Who knows computers?

[vrg3]

I need to set up a fantasy box to run memory-intensive and computation-intensive tasks in Linux, and I've found that I don't know anything about anything anymore.

So apparently AMD chips are available in 64-bit these days, with the x86-64 architecture? But they also do 32-bit? And Intel's got its own "real" IA64 architecture, but it has to use emulation to run 32-bit stuff?

And apparently they're not advertising clock speeds anymore? So is it just that a bigger number is better?

Does Linux do x86-64 and/or IA64? So is the 32-bit question moot? Or are they still making high-power IA32 processors?

How does Intel's C compiler do with AMD processors?

Is the Opteron better or is the Xeon better? I'd say fast memory access is of slightly more importance than fast processing.

Does dual core buy you much? Can Linux even make use of it?

How much RAM can Linux address these days?

What about a video card? I'm not doing any fancy shading or processing, but I do need to plot a lot of points (they're not even polys) real fast.

Can I get a real high-powered computer from Dell, or should I really be piecing it together myself?

If anyone has good advice, I'd love to hear it... Thanks!

[Legacy777]

I can give you my input from my last computer build up, which was well over a year ago.....so it's probably not real current....but anyway.

In the past I had built my computers because I didn't like that OEM's like dell & gateway packaged all their shit together, and you couldn't upgrade it easily. Some of the cheaper models/manufacturers still do this, but it's a far different world now, and most of the mid/higher end boxes are upgradable.

When I did my desktop, I had some issues with motherboard compatibility and some issues with bios versions. For the most part it's been a stable platform. I forget the exact MB model, but it's an AMD athlon xp chip 2400 mhz I think.

The line between building them yourself and buying a pre-built system is dramatically coming together. There's still some shit pre-built systems, but the savings of building one yourself really isn't there anymore. Price will be very comparable, and probably a little more.

My suggestion would be to get your questions answered about architecture and linux. Make sure you can utilize the latest super stuff. Once you know what you can use, spec out a few boards/chips yourself, and see what dell and other prebuilt systems run you.

I know for me, I'd like to upgrade my server. The dual 500 (think that's it) celerons just needs some extra kick. The thing is though, the OS/server is super stable.....so I hate to mess with it. I had looked at some dell power edge servers, and they're really not too bad in terms of cost. I don't think I could build a server with "server" class hardware for what they were selling it for.

[vrg3]

Thanks for the advice, Josh.

I also used to always build my own machines, for the same reasons. It does seem, though, that newer workstations from Dell are fairly easily upgradeable (I guess the target market demands it). And I wouldn't have to worry about making sure the motherboard supported all the other stuff I chose. And an on-site warranty could be nice (this would be a machine for work).

What I'm told is that apparently the newest AMD Opteron chips beat out Intel's Xeons in terms of computation, but the Xeon is better at memory accesses... Memory access is important to me because I spend a lot of time walking the wrong way down huge 3D arrays.

So I guess I go with twin 3.6GHz Xeons (apparently that's as high as they go right now). The new Xeons do EM64T, which is Intel's name for x86-64. And in that mode, Linux can address ungodly amounts of memory.

The whizbangest video card appears to be nVidia's Quadro FX 4400. 512 megs of RAM on a 256-bit-wide bus, two DVI ports, 135 million triangles per second.

So I'll follow your advice -- I'll see if I can spec a system out myself, and compare it to what Dell or Alienware or whatever can do.

What does your server do that it needs extra kick?

[LaureltheQueen]

I have a fantasy box.

[vrg3]

Thanks, Laurel...

[LaureltheQueen]

sorry.

[vrg3]

Hehehe it's ok. I think I got what I needed, so I guess this thread is an open playground.

[scottzg]

I have a fantasy box.

Definately buy your hard disks from Dell. They're the only ones that do independant contamination testing on drives. Stick all your valuable stuff on the smallest hard disk you can, the physical limits on hard disks has been reached, and the 100-120gb single platter disks demagnetize themselves and thus have to run a pile of error correction. SATA is a wonderful technology. My dad has 20 years workin at various drive companies.

[vrg3]

Yeah, that's good advice. I'd already decided on a SATA drive from Dell (assuming I got the computer from Dell). Everything important's gonna be backed up as soon as processing is done.

[Legacy777]

Thanks for the advice, Josh.

What does your server do that it needs extra kick?

Welcome.

Is someone else paying for this since it's a work system, or are you? Sounds like you're on the right path of where to go and what to check out.

I'm sure it needs too much extra kick. Just one of those things, it'd be nice to upgrade to server class hardware. I set that box up when I was in college. It's an Abit BP6 MB with dual intel celeron 533 mhz procs. 512 mb of ram, modded promise ultra 66 card (turned it into a fast track 66 card so I could run IDE raid). I've got 2 15 gig drives running raid 0, a 12, an 80, and 120 gig for storage.

The main thing I use the server for is file storage, web server, and mail server. Exchange is a memory hog, but I've stuffed enough memory in it where it seems ok. The times I notice it slowing down is when it starts to get loaded up from web requests or whatever. I've still got to figure a way to force pdf's to d/l.....that or I'm just going to do away with them, and zip everything.

[vrg3]

Someone else is paying. I'm probably not going to end up with exactly what I asked for. What I asked for was a Dell Precision 670n with dual 3.6GHz Xeons, 8 gigs of RAM, a 400-gig hard drive, and a Quadro FX 4400 video card.

Ohhh... It's a Windows server. Say no more.

What do you mean about forcing PDFs to download? You mean like have the client try to save them instead of render them? I think you could accomplish that with a MIME-type setting... Make your http daemon report files with a ".pdf" extension to have a MIME type of "application/octet-stream" and the client ought not to try to understand the content. Right?

[Tleg93]

That's a lot of computing power. What kind of stuff are you working on? Three dimensional arrays?

[vrg3]

Yup. The stuff that's documented in my thesis.

[Tleg93]

Oh, congratulations. I must not have been paying attention. So I guess you've decided on following that path. I wish you good fortune.

[vrg3]

Thank you. You didn't miss anything; I hadn't said anything and in fact don't know if it's for sure yet. Hopefully after tomorrow I will, though.

He was telling me about how the Cleveland Clinic offers a great health plan... I thought of you and said, "Well, when you work at Kellogg's, you get free Pop Tarts, right?"

[Tleg93]

Hahaha, that's a good one, V. Yeah, I ate a ton of Pop Tarts back then although I couldn't take them from the plant and I guess the same applies to you. You can't take your health care outside the hospital but then with health care, who would want to do such a thing. Hey, thanks for thinking of me, it's always nice to hear your in someone else's thoughts even a little. Take care.

[vrg3]

I dunno; health plans are a little different. You gotta be able to get coverage when traveling and whatnot. And primary-care physicians typically have their own practices outside the hospital. All that is details to be sorted out later though.

[Legacy777]

Someone else is paying. I'm probably not going to end up with exactly what I asked for. What I asked for was a Dell Precision 670n with dual 3.6GHz Xeons, 8 gigs of RAM, a 400-gig hard drive, and a Quadro FX 4400 video card.

Ohhh... It's a Windows server. Say no more.

What do you mean about forcing PDFs to download? You mean like have the client try to save them instead of render them? I think you could accomplish that with a MIME-type setting... Make your http daemon report files with a ".pdf" extension to have a MIME type of "application/octet-stream" and the client ought not to try to understand the content. Right?

That's a badass system

Yeah it's a "windows" server

Right now, when you click on a factory manual scanned pdf from my server and you have adobe acrobat reader installed, it will open in the browser. The issue with it is that type of connection doesn't d/l all the pages of large files. So as you scroll, it continually hits the server, and causes quite a bit of load, and bandwidth sucking.

I've tried messing with MIME types on the server, but from what I've run across, the individual's browser MIME type seems to overrode the server side MIME type. I can try changing the MIME type to what you have suggested. But I think it'll still behave as before, and ignore the server side MIME type and use the browser's.

[vrg3]

Hmm... maybe the browsers do that to be smart... because application/octet-stream generally means "binary file I don't recognize." So maybe it makes sense for a client to try to figure it out.

Do browsers honor the Content-Disposition field? Could you have your HTTP daemon add "Content-Disposition: attachment" to the HTTP headers of each PDF file it sends? That should imply that the content is a file transfer rather than content to be viewed.

[Tleg93]

I've had some success decoding MIME files by saving them with a .b64 extension. This registers them as a zip file.

[Legacy777]

Thanks for the feedback. I've only had time to play with this a little.

Looks like I'll have to dive in a little more.