A quick unofficial comparison of Harpertowns

[Bobsama]

Just a number of numbers that show the values of each processor, and then in each system. All are FSB1333 Xeons. Just something to save anyone looking to do a DP system for WCG.

Intel Xeon E5405 2.0GHz
$254 (newegg)
$229 (froogle)

(2000*4) / $229 = 34.934 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5410 2.33GHz
$310 (newegg)
$265 (froogle)

(2333*4) / $265 = 35.215 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5420 2.5GHz
$376 (newegg)
$342 (froogle)

(2500*4) / $342 = 29.240 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5430 2.67GHz
$525 (newegg)
$475 (froogle)

(2667*4) / $475 = 22.459 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5440 2.83GHz
$734 (newegg)
$701 (froogle)

(2833*4) / $701 = 16.165 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5450 3.0GHz
$970 (newegg)
$925 (froogle)

(3000*4) / $925 = 12.973 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5460 3.17GHz
$1300 (newegg)
$1294 (froogle)

(3167*4) / $1294 = 9.790 MHz/USD


That all being said, I setup the following system of new parts from NewEgg. The value of the entire system is approximately $818, including $50 in shipping costs.

Tyan i5100 (S5375), $320
A-Data 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 667 FB-DIMMs, $140
Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB, $50
Chenbro SSI CEB rackmount/pedestal chassis, $131
Lite-On 20x DVD burner, $30
SeaSonic SS-500ES ATX12V/EPS12V, $70
3 x Scythe 88CFM 33 dBa fans, $27 total

Places to reduce costs would of course be a smaller hard drive ($10 or so saved), a less-expensive chassis ($50 saved), no optical drive ($30 saved), and stock cooling fans ($27 saved, at the expense of silence).

Now all value comparisons are in MHz/USD, using (CPU price * 2 + $818) / (CPU speed * 8).

Good
Better
Best

E5405, $1276, 12.539 MHz/USD
E5410, $1348, 13.846 MHz/USD
E5420, $1502, 13.316 MHz/USD
E5430, $1768, 12.036 MHz/USD
E5440, $2220, 10.209 MHz/USD
E5450, $2668, 8.996 MHz/USD
E5460, $3406, 7.436 MHz/USD

That all being said, we see that the most-efficient processor is the E5410, though narrowly wins to the E5420. Overall, I'd say the E5420 wins, as this quick comparison doesn't include the costs of running the systems (electricity), peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers), space, OS, and network items. The comparison will stay the same (a few more MHz/USD) with the places to cut costs, though not significantly. I myself would like to build an E5420 system. Still, there's a quick comparison of bang-for-the-buck and research done.

Hope that helps or there's some discussion. I personally love the idea of DP systems, despite the added cost. Yeah, you can build 3 Q6600's for the price of one DP E5420, but then again you would need 3x the network gear, 3x the power drawn from 65nm, 2 more HDDs, and more fans. The Q6600s will do more work (and overclock), but we can't all pay our power bills every month.

I'll review this tomorrow. Goodnight all.

[sierra_bound]

A number of people on the team already have DP systems. And they didn't necessarily pay retail prices for their CPU's.:D ;)

[Craftyman.]

What is a DP system?

[Movieman]

Just a number of numbers that show the values of each processor, and then in each system. All are FSB1333 Xeons. Just something to save anyone looking to do a DP system for WCG.

Intel Xeon E5405 2.0GHz
$254 (newegg)
$229 (froogle)

(2000*4) / $229 = 34.934 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5410 2.33GHz
$310 (newegg)
$265 (froogle)

(2333*4) / $265 = 35.215 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5420 2.5GHz
$376 (newegg)
$342 (froogle)

(2500*4) / $342 = 29.240 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5430 2.67GHz
$525 (newegg)
$475 (froogle)

(2667*4) / $475 = 22.459 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5440 2.83GHz
$734 (newegg)
$701 (froogle)

(2833*4) / $701 = 16.165 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5450 3.0GHz
$970 (newegg)
$925 (froogle)

(3000*4) / $925 = 12.973 MHz/USD

Intel Xeon E5460 3.17GHz
$1300 (newegg)
$1294 (froogle)

(3167*4) / $1294 = 9.790 MHz/USD


That all being said, I setup the following system of new parts from NewEgg. The value of the entire system is approximately $818, including $50 in shipping costs.

Tyan i5100 (S5375), $320
A-Data 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 667 FB-DIMMs, $140
Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB, $50
Chenbro SSI CEB rackmount/pedestal chassis, $131
Lite-On 20x DVD burner, $30
SeaSonic SS-500ES ATX12V/EPS12V, $70
3 x Scythe 88CFM 33 dBa fans, $27 total

Places to reduce costs would of course be a smaller hard drive ($10 or so saved), a less-expensive chassis ($50 saved), no optical drive ($30 saved), and stock cooling fans ($27 saved, at the expense of silence).

Now all value comparisons are in MHz/USD, using (CPU price * 2 + $818) / (CPU speed * 8).

Good
Better
Best

E5405, $1276, 12.539 MHz/USD
E5410, $1348, 13.846 MHz/USD
E5420, $1502, 13.316 MHz/USD
E5430, $1768, 12.036 MHz/USD
E5440, $2220, 10.209 MHz/USD
E5450, $2668, 8.996 MHz/USD
E5460, $3406, 7.436 MHz/USD

That all being said, we see that the most-efficient processor is the E5410, though narrowly wins to the E5420. Overall, I'd say the E5420 wins, as this quick comparison doesn't include the costs of running the systems (electricity), peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers), space, OS, and network items. The comparison will stay the same (a few more MHz/USD) with the places to cut costs, though not significantly. I myself would like to build an E5420 system. Still, there's a quick comparison of bang-for-the-buck and research done.

Hope that helps or there's some discussion. I personally love the idea of DP systems, despite the added cost. Yeah, you can build 3 Q6600's for the price of one DP E5420, but then again you would need 3x the network gear, 3x the power drawn from 65nm, 2 more HDDs, and more fans. The Q6600s will do more work (and overclock), but we can't all pay our power bills every month.

I'll review this tomorrow. Goodnight all.
Nice work.
Couple thoughts. The memory, you can get 4x1 gig of DDR2-800FBDimms for $58.00 a stick, a little more total but remember these boards are quad channel not dual channel so take advantage of that with 4 sticks.
Then there's the issue of your choosing a "old" 5100 chipset with the new Harpertowns. I'd go for the new 5400 chipset and take advantage of the 1600FSB support it offers. Again, more money, but a one time cost and a points and work gain every day.

A number of people on the team already have DP systems. And they didn't necessarily pay retail prices for their CPU's.:D ;)
:wasntme:

What is a DP system?
Dual processor..Welcome to my world.:D

[123bob]

Thanks for the Post Bobsama. :up: I've been wanting, and waiting, to put a DP machine in the mix. I think if I was to throw the kill-a-watt on it, I might find it becomes competitive with the current Q series quads I run now. (Go ahead, make me put up double the points in the same physical rack space...:eek: ) There likely would be a cruncher break even point with the gamer type machines. I'd like to analyze where that is for different power rates across the world.

Dave, I appreciate your comments. What board would you recommend, or are you still determining that? Is there overclocking potential in this?

Any other server dudes want to chime in? Shintai, Sierra?

Regards,
Bob

[sierra_bound]

For overclocking Harpertowns, you would probably want a board with the newer Seaburg chipset and DDR2-800 FB-DIMMs. Skulltrail would be the ideal choice because of overclocking options in the BIOS. But the board will likely be very expensive and general availability is still a question mark. The Supermicro X7DWA-N is a cheaper alternative. But cheaper is a relative term. The X7DWA-N retails for around $500. A number of places including Newegg have that board in stock.

You can run Harpertown with a 5000X board like the X7DAL-E which many people here have. But getting 400 FSB will be next to impossible with regular cooling. You would want Harpertowns with a multiplier of 9 or higher. Those are the expensive chips. But no one ever said this was a cheap hobby.:D

[Movieman]

Thanks for the Post Bobsama. :up: I've been wanting, and waiting, to put a DP machine in the mix. I think if I was to throw the kill-a-watt on it, I might find it becomes competitive with the current Q series quads I run now. (Go ahead, make me put up double the points in the same physical rack space...:eek: ) There likely would be a cruncher break even point with the gamer type machines. I'd like to analyze where that is for different power rates across the world.

Dave, I appreciate your comments. What board would you recommend, or are you still determining that? Is there overclocking potential in this?

Any other server dudes want to chime in? Shintai, Sierra?

Regards,
Bob

Two( or more) routes to take here.
You can buy a "old" 5100X chipset board and use the harpertowns in it.
Upside is price, downside is FSB limitation and no support of 1600FSB
Bobsama's breakdown on the $ to mhz is excellent and usefull.
Do you go top end or do you go bang for the buck?
Depends on your wallet and what you can score the chips for..:wasntme:
Those 5420 cpu's might get to 3300mhz with a little voltage and maybe more.
Stock they are 2500/12mb/1333(7.5 multi)
BSEL mod them and you have 3000/12mb/1600 in a 5400 chipset board.
Bump the memory to 440 and your at 3300 with a machine that should put out like a clover at 3600+
That's the way to go with the cheaper chips and the better 5400 board.
You won't seemuch over 360'ish on a 5100x Greencreek (old) board.

Then there's the "monster" way to go.
Get the X5460's,3160/12mb/1333,BSEL mod those and your at 3800.
Bump the memory to 421 and your at 4000mhz..
All depends on how deep your pockets are and how freaking crazy you are!:rofl:
Those X5460's are over $2500.00 for a pair retail.
Of course, there are times when "others" might show up put thats not a guarantee.

Boards:
SM X7DWA-N $500.00 from Newegg
Intel ST "supposed" to be $600.00
IF, and BIG if, the ST is a dependable board, then I'd go that way.
BUT,I trust SM boards and they are tanks.
What is Intels RMA policy? That is a factor also.
IF the Intel is dependable then I'd go the extra $100.00 for it for the options it has.
That with X5460's will scream at speeds you ain't ever seen!:ROTF:
Water cool that biatch and I think you can see 4500mhz for 24/7 work.

[sierra_bound]

Here's one listing for Skulltrail. Back-ordered. GamePC is a custom builder, so their prices tend to be very high. Subtract about $200-250 and you will likely have the price that most resellers will be asking.

http://www.gamepc.com/shop/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=GamePC+Online+Products&category%5Fname=Motherboard&product%5Fid=MB%2DINTSKTRAIL

[Movieman]

Here's one listing for Skulltrail. Back-ordered. GamePC is a custom builder, so their prices tend to be very high. Subtract about $200-250 and you will likely have the price that most resellers will be asking.

http://www.gamepc.com/shop/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=GamePC+Online+Products&category%5Fname=Motherboard&product%5Fid=MB%2DINTSKTRAIL

$250.00 offof that $975.00 price is $725.00 and at that number ST at least to me isn't worth the $$. I'll take the SM board at $500.00 then.

[sierra_bound]

I'm just taking an educated guess. Some think Skulltrail will be around $600. I think the price will be closer to $700. That new Asus board (Z7S-WS) will reportedly retail for over $600.

[Movieman]

I'm just taking an educated guess. Some think Skulltrail will be around $600. I think the price will be closer to $700. That new Asus board will reportedly retail for over $600.

You may well be right.I did see that asus board at $627.00..
Now asmuch as the little kid that still resides in me would love to play with the ST board, the guy who wants the system running 24/7/365.25 says go with the SM board.

[STEvil]

i've not seen any indications that the ST board has anything to offer me over a decent SM board yet... any nobody has really tried to push the 5400 chipset over 400mhz yet either.

[[XC] junglemaster]

Then there's the "monster" way to go.
Get the X5460's,3160/12mb/1333,BSEL mod those and your at 3800.
Bump the memory to 421 and your at 4000mhz..
All depends on how deep your pockets are and how freaking crazy you are!:rofl:
Those X5460's are over $2500.00 for a pair retail.
Of course, there are times when "others" might show up put thats not a guarantee.

Boards:
SM X7DWA-N $500.00 from Newegg
Intel ST "supposed" to be $600.00
IF, and BIG if, the ST is a dependable board, then I'd go that way.
BUT,I trust SM boards and they are tanks.
What is Intels RMA policy? That is a factor also.
IF the Intel is dependable then I'd go the extra $100.00 for it for the options it has.
That with X5460's will scream at speeds you ain't ever seen!:ROTF:
Water cool that biatch and I think you can see 4500mhz for 24/7 work.

So realistically, if i said to you, "Dave, I want you to build me an awesome system running at 4.5Ghz's (WC etc)" then how much could you build it for? I am not interested in some fancy shmancy case etc...just hardcore DP system...I am guessing the ST is out of the question based on when it will be potentially out etc...but let's say I want this within a month?? (or if you suggest to wait on the new Asus etc)... just a thought :shrug:

[Movieman]

So realistically, if i said to you, "Dave, I want you to build me an awesome system running at 4.5Ghz's (WC etc)" then how much could you build it for? I am not interested in some fancy shmancy case etc...just hardcore DP system...I am guessing the ST is out of the question based on when it will be potentially out etc...but let's say I want this within a month?? (or if you suggest to wait on the new Asus etc)... just a thought :shrug:

Fast numbers: (costs)
Board: $500.00
Vid: Cruncher($50.00) or workstation($500.00-1000.00, you pick options)
PSU: $200.00 and up if your going to load the system up
Case? again, what do you want..
Drives:from a $50.00 80gig SATA to the skies the limit
cpu's: for 4500mhz I'd want the X5460's($2600.00/pair retail or the QX9775's($3000.00/retail
Water cooling: $400.00
Lots of options here but 30days if I had the cash in my hand this second would be hard to do. Have to order parts and if I was lucky they're all here in a week.
Then build test and ship to the other side of the world on a system thats new to me.
Bound to be some bugs to iron out.
30 days is pushing the envelope and so much to discuss before you even start.
This could easily exceed $5000.00USD and thats just parts cost.
Add in labor, then LOTS of shipping cost as to insure that isn't going to be cheap.

[[XC] junglemaster]

But if I was to say leave it in a good home for a period of time (which would probably be in the order of 6 months until I move back) this would remove the shopping component...

I am really looking at it as a serious mofo cruncher. And cost wise would generally be whatever it costs without being just darn stupid :D

Case: well whatever fits it all including the necessary WC parts...

Vid: no real need for anything...not like i will be playing games on it :)

Drives: whatever would work best for speed and reliability...but seeing it is a cruncher, then space is not that much of a problem.

CPU's: I like the X's, but if you think the new Q's would crunch better then your call.

So timing, you think 3 months and it could be done (hypothetical for now, but very interested in bedding something like this down very soon).

[Movieman]

But if I was to say leave it in a good home for a period of time (which would probably be in the order of 6 months until I move back) this would remove the shopping component...

I am really looking at it as a serious mofo cruncher. And cost wise would generally be whatever it costs without being just darn stupid :D

Case: well whatever fits it all including the necessary WC parts...

Vid: no real need for anything...not like i will be playing games on it :)

Drives: whatever would work best for speed and reliability...but seeing it is a cruncher, then space is not that much of a problem.

CPU's: I like the X's, but if you think the new Q's would crunch better then your call.

So timing, you think 3 months and it could be done (hypothetical for now, but very interested in bedding something like this down very soon).

Under those circumstances I could have it running in close to 30 days but thinklong and hard on this asthis is a lot of money for a system that you might not see for 6months.
9-12 months from now is Nehalem, that is something to consider also.

[[XC] junglemaster]

Under those circumstances I could have it running in close to 30 days but thinklong and hard on this asthis is a lot of money for a system that you might not see for 6months.
9-12 months from now is Nehalem, that is something to consider also.

The not see it for 6 months wouldnt be that big of a deal...I would probably just require you take a photo of it each week :)

And I guess the base of the system would work on the next CPU set (case, WC, PSU, etc) i would just then need to add in a new Mobo and CPu's when the Nehalem comes out. I will give it some thought...but I work hard for my money...I might as well enjoy doing something with it too :yepp:

[Movieman]

The not see it for 6 months wouldnt be that big of a deal...I would probably just require you take a photo of it each week :)

And I guess the base of the system would work on the next CPU set (case, WC, PSU, etc) i would just then need to add in a new Mobo and CPu's when the Nehalem comes out. I will give it some thought...but I work hard for my money...I might as well enjoy doing something with it too :yepp:

I understand, but my 2 cents: Unless your VERY comfortable financially think not just twice but three times on this.
Building high end PC's is one of the fastest ways to lose money that I've seen.
If your lucky your at the "top" for 8-12 months max and in this case you wouldn't be there that long.
I'm seeing it myself now. The clovertown systems. Immense systems when built in Dec 2006 but look whats happenned now.
The faster of the two system is averaging 26,300 points a day.
Short of water cooling and volt modding the chips that is the best it will do.
We have a guy with a Quad Yorkie at 4150 thats averaging 22,000 a day.
Thats 4 cores vs 8..
All glory is fleeting my friend. Think long and hard on this.

[KaptainBlaZzed]

The 5420's are selling like HOT CAKES.

Sparco had 23 last night, today 0
Newegg had them in stock yesterday, today Not in stock.

I think the 5420 is going to be the choice CPU for "Budget" DB systems. And when i say budget i mean < $1,500

I can not wait till my second 5420 comes in.:D

I am hoping for +22GHz with less than a 250 watt draw from the wall.

[alucasa]

Building high end PC's is one of the fastest ways to lose money that I've seen.


That is the most crucial part.
Though, once you start dealing with D-CPU, you can never go back, well, not likely.

[Blauhung]

i've not seen any indications that the ST board has anything to offer me over a decent SM board yet... any nobody has really tried to push the 5400 chipset over 400mhz yet either.

I think I saw 410 somewhere, it seems that everyone that has one is still just playing with the multiplier.

[Bobsama]

I noticed I made a bit of a mistake...
I didn't put a power supply powerful for the high-end processors. Still, it was enough for the 80W CPU's.


Nice work.
Couple thoughts. The memory, you can get 4x1 gig of DDR2-800FBDimms for $58.00 a stick, a little more total but remember these boards are quad channel not dual channel so take advantage of that with 4 sticks.
Then there's the issue of your choosing a "old" 5100 chipset with the new Harpertowns. I'd go for the new 5400 chipset and take advantage of the 1600FSB support it offers. Again, more money, but a one time cost and a points and work gain every day.

:wasntme:

Dual processor..Welcome to my world.:D
Thanks.

I was just going for pure performance on crunching. One thing I'd personally do is grab a better EPS12V PSU and drop in a Radeon HD 3870, and then run 7 instances of WCG. I didn't think the memory bandwidth would be much different--after seeing memory comparisons of single-channel to dual-channel, I assumed that the 5&#37; boost would be about the same on dual to quad. The only reason I choose an "old" 5100 chipset is because it was the least-expensive that had Harpertowns on the compatibility list. If I was using DDR2 667, I wouldn't need a 5400 chipset. Still, a i5400 chipset would be immsensely better. FSB1600, though I wouldn't be so sure of any future chips worth buying. It seems DP Xeons don't lose their value over 6 months. Thanks for the input!


The 5420's are selling like HOT CAKES.

Sparco had 23 last night, today 0
Newegg had them in stock yesterday, today Not in stock.

I think the 5420 is going to be the choice CPU for "Budget" DB systems. And when i say budget i mean < $1,500

I can not wait till my second 5420 comes in.:D

I am hoping for +22GHz with less than a 250 watt draw from the wall.
I was thinking more like < $1,600, though cutting places you can easily get a DP system with older HDD's (I could use my 320GB drives instead of a new 80GB or 160GB), reuse optical drives, reuse an EPS12V PSU, reuse a graphics card, etc.. I am going to college in 7 months, so I'll probably keep my current system as it is and replace it with a nice budget DP Nehalem system. The Radeon HD 3850 would be carried over, with the 320GB hard drive and DVD burner. Little stuff adds up ($180+$80+$30=$390)


I think I saw 410 somewhere, it seems that everyone that has one is still just playing with the multiplier.
I'm more worried about the software tools having compatibility with the clock generator... though a free 500MHz on core from a BSEL mod would be very nice.

[sierra_bound]

BSEL mod to 400 FSB will probably only work with a Seaburg board (5400). I doubt you would get the chips to boot on any other type of server board.

From what I've seen so far, Harpertowns do not have a lot of headroom, at least not as much as the Clovertowns. Yes, they consume less power which is always a plus, especially for distributed computing. But 30%+ overclocks on Clovertowns are pretty commonplace. Doubt you're going to see that with Harpertowns. Fugger got a massive overclock on his QX9775's. But he was using sub-zero cooling.

[Movieman]

BSEL mod to 400 FSB will probably only work with a Seaburg board (5400). I doubt you would get the chips to boot on any other type of server board.

From what I've seen so far, Harpertowns do not have a lot of headroom, at least not as much as the Clovertowns. Yes, they consume less power which is always a plus, especially for distributed computing. But 30%+ overclocks on Clovertowns are pretty commonplace. Doubt you're going to see that with Harpertowns. Fugger got a massive overclock on his QX9775's. But he was using sub-zero cooling.

100% correct. The X7DAE and X7DAL-E boards we currently use do not and will not support 1600FSB so the BSEL mod is a waste there.
You could drop in some X5460's and systool the 667 memory up to 350-360 and be over 3300. Like a clover at 3600+ but a huge cost for that gain.
Using the 5420's like KB did is a good choice if you don't have clovers but woodcrests as he did and then move to the 5400 board later on.

[Bobsama]

I don't have anything DP at all. Anyways--as I said, I'm more interested in DP Nehalem with my current HDD, graphics card, and optical drives. I'm more worried myself with actually putting the DP system together... I don't know exactly how to do the installation of the heatsinks.

[Movieman]

I don't have anything DP at all. Anyways--as I said, I'm more interested in DP Nehalem with my current HDD, graphics card, and optical drives. I'm more worried myself with actually putting the DP system together... I don't know exactly how to do the installation of the heatsinks.
Cake..Uses a backplate attached to the MB tray OR some newer cases are already pre drilled for the screws that go right through the board.
Too much weight to hang on a board.
Heatsinks are literally attached to the MB tray itself.

[systemviper]

Wow, it's a brave new world in this thread, I have to keep telling myself,
put the mouse down, put the mouse down, no don't go near that credit card, just back away,
I SAID, BACK AWAY SLOWLY. :nono:

I just have to wait and watch, someday i will pay in the big leagues, oh I ment Play :cheer2:

Best of luck with the Dualies, Xeon;s even better, we will be watching :brick:

and waiting for the day when we get the call to move out of the minors :cussing:

But for now I will live thru yall :worship:

Thanks for the dreams :cheer: and throw a picture or 2 :bows:

Regards
Systemvipers

[Movieman]

Wow, it's a brave new world in this thread, I have to keep telling myself,
put the mouse down, put the mouse down, no don't go near that credit card, just back away,
I SAID, BACK AWAY SLOWLY. :nono:

I just have to wait and watch, someday i will pay in the big leagues, oh I ment Play :cheer2:

Best of luck with the Dualies, Xeon;s even better, we will be watching :brick:

and waiting for the day when we get the call to move out of the minors :cussing:

But for now I will live thru yall :worship:

Thanks for the dreams :cheer: and throw a picture or 2 :bows:

Regards
Systemvipers

We all live and learn through others.
I watch what people like Fugger and Vince can do and try to fit it into a real world 24/7 use. Maybe if he can do 5500 on LN2 I can do 4500 on water.
That sort of correlation.
I'll never beat either in any benchmark but their work gives us a good foundation to work from.

[STEvil]

BSEL mod to 400 FSB will probably only work with a Seaburg board (5400). I doubt you would get the chips to boot on any other type of server board.

From what I've seen so far, Harpertowns do not have a lot of headroom, at least not as much as the Clovertowns. Yes, they consume less power which is always a plus, especially for distributed computing. But 30%+ overclocks on Clovertowns are pretty commonplace. Doubt you're going to see that with Harpertowns. Fugger got a massive overclock on his QX9775's. But he was using sub-zero cooling.

The processors could do it easily if we were not so limited by the bus :(

[Blauhung]

The processors could do it easily if we were not so limited by the bus :(

my thoughts exactly, sling 2 FSB's together and you end up holding yourself there.

I'm currently carefully setting aside money for my next few computers. I think i'll be waiting for Nehalem to do DP, as I've had some serious wet dreams over the possibilities there. Right now the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger on a quad is the fact that none of the 45nm stuff has hit the employee purchase program. There's a whole slew of Intel people that are going to be snagging chips like crazy as soon as those floodgates open.

[Craftyman.]

I think if I come across $1500 somewhere I'll make a DP system myself. Unfortunately, poor college student I am right now :down:

[Bobsama]

Poor soon-to-be college student here. $1500 or less will definitely get me a nice respectable DP system. Just have to look in the <$400/ea processor value-bin for something nice and Nehalem in 1-2 years. I can't crunch right now, though I'll be crunching starting in college. I'm actually going to ask for my Celeron 4 2ghz back since I can crunch with it and host online LAN and even WAN games on it. I'll be getting an cat5 switch when I can get to the post office and send $15.

[sierra_bound]

The processors could do it easily if we were not so limited by the bus :(
I would agree with that. The unfortunate reality is that even with Skulltrail and DDR2-800 FB-DIMM's, hitting 450 FSB is probably not going to happen. The best option is to get chips with high or unlocked multipliers. But that's also the expensive option.

[Bobsama]

I think most of us will stick to a BSEL mod and software. I'm hopeful to score a DP Nehalem system about a month or two after release (price gorging far down). Anyways--expect to see me on the Grid in 6.5-7 months time. A lot of things will change by then, so I am hopeful that my finances will stay in line. I won't have a horse like my sister (I prefer taking care of computers to taking care of animals) so I may just have the money to put down on a good system. Yeah--you guys will be seeing me on the grid once I have the 'Net on all computers and I'm not directly paying for the electricity.