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Extra Processing Power - Cheap?

M

Michael73

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 27, 2007
1,082
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This is a theoretical question to be sure but just curious to see what the consensus is...

I read somewhere on MR today where someone compared the cost of the early '08 MP to the early '09 MP on a processor by processor basis and the cost was in the thousands.

Doesn't that make it cheaper to invest in a couple of video cards when Snow Leopard for an early '08 rig to get the extra processing power from the GPUs (rather than going out to buy a brand new early '09 model)?

Does anyone know what kind of processing bump we'll get under SL utilizing the GPU?
 
Michael73 said:
Does anyone know what kind of processing bump we'll get under SL utilizing the GPU?
Click to expand...

That depends entirely on your task set and application stack. If you're working on some bruteforce task that's easily parallelizable using some software that uses CUDA, you'll get a massive boost. On the other end of the spectrum, MS Word will almost certainly have the same performance.

In short, there's no way for anyone to answer that question.
 
ppc750fx said:
That depends entirely on your task set and application stack. If you're working on some bruteforce task that's easily parallelizable using some software that uses CUDA, you'll get a massive boost. On the other end of the spectrum, MS Word will almost certainly have the same performance.

In short, there's no way for anyone to answer that question.
Click to expand...

Is stuff like Folding@Home CUDA/Parallelizable?

Could an 8 core Mac Pro + 4 video cards just tear through units like mad?
 
akm3 said:
Is stuff like Folding@Home CUDA/Parallelizable?

Could an 8 core Mac Pro + 4 video cards just tear through units like mad?
Click to expand...

CUDA/Brook+ only exist on the background that some tasks are highly parallel and as such would see an increase in performance by being done on the GPU.

Otherwise it would make no sense.
 
akm3 said:
Could an 8 core Mac Pro + 4 video cards just tear through units like mad?
Click to expand...

No. Because the GPUs that are fantastic for F@H cannot be used on the Mac Pro because of power reasons.

The ultimate F@H machine (note, AT HOME), would be a Core i7 along with 4 GTX 295s (non-SLI).
 
Salavat23 said:
No. Because the GPUs that are fantastic for F@H cannot be used on the Mac Pro because of power reasons.

The ultimate F@H machine (note, AT HOME), would be a Core i7 along with 4 GTX 295s (non-SLI).
Click to expand...

Now that the GTX 295 is coming to the Mac Pro is your answer the same? (Since you still can't run 4 of them due to power, I presume)
 
You can run 4 of them if you buy a second PSU (if there's room enough). It just adds about $100 to the total. It looks like it installs in the lower optical bay or something.
 
Tesselator said:
You can run 4 of them if you buy a second PSU (if there's room enough). It just adds about $100 to the total. It looks like it installs in the lower optical bay or something.
Click to expand...
289 watts EACH, so 1156W for the quad. :eek: The 5.25" bay PSU's can't come close to that (250 to 325W).

You'd need a good PSU, say 1kW, and leave it external. :p
 
nanofrog said:
289 watts EACH, so 1156W for the quad. :eek: The 5.25" bay PSU's can't come close to that (250 to 325W).

You'd need a good PSU, say 1kW, and leave it external. :p
Click to expand...

The one I looked at was 800W. And there were others in the product line above and below it - tho I didn't click thru to see them.


EDIT:
Oh, wait.. this is NanoFrog... heh! The link was from you. The VisionTech or something like that.

That was 800W right? And wasn't that internally mounted? Anyway... If not just make it external then. :D
 
Tesselator said:
The one I looked at was 800W. And there were others in the product line above and below it - tho I didn't click thru to see them.


EDIT:
Oh, wait.. this is NanoFrog... heh! The link was from you. The VisionTech or something like that.

That was 800W right? And wasn't that internally mounted? Anyway... If not just make it external then. :D
Click to expand...
It's 450W (link), but for some strange reason, I was thinking it was only 300W. Oops. :eek: Vision Tek has a combined total of 800W on their website (350W system PSU + 450W add-on), so maybe that's where the 800W came from. :confused:

Given the size constraints, I can't really see one producing 800W. ;) :p
 
nanofrog said:
It's 450W (link), but for some strange reason, I was thinking it was only 300W. Oops. :eek: Vision Tek has a combined total of 800W on their website (350W system PSU + 450W add-on), so maybe that's where the 800W came from. :confused:

Given the size constraints, I can't really see one producing 800W. ;) :p
Click to expand...

Ah, dang, you're right. Dunno where I got 800W. :p

Here's the post I got it from: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7511203/
And here's the link you linked: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817206001

Oh I see where I got 800W. Like you were just saying:

17-206-001-02.jpg


There's a huge 800W printed on the box. :D
 
Tesselator said:
Ah, dang, you're right. Dunno where I got 800W. :p

Here's the post I got it from: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7511203/
And here's the link you linked: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817206001

Oh I see where I got 800W. Like you were just saying:

There's a huge 800W printed on the box. :D
Click to expand...
Oh well. It's good for a card or two, depending on the pig...err... power hungry model(s) of choice. :D :p

At least an external unit can produce MORE POWER. Might help keep Stanford's F@Home project going. ;) So I'm not a gamer. :eek: :p
 
nanofrog said:
Oh well. It's good for a card or two, depending on the pig...err... power hungry model(s) of choice. :D :p

At least an external unit can produce MORE POWER. Might help keep Stanford's F@Home project going. ;) So I'm not a gamer. :eek: :p
Click to expand...

What is this "F@H" or F@Home you guys keep referencing anyway?

Like that SETI thing or something?
 
zmttoxics said:
I find that handbrake (ffmpeg atleast) doesn't multithread very well. On my quad it will use all 4 threads, but only at 20% each.
Click to expand...

Thats because its limited by the speed of the hard drive. Get a fast drive like a VelociRaptor or an SSD and your encoding speeds will go way up.
 
Oh Tesselator, this is a little off topic, but I saw the picture you posted in another thread showing an EVGA 295 in I suppose a Mac Pro. Is that a flashed card? What's the story behind that card? Just too curious to resist asking even though I couldn't ever use one in my Power Mac G5!:eek:
 
Ahhh Tessy... and I thought that was your own machine....:eek:
You old rascal :rolleyes:
But it sure did get my attention didn't it?:eek:
 
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