Any SC Week Prep Plans?

[D_A]

That's the part I fear the most as well. If not for that I could throw a fair number of cores at the issue.

[retro77]

SC week plans?

10 get ("Number of new cores:", %n);
20 CORES ++ n
30 goto 10

while CASH > 0 do
{buy cores
install cores};
end

Nicely said

I'm trying line up a beast of a machine for SC week: 4 socket, 8 core/per [not counting HT] Dell blade system that is currently sitting in an dual A/C server room...unplugged

So I've been dropping hints to the Net/Sys Eng that can get hands on it for me. It's time to increase to "I want to use that guy for all of November to test the cooling capabilities."

[OldChap]

Sounds like a plan.

I had my eye on all the boxes that were recently replaced at work...only core2 duo's and only stock but there were 150 of them..... alas I now have a tear in that eye as they were returned to HQ

[D_A]

Nicely said

I'm pretty sure my syntax is shot to hell, but you get the idea.

[werdwerdus]

we should make a post with a list kept up to date with hardware available to loan out for SC week. For instance I have a spare i3-2100 cpu to loan out. That way maybe if someone has that one component you need to complete a rig we could get another machine running for the week.

[retro77]

we should make a post with a list kept up to date with hardware available to loan out for SC week. For instance I have a spare i3-2100 cpu to loan out. That way maybe if someone has that one component you need to complete a rig we could get another machine running for the week.

SC Week Loaner Club? I like the idea.

[[Ion]]

Perhaps I'll pop in again from TPU and join you guys. At that point, I should have four quad-core i7s (3 OCed, one stock) and two C2Ds crunching

[shoota]

Perhaps you should. Wait... yep. You definitely should!

[ggdh]

It breaks my heart: my contract ends at 31st October and I am not sure about machines I am leaving at the Uni

[retro77]

Hopefully they will crunch happily in the corner until the next person goes through and wipes them

[jspace]

My SC week plans include getting any machines I can together.

[werdwerdus]

new plans: get a motherboard and some AMD gpu to go with my i3-2100/ram/case/psu, plus convert ALL gpus in my sig rigs to WCG HCC GPU!

[Vinas]

^ lol

To be honest it's more the electric bill that will stop me than the actual system cost.

The electric bill is the bane of my existence!

[werdwerdus]

new plans: get a motherboard and some AMD gpu to go with my i3-2100/ram/case/psu, plus convert ALL gpus in my sig rigs to WCG HCC GPU!

Ok 7850 is ordered.. now just need an 1155 motherboard! Somebody tell me what to buy

[Otis11]

Ok 7850 is ordered.. now just need an 1155 motherboard! Somebody tell me what to buy

That depends - are you willing to get PCI risers?
Yes
No

[werdwerdus]

That depends - are you willing to get PCI risers?
Yes
No

explain where the risers come into play

[Otis11]

explain where the risers come into play

On the no board you can fit 4 dual slot GPUs without risers, 5 with risers
On the yes board you can fit 3 dual slot GPUs without risers, 6 with risers

6 GPUs in one computer would be freaking awesome... but 4 would be acceptable.

[werdwerdus]

thanks. I would probably go for a standard ATX board... 2-3 gpus with at least double or triple space if possible.

[werdwerdus]

updated plans: switch over my 5x GTX 660 Ti cards, 2x GTX 470 cards, and 1x GTX 650 to WCG HCC. Also I will have another GTX 650 Ti by then as well. And I will move the AMD 7850 to one of the i5 quad cores so I can run 3 tasks at a time.

[yojimbo197]

Depending on the money situation:

Buy a used quad core system
Or
Buy at least one HD7770 or HD6870, move the HD6670 to the Dell i5 and put the Seasonic 650W PSU I was saving for a new build into the Dell.
Or
Find someone who has computers on XS and donate some $$ for their rigs electricity

[ggdh]

I assume that MM will send an email this week to all members and to make it easier for them to participate I suggest preparing NEW STICKY for new-comers. Stickies that we have may be a little "intimidating" with 200-300 pages. Also, no secret that GPU crunching is best thing since sliced bread so maybe quick guide with screen-shots to help the transition.

I guess that 50M is more than possible with all GPU power that XS members have.

[D_A]

Don't forget that GPUs are not the best thing for EVERY kind of problem and they do have some weaknesses regarding heat and duty cycle that we are so used to dealing with on CPUs that we forget about them. Tesla cards, which are dedicated GPU compute cards (not high end graphics cards like one idiot tried to claim), are built to run at full load for extended periods without cooking themselves while consumer graphics cards aren't expected to be run nearly as hard let alone 24/7. Taking a few simple steps to keep temperatures low sounds so obvious that nobody is mentioning just how hot GPUs can get without a little thought. The fact that there is only one science app at WCG running on GPU is a good indication that not ever project is suitable for GPU implementation, either. Some will benefit greatly, others not so much. There could even be some that just can't be run on a GPU at all due to a lack of functions in the hardware.

[ggdh]

There is whole bunch of people out there running running bitcoin, f@h or boinc project on gpu for years and I think they can handle one week of WCG

[D_A]

Those are people who are already familiar with GPU crunching. I'm trying to get the point across that this isn't points for free. There is always a price to pay somewhere. If you're aware and understand the risks and requirements then it's all good, but this isn't for everyone.

[ggdh]

... and things like these should be clearly stated in a guide for new-comers