Do you think you have what it takes to be the best? Can you beat out everyone else in this forum? Then prove it! Introducing the CPU forum's first Super-Computer Competition.
If you wanted to put together the most powerful Windows 2000 machine possible using technology available right now, and price was not a concern, what would it include? There are four main rules to follow here.
1) It must be capable of running Windows 2000.
2) It must use parts available today to consumers.
3) Price and upgradability are completely irrelevant. Uncle Moneybags has decided to furnish you with any computer components you desire for free for the rest of your life.
4) There will be no flaming. Flaming in this thread disqualifies you for any win.
To win you must list the set of components that, when put together, will be the fastest machine of the lot. Fastest for this competition will be defined as that which would win more benchmarks than any other system listed in this thread when put to a head-to-head test. The list of benchmarks includes the latest versions of all benchmark suites, applications, and games that any reviewer has used in the last 6 months as a benchmark. Each sub-test within a benchmarking suite will count as a separate benchmark for determining the number of won benchmarks. Remember that allowed benchmarks are not just CPU benchmarks, but also harddrive latency and bandwidth tests, memory tests, etc.
Benchmark scores will be obtained by looking at the average of all scores reported for the latest version of each benchmark by all reviewers. When a benchmark score cannot be found for a particular piece of hardware, a score will be derrived by interpolating the results with the those found for the same hardware at a different speed, or by guestimating. Interpolations based on a hardware with known scores running at a speed that has no scores will stand at the interpolated score. However, guestimations must be accepted by a majority of those who have submitted entries in this thread.
I will be submitting a system here after waiting and letting others start things out. Note that only one system may be submitted for the competition per person, but entries may be revised as many times as you like until the competition is closed for judging. (Given sufficient interest it will probably go on for at least a week or two.) This means that people can and will steal ideas from others. This is perfectly acceptable, but if you steal someone's complete system design only the first person (original person) to come up with that design will be credited for the win, if it does indeed win.
Once judging begins, the entries will be judged by analysis of the system designs by myself and the rest of the forum, followed by some kind of voting system. As a voter you may change your vote based on new information or analysis as it comes to light. Once the votes have stabilized (not many changes), the system holding the majority of votes will win. The prize for winning is the undieing respect of everyone in the forum as a mean, lean, system building machine.
Now that we have all of that out of the way, let the games begin!
-Raystonn
P.S. The trophy for second place is down in the ladies' room.
= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
1) Is overclocking allowed?
2) Are we talking MP systems or only single CPU systems?
3) Scsi Systems with ellaborate Raid arrays?
4) Benchmarking....how will it be weighted? Which will matter more in real world apps vs. synthetic benchmarks?
Yes, but everything must fit in a standard system case and sit on a standard desktop.
"2) Are we talking MP systems or only single CPU systems?"
It must not use more than one motherboard. SMP systems are fine, as long as we stick to the single motherboard.
"3) Scsi Systems with ellaborate Raid arrays?"
Sounds good to me, but fit it in a full tower. No external racks are allowed.
"4) Benchmarking....how will it be weighted? Which will matter more in real world apps vs. synthetic benchmarks?"
Timing something in a real world application counts as one benchmark test, so long as some reviewer has done it in the last 6 months, and only with the latest version of said application. A suite that is made up of 5 tests of real-world software will count for 5 tests. A synthetic suite made up of 5 sub-tests will count for 5 tests.
-Raystonn
= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my employer. =
Not a bad start but Ithink I will wait until after June 4 when the AMD MP systems are announced as well as the Palimino. This might have something to do with the lack of response so far. You might want to consider some fibre channel drives seeing as price is no object.
yeah but its supposed to fit in a standard desktop..
fibre channels needs all that backplane stuff..
hmm.. come to think of it.. he never did define exactly
how big a standard desktop could be.. coz I could build
a 3 foot cube case and put alot of crap in there...
Intel Components, AMD Components... all made in Taiwan!
Geez, Raystonn.. that must be the most non sensical posts I ever read from you...
First of all, I think you need to define the benchmarks up front. You will always be able to find benchmarks that make one or another system win. Knowing you a little, I dont think it will include 3D Max...
Secondly.. voting, will most likely result in a AMD vs intel vote.. not sure how much wiser that is going to make us.
Thirdly, we cant even agree on the interpretation of existing benchmarks.. Let alone this community would ever be able to judge on non existing theoritical machine
Lastly, is a Tbird 1.33 overclocked to 2.5 Ghz allowed ? combined with a Geforce3 @800/600Mhz ?
I mean.. who cares man..
oh, and am I disqualied now ?
---- Owner of the only Dell computer with a AMD chip
Sorry, but if you're going to run a super computer competition, shouldn't you use an OS that actually can be used for Super Computer tasks like Linux/Unix instead of W2k?
<font color=blue> The Revolution starts here... as soon as I finish my coffee </font color=blue>
If you're into SCSI RAID, SuperMicro makes a little 4-drive SCA cage that fits in three adjacent 5.25" bays. Only holds quarter-height SCA-2 drives, though.
Kelledin
bash-2.04$ kill -9 1
init: Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?
