Sgolds, Re: I just don't see AMD cooperating in making such a lame design, especially since a dual processor workstation needs to be a high performance machine.
I think YB was suggesting a dual processor consumer PC, such as what Apple offers. Though I agree that the thinner aHT interface would introduce a new bottleneck into the system.
sgolds, there is nothing stopping dual-A64 but the market demand. This configuration will have big penalty in single-threaded apps, but when A64 will have some speedgrades below $100, many people will rush in to get the dual-processor setup for $350. It may become extremely price/performance efficient, competing against slower $700 P4-based cpu+mobo, given that your favorite apps are optimized for Intel's HyperThreading.
Dell Introduces 64-Bit Server for High-Performance Computing Market; Dell Again No. 1 Provider of Intel-based Supercomputing Clusters According to New IDC Data
June 25, 2003 12:30
ROUND ROCK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 25, 2003--Dell (Nasdaq:DELL) today announced the PowerEdge 3250 server, a high-performance 64-bit system designed to address sophisticated computing requirements such as advanced graphical rendering in special effects, complex financial modeling and genomic research.
The server is optimized for high-performance computing clusters (HPCC), a market in which Dell is the leading provider of Intel-based Linux technical clusters with 43.9 percent share worldwide, according to first quarter 2003 data from IDC(a). Corporate adoption of HPCC was a key driver in maintaining this leadership.
Based on the forthcoming Intel(R) Itanium(R) 2 processor (code-named Madison), the PowerEdge 3250 server will provide the memory and performance required for compute-intensive applications, with the traditional cost-effectiveness associated with standards-based technologies. In a recent benchmark for HPCC, called Linpack, a Dell cluster based on the PowerEdge 3250 outperformed a proprietary cluster with the same number of processors at one-third the cost(b).
"Our goal is to enable customers to buy, use and manage the latest standards-based technologies easily, while extending the value and performance advantages of HPCC over proprietary systems," said Jeff Clarke, senior vice president and general manager, Dell Product Group. "Adding Itanium platforms to Dell's HPCC offering enables 64-bit applications to benefit from standards-based clustering and will continue to influence the makeup of the world's most powerful supercomputers."
The server has a compact 2U form factor that delivers space savings for HPCC environments, where customers may deploy hundreds to thousands of servers to act as a single, powerful computer.
Dell will offer the new systems in 8-, 16-, 32-, 64- and 128-node clusters configurations running 64-bit Red Hat(R) Enterprise Linux(R) along with HPCC middleware to help simplify the purchase, deployment and management of Itanium-powered HPCC solutions.
Dell will continue to provide the latest 32-bit technologies with 8- to 128-node configurations of the 1U PowerEdge 1750 server with dual 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon(tm) processors running Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Several new partners have joined Dell's HPCC program, including: Altair Engineering, Data Direct Networks, Engineered Intelligence and Qlusters. For more information on Dell HPCC configurations and partner program, please visit www.dell.com/hpcc.
PowerEdge 3250 Provides a Standards-based Solution for 64-bit Computing
The PowerEdge 3250 will offer dual Intel Itanium 2 processors with maximum memory of 16GB, up to 292GB of internal storage and includes embedded systems management capabilities. The server will support both Microsoft(R) Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Pricing and availability for the PowerEdge 3250 and new HPCC configurations will be announced this summer. For more information please visit www.dell.com/poweredge.
Taking Its Place Among the Computing Elite
HPCC continues to expand its presence on the Top 500 List (www.top500.org) of the world's fastest supercomputers. Clustered Intel-based systems now account for 23.8 percent of the list, with the number of Intel-based clusters more than doubling from 56 to 119 in the six months since the list was last published. Dell's 15 entries have a cumulative performance of 10.667 trillion floating point operations per second (TFLOPS), up from 5.848 TFLOPS in the previous list.
The cluster at the University at Buffalo is the highest-ranking Dell system on the list at No. 25. Other ranking Dell clusters include: Sandia National Labs (32), Compagnie Generale de Geophysique (49), Cornell Theory Center (50), Penn State University (73), Boeing (123), University of Utah (130), Dell (242), MTU Aero Engine (291), Hong Kong Baptist University (300), Core Lab (318), Stanford University (319), Swineburne University (358), a 100-node configuration of the University at Buffalo's first cluster (368), and the University of Notre Dame (445).
About Dell
Dell Computer Corporation (Nasdaq:DELL) is a premier provider of products and services required for customers worldwide to build their information-technology and Internet infrastructures. Company revenue for the past four quarters totaled $36.9 billion. Dell, through its direct business model, designs, manufactures and customizes products and services to customer requirements, and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com.
Dell is a trademark of Dell Computer Corporation. Intel and Itanium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.
(a) IDC HPCC Tracker, Q1 2003 (b) Source: Dell Lab Linpack tests run May 13, 2003 on a cluster of 16 Dell PowerEdge 3250 servers, each with Intel Itanium(R) 2 processors 6M at 1.5GHz, 4GB RAM, Red Hat Linux AS 2.1 as compared to best RISC result on IBM eServer p690 with 32 Power 4+ processors at 1.7GHz running IBM AIX obtained from http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/hardware/system_perf.pdf as of May 13, 2003. $/GFLOP based on estimated street prices of both systems as of May 13, 2003.
CONTACT: Dell Computer Corporation, Round Rock Media Contacts: Wendy Giever, 512/728-6442 wendy_giever@dell.com or Bruce Eric Anderson, 512/723-0975 bruce_eric_anderson@dell.com
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