AMD demos 32-core Bulldozer server

[Black96ws6]

AMD of course would not divulge details, but at least they were able to touch it and get a picture of it LoL:

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2080551/amd-demonstrates-core-bulldozer-server

 

[nonameo]

arrrrr..... give us benchmarks

 

[bridito]

arrrrr..... give us benchmarks

Megadittos (in the most non-Rush way, of course).

I found it interesting that the article states that the heatsinks were cool to the touch. I can't reall see in that photo where the HSFs even are, although I admit the only blade I know is the one in my razor.

 

[Mopetar]

arrrrr..... give us benchmarks

Just not SYSmarks

 

[Idontcare]

Megadittos (in the most non-Rush way, of course).

I found it interesting that the article states that the heatsinks were cool to the touch. I can't reall see in that photo where the HSFs even are, although I admit the only blade I know is the one in my razor.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Oh cool. Does that mean the possibility of a 64-core 4-socket machine?

 

[Mopetar]

The article states that some vendors are planning to make 4-socket 1U servers, so yes, there will be some 64-core boxes.

 

[Lightflash]

I would love to see some actual details, but I guess AMD would rather hold off on giving any sort of information right now.

 

[nonameo]

<3 IDC. You're so nice and helpful I think you're probably my favorite mod

 

[Idontcare]

<3 IDC. You're so nice and helpful I think you're probably my favorite mod

 

[Gikaseixas]

<3 IDC. You're so nice and helpful I think you're probably my favorite mod

told him the same on private, he rocks

 

[Idontcare]

AMD of course would not divulge details, but at least they were able to touch it and get a picture of it LoL:

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2080551/amd-demonstrates-core-bulldozer-server

I need one a few of these in my basement.

I've got five aging Q6600-based rigs, a net of 20 cores, with which I perform a sort of manual distributed computing network to optimize my foreign currency trading algorithms (my business is algo-quant trading for Yen's and Euro's and the like).

Would be awesome to replace "the farm" with a single blade (realistically I only need a single dual-socket workstation)...and I bet it would fit inside a smaller power-consumption footprint as well.

Price will be the key though, as it always is for us DIY'er home business types. It could very easily turn out that the economics favor going with four 8-core zambezi desktop rigs versus a dual-socket interlagos setup.

Still though, the compute density of today's leading edge cpu's, cores are dirt cheap and getting cheaper every year.

 

[Arkadrel]

Oh cool. Does that mean the possibility of a 64-core 4-socket machine?

Yes 1U servers (with 4 cpus) that thus have 64 cores, is a possibility and is happending according to that artical.

 

[Phynaz]

Would be awesome to replace "the farm" with a single blade (realistically I only need a single dual-socket workstation)...and I bet it would fit inside a smaller power-consumption footprint as well.

Price will be the key though, as it always is for us DIY'er home business types.

Look at the HP or Dell "pizza boxes". A dozen cores can be had surprisingly cheap now days.

For example a 12x12 HP Xeon fully manageable machine lists for $6.5K. I really don't know non-contract pricing, but would a 25&#37; discount from that be reasonable?

One thing to keep in mind is these machines are not anywhere near quiet. You have to move a lot of air through small fans to keep them cool.

 

[Idontcare]

Look at the HP or Dell "pizza boxes". A dozen cores can be had surprisingly cheap now days.

For example a 12x12 HP Xeon fully manageable machine lists for $6.5K. I really don't know non-contract pricing, but would a 25% discount from that be reasonable?

One thing to keep in mind is these machines are not anywhere near quiet. You have to move a lot of air through small fans to keep them cool.

They reside in my underground lair...or "the basement" as my wife insists on calling it...so "noise" tolerance is a fair amount higher than what would be acceptable for an office environment.

How many cores can we license under a single Win7 x64 license?

Will these 4S 64-core beasties start to run afoul the existing software licensing models?

(my app, Metatrader4, is strictly windows-based for the purposes that I use it)

 

[Madcatatlas]

I would love to see some actual details, but I guess AMD would rather hold off on giving any sort of information right now.

So this is for server stuff? and isnt the same bulldozers as the ones we private folks will see?

Why the high amount of cores or the focus on that anyway? I mean.. is it a foregone conclusion that individually each core is way behind ..Sandy bridge?

Sad to say, but i already think this is going to be subpar launch. Good thing i bought a gaming cpu that should last me well into the next arch from AMD/Intel.

 

[bridito]

<3 IDC. You're so nice and helpful I think you're probably my favorite mod

I second, third, and fourth that... although there are a lot of really nice mods on this forum! :thumbsup:

I didn't think those would be the CPU heatsinks since I was looking for some sort of fan mechanism on them. IDC's pictorial description shows the fans way off at the end of the case which shows just how little I know about servers! Thanks, IDC!

 

[bridito]

I perform a sort of manual distributed computing network to optimize my foreign currency trading algorithms (my business is algo-quant trading for Yen's and Euro's and the like).

Off topic: I have a close family friend who is pretty high up in the Italian government's Finance Department. Between you and me and the wall, I'd short the livin' daylights out of Euro starting immediately. He seems to believe that Eurogeddon is just around the corner!

 

[Idontcare]

So this is for server stuff? and isnt the same bulldozers as the ones we private folks will see?

Why the high amount of cores or the focus on that anyway? I mean.. is it a foregone conclusion that individually each core is way behind ..Sandy bridge?

Sad to say, but i already think this is going to be subpar launch. Good thing i bought a gaming cpu that should last me well into the next arch from AMD/Intel.

Servers and workstations. That is the Interlagos (16-core bulldozer product) and Valencia (12-core bulldozer) target market.

It's only about performance/$...naturally...but we like to see things like core-counts and so on as that helps flesh-out the bigger picture of what is coming down the pipe.

If you already own a 12-core based (magny cours) server, then you've already got a fairly good grasp of how core count for a given architecture and platform scales your performance. Once you know price then you can rough-out a projected performance/$ estimate.

No individual aspect of these systems tells us all we need to know, but it is telling us more and more every day. And its cool.

I fondly remember my dual-socket Tyan Thunder K7 S2462 and how that meant I had two cores of K7 goodness in my rig.

Flash forward a mere 10-11 yrs and we are seeing 32-core dual-socket rigs. For not-so-old old-timers like myself, its just a pace of progress that brings a smile to our face and we are happy to be present when these milestones are being made in the industry

 

[Idontcare]

Off topic: I have a close family friend who is pretty high up in the Italian government's Finance Department. Between you and me and the wall, I'd short the livin' daylights out of Euro starting immediately. He seems to believe that Eurogeddon is just around the corner!

Sadly it is a race to the bottom between the US gov versus the PIIGS to see who can destroy their national currency the fastest.

The Euro may not weaken so much if the US gov gets there first That said, history is on the side of the Europeans. No one on this planet has more experience with debt-induced self-implosions of governments and nations than the European continent. They have literally thousands and thousands of years more experience in that game :thumbsup:

 

[Phynaz]

How many cores can we license under a single Win7 x64 license?

Will these 4S 64-core beasties start to run afoul the existing software licensing models?

Pro, Ultimate, and Enterprise support 2 sockets / 256 Cores.

4 Sockets requires Server Standard Edition.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Pro, Ultimate, and Enterprise support 2 sockets / 256 Cores.

4 Sockets requires Server Standard Edition.

Correct. Need Pro or better for 2S, need Server for 4S+.

 

[Idontcare]

Pro, Ultimate, and Enterprise support 2 sockets / 256 Cores.

4 Sockets requires Server Standard Edition.

Up to 256 cores dang!

So with Win7 Ult x64 I'm good for like the next 10yrs if not longer then.

Answers that question :thumbsup:

 

[bridito]

Sooooo... Upgrade my Win 7 Home Prem to Pro, get a 2S 256C, plunk in a few hundred GB of RAM... my wife would murder me, but it would be a great way to go!

As for the Euro I can't repeat what my friend said in confidence but let's just say that one of the Is in the PIIGS is in pretty rough shape and it might make Greece look like a Gyros & Ouzo picnic. I have little or no faith in USD either, so I think the best thing would be to start accumulating food, water, and ammo for the cabin in the woods. Can I trade chickens for a 2S 256C?

 

[ArizonaSteve]

Quote frankly, I'm bored with the whole Bulldozer thing. The lack of information coming from AMD leads me to suspect that it's going to be a repeat of the Phenom launch.