Treating Cores as Processors, RAM, and headaches

Message boards : Number crunching : Treating Cores as Processors, RAM, and headaches

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Profile jaxom1
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Message 49482 - Posted: 7 Dec 2007, 18:59:11 UTC

I keep reading about memory issues. Most, if you look closely, turn out to be RAM x CORE issues. So, you have 2 GB of RAM. Great!. You get large WUs that need a lot of RAM. Oh Wait, you have a quad core.... hmm. 2048/4= not enough ram per core for the large WU that you were just given.

I think this will be straightend out, but I think the program should start thinking in "how many processors with how many cores with how much ram" terms instead of "How many processors (Yea, a core is a processor to the program) with how much ram.

This is of course fixed by telling the current program to use less processors, but then, that quad core super cruncher doesn't work as hard.

So, on a real server that has 4 quad core processors, the current setup would need 8 GB of RAM to just have 512 MB per core, if crunching is all it knows.

I guess I will quit rambling now, as everyone already knows this, but I felt like posting it since I keep seeing so many "Why does Rosetta think I don't have enough RAM" posts.


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Profile David Emigh
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Message 49483 - Posted: 7 Dec 2007, 19:10:48 UTC

I agree.

I am confident that IT professionals who generously permit BOINC to run on octo-core servers can (and do) "do the math."

However, as multi-core processors become more common for home PCs, it will be increasingly important for BOINC to preemptively take that into account.
Rosie, Rosie, she's our gal,
If she can't do it, no one shall!
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Luuklag

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Message 49492 - Posted: 8 Dec 2007, 17:50:36 UTC

but keep in mind a normal pc wont really take much more than 3gb of memory, the rest it can't cee.. so it wont be 1024 Mb/core on a quadcore.
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Profile calvin349

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Message 49626 - Posted: 12 Dec 2007, 0:20:36 UTC

Lets hope that as cores continue to multiply that 64bit will become more common. Then we can have that much needed more ram. Lets face it. This quad core monster we have for the home PC is really just the tip of the iceburg. Plus when we start seeing the inevitable multi threading per core the situation is not going to get better for our once though to be big 3Gb of ram.

Exciting,

Calvin
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Luuklag

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Message 49643 - Posted: 12 Dec 2007, 16:15:34 UTC

i think that if you buy a quad core, you should buy a 64bit O/S, i thought vista had 1. then you can just put in 4gb of memory so 1gb/core :)
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zombie67 [MM]
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Message 49645 - Posted: 12 Dec 2007, 16:19:26 UTC - in response to Message 49492.  

but keep in mind a normal pc wont really take much more than 3gb of memory, the rest it can't cee.. so it wont be 1024 Mb/core on a quadcore.


To be clear, the 3gb limit is with 32bit windows. 32bit linux can use the full 4gb. And of curse, any 64bit OS can use as much memory as you can physically stuff into a machine.
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Luuklag

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Message 49646 - Posted: 12 Dec 2007, 16:22:44 UTC

then you'de better run linux if you know how to, it uses less memory to run it self, windows uses way more :)
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Message 49647 - Posted: 12 Dec 2007, 16:42:01 UTC - in response to Message 49645.  

but keep in mind a normal pc wont really take much more than 3gb of memory, the rest it can't cee.. so it wont be 1024 Mb/core on a quadcore.


To be clear, the 3gb limit is with 32bit windows. 32bit linux can use the full 4gb. And of curse, any 64bit OS can use as much memory as you can physically stuff into a machine.


Only if the support chips on the motherboard are 64-bit capable.
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Message boards : Number crunching : Treating Cores as Processors, RAM, and headaches



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