8-core monster crunchers

MarkJ
MarkJ
Joined: 28 Feb 08
Posts: 437
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RE: Hello there Dual quad

Message 80725 in response to message 80724

Quote:

Hello there

Dual quad core boxes are fairly popular in the workstation ./ server arena

What gets me is the motherboard manufacturers don't make a dual Q6600 or Q6700 based motherboard. All the dual processor boards seem to be Xeon based which means they are rather pricey.

Akos Fekete
Akos Fekete
Joined: 13 Nov 05
Posts: 561
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RE: What gets me is the

Message 80726 in response to message 80725

Quote:
What gets me is the motherboard manufacturers don't make a dual Q6600 or Q6700 based motherboard. All the dual processor boards seem to be Xeon based which means they are rather pricey.

Only the server chipsets offer the multi socket solutions. The motherboard manufacturees use desktop chipsets for these CPUs because they are much cheaper.

ohiomike
ohiomike
Joined: 4 Nov 06
Posts: 80
Credit: 6453639
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RE: RE: What gets me is

Message 80727 in response to message 80726

Quote:
Quote:
What gets me is the motherboard manufacturers don't make a dual Q6600 or Q6700 based motherboard. All the dual processor boards seem to be Xeon based which means they are rather pricey.

Only the server chipsets offer the multi socket solutions. The motherboard manufacturees use desktop chipsets for these CPUs because they are much cheaper.


As an example, I am thinking about upgrading my Apple Mac Pro from 4 cores (2 x Intel Xeon X5150's) to 8 cores (2 x Intel X5355's).
Server CPU : Intel X5355 is 4 cores @ 2.66 GHz. Cost= $776
Desktop CPU : Intel Q6700 is 4 cores @ 2.66 GHz. Cost= $279


DanNeely
DanNeely
Joined: 4 Sep 05
Posts: 1364
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RE: As an example, I am

Message 80728 in response to message 80727

Quote:

As an example, I am thinking about upgrading my Apple Mac Pro from 4 cores (2 x Intel Xeon X5150's) to 8 cores (2 x Intel X5355's).
Server CPU : Intel X5355 is 4 cores @ 2.66 GHz. Cost= $776
Desktop CPU : Intel Q6700 is 4 cores @ 2.66 GHz. Cost= $279

Yep, gouge the server users because they're willing and able (and with the different sockets are forced) to pay far more than consumers

_Ryle_
_Ryle_
Joined: 20 Mar 05
Posts: 8
Credit: 391401600
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I agree that the server

I agree that the server hardware have steep prices, however they do have to be a lot more reliable than a PC. I guess that's one explanation for the higher price.

(I should mention that i have no experience with server hardware, so I cant say if it truly is more reliable :)

Donald A. Tevault
Donald A. Tevault
Joined: 17 Feb 06
Posts: 439
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RE: I agree that the server

Message 80730 in response to message 80729

Quote:

I agree that the server hardware have steep prices, however they do have to be a lot more reliable than a PC. I guess that's one explanation for the higher price.

(I should mention that i have no experience with server hardware, so I cant say if it truly is more reliable :)

Server hardware is more ruggedly-built than regular desktop hardware. It has to be, since it's going to be running 24x7 for a lot of years.

Jim Bailey
Jim Bailey
Joined: 31 Aug 05
Posts: 91
Credit: 1452829
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Besides being more rugged

Besides being more rugged there are a lot of features built in that you'd never find on either a desktop or a work station. Memory mirroring, RAID memory, hot swap memory, hot swap PCI-X or -E cards, L4 cache built onto the cpu boards, main memory on each cpu board, slots for more than one memory card, choice of 2 or 4-way interleave on main memory, ChipKill on the cpu boards, N+1 hot swap power supplies, hot swap fans, connectors for adding external PCI enclosures, 2-12 (or more)hot swap drive bays built in, ......

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
Moderator
Joined: 1 Dec 05
Posts: 6590
Credit: 318919539
RAC: 411509

RE: Besides being more

Message 80732 in response to message 80731

Quote:
Besides being more rugged there are a lot of features built in that you'd never find on either a desktop or a work station. Memory mirroring, RAID memory, hot swap memory, hot swap PCI-X or -E cards, L4 cache built onto the cpu boards, main memory on each cpu board, slots for more than one memory card, choice of 2 or 4-way interleave on main memory, ChipKill on the cpu boards, N+1 hot swap power supplies, hot swap fans, connectors for adding external PCI enclosures, 2-12 (or more)hot swap drive bays built in, ......


Heck! When I win the Lotto I'll buy one just so I can sit and watch it purr .... :-)

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

archae86
archae86
Joined: 6 Dec 05
Posts: 3157
Credit: 7227854922
RAC: 1102013

RE: Besides being more

Message 80733 in response to message 80731

Quote:
Besides being more rugged there are a lot of features built in that you'd never find on either a desktop or a work station. Memory mirroring, RAID memory, hot swap memory, hot swap PCI-X or -E cards, L4 cache built onto the cpu boards, main memory on each cpu board, slots for more than one memory card, choice of 2 or 4-way interleave on main memory, ChipKill on the cpu boards, N+1 hot swap power supplies, hot swap fans, connectors for adding external PCI enclosures, 2-12 (or more)hot swap drive bays built in, ......


Don't forget the painfully loud fans. Packing enough cooling air flow into a tight shape means absolute horror. Forget 120mm, 90mm, or even 80 mm fans rotating at the modest speeds required for decent acoustic noise. Say hello to tiny fans turning horribly fast, with the sound to match.

Oh, yes, conservative server design dictates that the supplied fans should be enough for reliable operation even after a failure (maybe more than one failure), so the required rotation speed or number of fans is even worse than you thought.

I'd not share my living space with one voluntarily, at work or at home.

Mike Hewson
Mike Hewson
Moderator
Joined: 1 Dec 05
Posts: 6590
Credit: 318919539
RAC: 411509

RE: Don't forget the

Message 80734 in response to message 80733

Quote:

Don't forget the painfully loud fans. Packing enough cooling air flow into a tight shape means absolute horror. Forget 120mm, 90mm, or even 80 mm fans rotating at the modest speeds required for decent acoustic noise. Say hello to tiny fans turning horribly fast, with the sound to match.

Oh, yes, conservative server design dictates that the supplied fans should be enough for reliable operation even after a failure (maybe more than one failure), so the required rotation speed or number of fans is even worse than you thought.

I'd not share my living space with one voluntarily, at work or at home.


With the rest of my Lotto money I'd get high quality hot-swap earmuffs, and of course build a dedicated walk-in fridge for the viewing times ... :-)

Cheers, Mike.

I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter ...

... and my other CPU is a Ryzen 5950X :-) Blaise Pascal

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