Tutorial: Build The Ultimate PC
You can never have enough processing power, especially if you enjoy working with 3D graphics or compiling your own software. Luckily, it's easy to use any spare machines you may have to create a single homogeneous computing mega-matrix and calculation engine just by wiring them all together and running the right software. Even modest hardware can make a significant contribution to your net computing power, and in this tutorial from PC Plus 278, we show you how...
The shopping list
In theory, you can use any old PC. The minimum requirement is that it must be able to run Linux; so that narrows the choice down to almost any PC from the last 10 years. But in reality, the cluster works best if the machines that you’re linking together are relatively close in specification, especially when you start to take running costs into consideration. A 1GHz Athlon machine, for example, could cost you over £50 a year in electricity costs. You’d be much better off spending this money on a processor upgrade for a more efficient machine. A similar platform for each computer also makes configuration considerably easier.
For our cluster, we used four identical powerful machines. You only need powerful machines if you’re making a living from something computer-based – 3D animation, for instance – where you can weigh the extra cost against increased performance. We’re also going to assume that you have a main machine you can use as the master. This will be the eyes and ears of the cluster, and it’s from here that you’ll be able to set up jobs and control the other machines.
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- 1240 reads
- PDF version
More in Tux Machines
- Highlights
- Front Page
- Latest Headlines
- Archive
- Recent comments
- All-Time Popular Stories
- Hot Topics
- New Members
digiKam 7.7.0 is releasedAfter three months of active maintenance and another bug triage, the digiKam team is proud to present version 7.7.0 of its open source digital photo manager. See below the list of most important features coming with this release. |
Dilution and Misuse of the "Linux" Brand
|
Samsung, Red Hat to Work on Linux Drivers for Future TechThe metaverse is expected to uproot system design as we know it, and Samsung is one of many hardware vendors re-imagining data center infrastructure in preparation for a parallel 3D world. Samsung is working on new memory technologies that provide faster bandwidth inside hardware for data to travel between CPUs, storage and other computing resources. The company also announced it was partnering with Red Hat to ensure these technologies have Linux compatibility. |
today's howtos
|
Recent comments
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago