What can one do with a 12-core Opteron?

[GTaudiophile]

Sounds like overkill to me.

Provantage of North Canton (isn't that the birthplace of Marilyn Manson?) is featuring a number of 12-core AMD Opteron processors on its retail website. Obviously, this is well-ahead of the launch -- and subject to the usual caveats -- but if you're a chip-head the info is rather interesting nonetheless. The most expensive of the lot, the Opteron X12 6176 SE (pictured above) is a 2.3GHz processor with an 18MB cache, 105 watts, and it can be yours for $1,485.61. If you're not quite in the mood to break the bank, the X12 6128 SE is a 2GHz chip with 16MB, 80 watts, and it's currently listed at $291. According to PC World, the processors (codenamed Magny-Cours) should start shipping to retailers "around the time Intel announces the eight-core Nehalem-EX processor," later this month -- even if it appears that someone in Ohio has jumped the gun a little bit.

 

[aigomorla]

put 4 together and have a 48p MC system?

 

[Pantlegz]

12 cores is not over kill, we're running several 16-core servers right now and need more. Virtulization is where it's at, and with more cores we get more virtuals.

 

[mvbighead]

12 cores is not over kill, we're running several 16-core servers right now and need more. Virtulization is where it's at, and with more cores we get more virtuals.

This.

We have recently added a new ESX box from Dell that houses two 6-core CPUs (best they had at the time). Makes it a heck of lot easier to manage performance when you have that many cores to hand out.

BTW, whats your configuration for 16 core? 4 x 4?

 

[Pantlegz]

This.

We have recently added a new ESX box from Dell that houses two 6-core CPUs (best they had at the time). Makes it a heck of lot easier to manage performance when you have that many cores to hand out.

BTW, whats your configuration for 16 core? 4 x 4?

Yea we're running 2 ESX boxes with quad socket quadcores and I think 32gb of RAM. We also have a few dual/quad socket dualcore boards. And we still need more I can't imagine what the big boys use. We've gota pretty 'light' virualization pool for now at least.

 

[Rubycon]

Sold out/backordered ≠ available!

Also what board are you going to slap it into?

 

[aigomorla]

BTW, whats your configuration for 16 core? 4 x 4?

This if were talking AMD.

 

[terentenet]

What do you mean overkill? There's no such thing as overkill... the more, the better, as long as you can afford it. 4 cores were overkill as well one year ago, now they are the norm and we look towards 6-8 cores.
Soon the software will catch up and will put all those cores to work, even when gaming or working normal tasks under Windows.

 

[LoneNinja]

You could make video games, or a 3d animated movie. The software and applications involved with that line of work can always use more cores.

 

[Pantlegz]

This if were talking AMD.

There are quad socket intel boards. Unless you're talking about hyperthreading... I was refereing to phycial cores not logical cores. These are yorkfield cpu's so no hyperthreading by the end of the year I hope to get a quad hexcore xeon server; 48 (logical)cores should hold us over for a while.

 

[nyker96]

everything imaginable except cooking breakfast. no I don't really have a clue what people actually use these massive cpus for. maybe folding? or encoding some movies?

 

[JFAMD]

Products haven't launched yet, which is why you can't buy them.

Overkill? Didn't someone say that about 640K once?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

This.

We have recently added a new ESX box from Dell that houses two 6-core CPUs (best they had at the time). Makes it a heck of lot easier to manage performance when you have that many cores to hand out.

BTW, whats your configuration for 16 core? 4 x 4?

R900's eh?

 

[Anubis]

the same thing we do every nigh pinky