Opteron vs. a64

[cjbruin09]

2 x 244 $422
Tyan S2875ANRF $259
4 x 512Mb Corsair 3200 RLP $324 (Each CPU uses 2 sticks)
2 x Hitachi 160 GB Deskstar 7K250 $182
Antec True480 $91
Antec SLK3700-BQE $89
Lite-On Combo Drive $34
NEC 3520A DVDRW $59
Microsoft Keyboard/Mouse $39

Total: $1499

vs.

A64 3800+ $366
MSI K8N Neo2 Pt $137
2 x 1Gb OCZ Premier $342
2 x 74 Gb Raptor $364
Antec SLK3700-BQE $89
Lite-On Combo Drive $34
NEC 3520A DVDRW $59
Logitech Cordless Comfort Duo $69

Total: $1460

I am buying all of the components from Monarch because 1) I live in CA, no sales tax with Monarch and 2) I need to be able to buy via purchase order and very few places seem to let me do this.

Which of these 2 setups would be best at handling compiling/running of fortran and c++ code? Is there going to be any significant difference? Any suggestions on either system is also greatly appreciated.

 

[ribbon13]

Opteron ~170%> A64 for compiling.

Is $1500 a strict limit?

 

[phisrow]

Depends partly on how your code threads(or whether it does at all). Most compilers multithread nicely, so the Opterons will crush the A64. Which setup will run your code faster depends on your code. If it is multithreaded, go with the Opterons. If not, a single faster core will serve you better.

 

[cjbruin09]

1500 is pretty close to a strict limit... it could go a little over, but not much

 

[Matthias99]

If you used more sanely-priced RAM (it makes almost no difference in performance) and regular SATA drives instead of Raptors, you could save a bundle on the uniprocessor system.

Like I said in your other thread, if you're mostly running a single program that is not multithreaded, a fast single processor probably makes more sense. If the program is multithreaded, or you will run multiple instances of it simultaneously, then the dual Opterons will probably be faster overall.

 

[jose]

ribbon13,

Which slot on the K8WE is the 133 pci-x ? Been at 2cpu, but they have conflicting info ..

Also what power supply are you using ? I'm looking at a similar rig but
w/ 8 - 15k 36g Atlas2 hd's + 2 tape drives & 1 dvdrw

I'm thinking the Zippy 700w or PCP&C 510 ??

Regards,
Jose

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: Matthias99
If you used more sanely-priced RAM (it makes almost no difference in performance) and regular SATA drives instead of Raptors, you could save a bundle on the uniprocessor system.

Like I said in your other thread, if you're mostly running a single program that is not multithreaded, a fast single processor probably makes more sense. If the program is multithreaded, or you will run multiple instances of it simultaneously, then the dual Opterons will probably be faster overall.

good advice

 

[cjbruin09]

I will definitely be running multiple instances of the code at once, if possible. I think the dual opterons are by far the best way to go.

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: jose
ribbon13,

Which slot on the K8WE is the 133 pci-x ? Been at 2cpu, but they have conflicting info ..

Also what power supply are you using ? I'm looking at a similar rig but
w/ 8 - 15k 36g Atlas2 hd's + 2 tape drives & 1 dvdrw

I'm thinking the Zippy 700w or PCP&C 510 ??

Regards,
Jose

Slots 4&5 are 100Mhz and slot 6 is 133Mhz

I used a Turbo-cool 510 AG before I got a Turbo-cool 850 SSI custom (added the 6-pin ETX 3.51 WS connector as on the AG).

If you got just $200 get the 510 AG, if you can spend $300 get the Zippy PSL-6701P-SATA (NOT the 6700P), and if you can spend $450 get the 850 SSI.


As for 'sanely' priced ram, the Corsair 3200 RLP IS the most sanely priced ram Opterons. Whenever I make a Opteron reccomendation-->

Originally posted by: ribbon13
512mb $81 Corsair CM72SD512RLP-3200
1024mb $166 Corsair CM72SD1024RLP-3200

If you want 2GB of ram, get four of the 512MB sticks. You could get two of the 1GB sticks on CPU0, and two of the 512MB sticks on CPU1 for 3GBs, or two of the 1GB sticks on each cpu for 4GB