| Info | Message |
|---|---|
| 1) Message boards : Questions and problems : I'd like to build the ideal BOINC computer
Message 43179 Posted 27 Mar 2012 by Freeze_XJ |
The problem is that the results vary from project to project. On NFS my 1090T completely smoked the opposition for a while (I think because of a well-optimized app + fast memory), but on for example SETI it doesn't do much. So your best bet is looking at the fastest computers for a certain project, and find out if they're all the same brand. This applies for graphics cards as well, if supported. For Docking I know (looking around at the top computers) that it doesn't matter much, so you can pick whatever is cheapest (usually AMD). Then secondly you have to decide if you want a big power rig, or a farm. One huge multi-CPU monster is easiest to manage, and smallest. Simply pick a top-end CPU, throw in a truckload of memory, a sweet SSD, and a high-end GPU (of the brand you prefer) if your project supports it. Let's say a nice 2500k, 16 GB RAM, and a 680GTX should keep you up to date for a while. You can also overclock it, most of those CPUs run at 4.4Ghz with a bit of prodding. The second option, giving you more credits per watt (who pays the power bills? My power bill is my main problem when crunching, new hardware only costs you once, but that hardware will consume power for a few years. That is why companies prefer Total Cost of Ownership instead of just buying price) is taking a lot of small rigs, underclock/volt them, and let them run. Say you take a bunch of cheap AMD 1045Ts or 8120s, cheapy motherboards, 4 GB RAM (assuming your project is OK with that), and an on-board GPU (or 560 ti / 6870 if project demands one). You can easily buy and run 4-5 of those for the price of a top-end PC, and probably score double the points as well. However, it takes up a lot of space, and will be harder to manage (swapping monitors around, and checking regularly), plus you can't play top-end games on it ;) If you really want to build a computer like you suggested, you'll have to be a motherboard-designer, or be willing to spend several thousands on custom parts (Groupe Bull or IBM might help you :D) since blade systems are not exactly standard solutions. They're useless as well for BOINC, which is supposed to run distributed, aka no overhead needed. Several independant computers will work just as well, and are cheaper and easier to build. tl;dr: there is no one-size-fits-all computer, nor a clear-cut strategy. Read up on different parts, and decide for yourself. |
| 2) Message boards : Questions and problems : Computation errors when disk-write is delayed [Linux]
Message 25131 Posted 30 May 2009 by Freeze_XJ |
Environment : Intel Q6600 quadcore, Ubuntu 9.x (errors happening on both 9.04 and 9.10), BOINC automagically installed from .deb package, or running as shell-script. The problem : BOINC throws computation errors every now and then. Happens when i'm unable to connect to the internet, and Linux is trying to find a router, or when i'm copying files, so the disk is unavailable for a while. I just see the processor use drop down, one task at a time. 'Messages' says nothing special, just 'computation finished'. Problem mainly happens when running LeidenClassical, but has appeared on WCG as well. Anyone who can shine a light on this? |
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