who nears it.


compiledkernel
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 10 Jun 2012
Age: 52
Gender: Male
Posts: 224

14 Jun 2012, 9:45 am

Titangeek wrote:
Would a Beowulf cluster be out of the question?



Certainly, Beowulf-Scyld would be a viable concept.


_________________
An Old NetSec Engineer. Diag 11/29.
A1: AS 299.80 A2: SPD features 301.20
GAF: 50 - 60 range.
PMs are fine, but my answers are probably going to be weird.


pete1061
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Nov 2011
Age: 54
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,766
Location: Portland, OR

14 Jun 2012, 8:44 pm

As far as current main stream CPU's go, (Intel, AMD) the max core count per chip is 8.
There are specialized chips out there with more, but those aren't really general purpose cpu's.
There are limitations to the chips on graphics cards, and the others are not really main stream and you'd have to do some wrangling to get them to work on most stuff.


_________________
Your Aspie score: 172 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 35 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie
Diagnosed in 2005


DefKoN
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

User avatar

Joined: 14 Jun 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Posts: 19

15 Jun 2012, 4:13 am

Kumorigoe wrote:
If you're talking 32 cores on a single chip, you'd better be prepared to drop a lot of money.

Azul Systems manufactures Java appliances that can have 54 cores per chip, and their top end model, the 7380D has 16 of these processors for a total of 864 processing cores. It also has 768GB of RAM, takes up 14U in a server rack, weighs in at 260 lbs.

The price? According to a GSA document, Uncle Sam gets one for $583,254.00 And of course, that's just for the hardware. Adding in software licensing and the required infrastructure to properly support such a machine could easily drive the cost closer to a million dollars.



Here's the spec sheet for their offerings. They're geared towards Java development, but I'm sure you could use it for whatever you needed to.


but can it run minecraft?



Oodain
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,022
Location: in my own little tamarillo jungle,

15 Jun 2012, 8:20 am

pete1061 wrote:
As far as current main stream CPU's go, (Intel, AMD) the max core count per chip is 8.
There are specialized chips out there with more, but those aren't really general purpose cpu's.
There are limitations to the chips on graphics cards, and the others are not really main stream and you'd have to do some wrangling to get them to work on most stuff.


there are very few limits both on graphics hardware and specialized architecture when you take software into account, hardware never works alone.

CUDA allows one to build a mega MIPS rig for well under 10k, even similar performance beowulf clusters arent that cheap.


_________________
//through chaos comes complexity//

the scent of the tamarillo is pungent and powerfull,
woe be to the nose who nears it.


Shorttail
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 3 Feb 2012
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 95
Location: Aarhus, Denmark

15 Jun 2012, 11:45 am

Do AMD cards have something similarly easy to use as CUDA?
Actually, any GPU API you can recommend?



pete1061
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Nov 2011
Age: 54
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,766
Location: Portland, OR

15 Jun 2012, 4:11 pm

Shorttail wrote:
Do AMD cards have something similarly easy to use as CUDA?
Actually, any GPU API you can recommend?


OpenCL is a cross platform option similar to CUDA.


_________________
Your Aspie score: 172 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 35 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie
Diagnosed in 2005


Oodain
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,022
Location: in my own little tamarillo jungle,

15 Jun 2012, 5:11 pm

Shorttail wrote:
Do AMD cards have something similarly easy to use as CUDA?
Actually, any GPU API you can recommend?


yes they have, i use their cards and have access to it, havent tried it, i have seen several bitcoin rigs using them.


_________________
//through chaos comes complexity//

the scent of the tamarillo is pungent and powerfull,
woe be to the nose who nears it.