[Beowulf] Re: Intro question

[David Mathog]

"Lombard, David N" <dnlombar at ichips.intel.com> wrote:

> An acoustic concern. A 1U is quite a bit louder than the normal desktop as
> (1) they use itty-bitty fans and (b) there's no incentive to make them
> quiet, as nobody is expected to have to put up with their screaming...

Amen to that - the screech from those tiny fans is unbearable.  Even a
2U system with larger (usually 80 mm) fans is going to be substantially
louder than a typical desktop (mostly using 120mm now).  The 2U, like
the 1U, is designed for machine rooms, so cooling trumps quiet every time.

To the OP: do not assume that your developer and 10 CPU system will
happily work in the same room.  (Unless your developer happens to be
deaf and not at all sensitive to unusual air temperatures.)

Regards,

David Mathog
mathog at caltech.edu
Manager, Sequence Analysis Facility, Biology Division, Caltech