single core high performance computing/max memory?

[Chris]

Hi,
I'm looking for a high performance computing environment for genetic analysis.
As far as I understood, as well Opterons as Xeons can only address 4GB of main
memory per core. Is this right?
Looking for alternate platfoms, I came across the IBM Power 520 Express
(http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/power/hardware/520/), which is capable of
addressing up to 16GB as a single core system.
Furthermore, it runs linux, and should therefore be able to compile and run
common gentic analysis software such as plink
(http://pngu.mgh.harvard.edu/~purcell/plink/) or birdsuite
(http://www.broad.mit.edu/mpg/birdsuite/).
Did anyone ever try this before?
Recommedations, please!
Thx,
Chris

 

[Gary Seven]

<snip>

:
: does anyone know where can I find cheap RAM?

Message-ID: <[email protected]>

MessageID says it all....more clueless droll from that new POS domain,
hardwarebanter.com.

 

[krw]

does anyone know where can I find cheap RAM?

Is there such thing as expensive RAM?

 

[Nate Edel]

(e-mail address removed) says...

Is there such thing as expensive RAM?

Sure. Anything other than regular DDR/DDR2 can be pretty expensive. See
for example DDR3 (although it'll probably be cheaper soon), FB-DIMMs,
registered memory, or old-school EDO/FPM sticks...

 

[krw]

Sure. Anything other than regular DDR/DDR2 can be pretty expensive. See
for example DDR3 (although it'll probably be cheaper soon), FB-DIMMs,
registered memory, or old-school EDO/FPM sticks...

Still pretty cheap stuff.

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

I'm looking for a high performance computing environment
for genetic analysis. As far as I understood, as
well Opterons as Xeons can only address 4GB of main
memory per core. Is this right?

No, it is very dated. For about 10 years, x86 CPUs have
had the capability of addressing far more than 4 GB. 64 GB
at least with PAE and 1 TB with x86_64. The problem is most
motherboards have much smaller capabilities.

The 4 GB limit applies per _process_ on a 32-bit OS.
A good 32 bit OS can handle multiple 4 GB processes.

But for your app (presumably some sort of pattern search),
you are probably best going with x86_64 where you get 48
bit virtual addresses and ~40 bit physical as well as the
64 bit ops. Linux is very available for x86_64, and it is
getting difficult to find any PC without x86_64 capabilities.


-- Robert

 

[Nate Edel]

Still pretty cheap stuff.

All a matter of perspective, I guess.

If nothing else, there's core.