[Beowulf] Intel quad core nodes?

[Daniel Pfenniger]

Barnet Wagman wrote:
> I'm moving towards setting up a small cluster (my first), and am 
> thinking about using Intel quad core processors.  However, I'm a little 
> concerned about memory contention.  I'm (tentatively) going to have one 
> processor per node (this appears to be the cheapest way to go), but I 
> still wonder whether four cores will choke Intel's memory architecture.  
> (AMD's Barcelona may be better in this regard, but it doesn't seem to be 
> available yet, at least not through retail channels).
> 
> I'd like to hear any opinions on this issue.  And if you've used quad 
> core processors, I'd certainly like to hear about your experiences 
> (including which processor you've used).

Most of the benchmarks consider speed, some consider speed/Watt, but
none I have seen consider speed/monetary cost. The reason is partly that 
the component cost is a highly variable parameter and not always easy to 
obtain.

But while configuring a cluster remember that you can get a better
deal (=speed/cost for your application) by choosing cheaper CPUs in 
larger quantities.
	
	Dan