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Thread: Suggestions for very energy efficient BOINC machine |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 11
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sartaonline
Advanced Cruncher USA Joined: Sep 24, 2013 Post Count: 96 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Rather than keeping my much higher power consumption Full tower PC with an AMD X4 905e running 24/7 I am looking into building some very small, very efficient PC(s) to run BOINC pretty much 24/7. I am looking at the barebones/mini PC segment mostly to keep the size and power usage down.
----------------------------------------I have found this made by Intel http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102035 that has an embedded i5-3427U (2core/4thread). There are also units made by other brands that offer different choices. I obviously want the most cores/threads that also fit in the smallest container, but I'm aware that some processor combinations could work faster with less cores/threads. There is a unit here that is a 4th gen i7 that seems like it would work well. Does anyone have experience with any of these? What do you think the most efficient or cost/work unit processor out there that uses low power? I was trying to compare MIPS (whet and dhry) on models with some CPU comparison sites, does BOINC or WCG have a list of the processors that produce the most work? Thanks! |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Hello sartaonline,
Ordinarily, i7 CPUs run 2 threads per core, i5 CPUs run 1 thread per core, and i3 CPUs run 2 threads per core but only have dual core chips. Plus, the most recent Intel generation features low power while reducing the FPU speed, but not on all CPUs. So you have to review each chip carefully. But the most recent generation is always the most expensive. You probably should look for bargain prices on older CPUs and accept the greater power draw. Lawrence |
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twilyth
Master Cruncher US Joined: Mar 30, 2007 Post Count: 2130 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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I would recommend a Xeon dual socket server. I have one with 2 2687W chips with 8 cores each. That works out to 32 threads for the machine as a whole.
----------------------------------------TDP is 150watts each. I think it drew around 500 watts with 2 HD7950 GPUs at full load on the old HCC project but it's been a while since I checked. It looks like the machine averages between 13-14k boinc pts per day now. So that's probably what you should go by in doing comparisons - pts/watt. The chips aren't that expensive if you get them used, especially if you can find engineering samples. The downside with ES's though can be certain bugs and m/b compatibility issues but a good vendor can usually help you steer clear of those.   [Edit 1 times, last edit by twilyth at Nov 14, 2013 12:06:29 PM] |
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sartaonline
Advanced Cruncher USA Joined: Sep 24, 2013 Post Count: 96 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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@Twilyth, that uses way too much power. I'm looking at entire systems that use less than 60W max, these U series chips use 17W max or so. A server also isn't going to work well in my living room, where my PC is now.
----------------------------------------Back to part of my original question, is there a CPU ranking that BOINC or WCG tracks? |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
WCG does not directly publish rankings, but there was talk about that. Where you can go is BOINCStats. They extract CPU information from the daily hosts export and produce a long table from that. Only tells you contributions [credit per second is supposed to be representative of performance], no technical data. Visit http://boincstats.com/en/stats/15/host/breakdown/cpu/0/4/0
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sartaonline
Advanced Cruncher USA Joined: Sep 24, 2013 Post Count: 96 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Thanks! I'm not looking for a really powerful server, just a tiny little box that can double as a media center. The Gigabyte BRIX Pro (yellow or red) that will be launching soon has a i7-4770R with the Iris Pro and is basically a tiny gaming computer, which would be great for crunching (4core/8threads).
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David Autumns
Ace Cruncher UK Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Post Count: 11062 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Just to throw a spanner in the works
----------------------------------------A cruncher with a GPU is the most efficient use of your electricity I'm a Nvidia Fan (I'm sure the ATI fan's will have their own suggestions) And the most power efficient cruncher would be either the GTX 660ti or a GTX 760 These can be had without truly stupid money and will return the best return of Flops/W I'm running a earlier 560ti - the previous Flops/W Nvidia Champion I had a similar thread a while back http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/viewthread_thread,29297_offset,0 the graphics option rendered [sic] the thread obsolete. Though it might be useful Happy Crunching Dave  |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Sartaonline,
----------------------------------------The list was merely a reference to see what's already computing at WCG and how much they're churning out and how many there are. The electwicity bit and all other technical info is just not maintained anywhere on the grids. Maybe tomshardwarestore has comparitives meeting your requirements. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Nov 14, 2013 2:20:19 PM] |
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twilyth
Master Cruncher US Joined: Mar 30, 2007 Post Count: 2130 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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AMD APUs have built in GPU cores comparable to their Radeon cards, so for a small, energy efficient box, that might the way to go. Not really familiar enough with the latest crop though to offer a recommendation. Historically, the AMD chips haven't been quite as energy efficient, but it's the only choice if GPU computing is going to be a consideration and you don't want the additional expense and energy draw of an add in card.
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captainjack
Advanced Cruncher Joined: Apr 14, 2008 Post Count: 147 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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sartaonline
I have found this made by Intel http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102035 that has an embedded i5-3427U (2core/4thread). There are also units made by other brands that offer different choices. The challenge with any processor running 24X7 in such a small enclosure will be cooling. Be sure to allow for adequate fans and plenty of space for air movement. |
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