Virginia Tech Cluster Moving to Xserve G5s?
ThinkSecret provides some confirmation on earlier rumors that Virginia Tech will be migrating from PowerMac G5s to Xserve G5s in their recently assembled Supercomputer cluster.
MacRumors has also received multiple confirmations of the planned upgrade, but varying reports as to the fate of the original PowerMacs used in the cluster. According to ThinkSecret, Apple will be providing a one-to-one tradein for the PowerMacs with Xserves.
As one reader (suzerain) noted, Srinidhi Varadarajan had stated in October that "We are planning on moving to ECC systems in the future", suggesting that the upgrade has been planned for some time. Apple's recently released Xserve G5s support ECC memory, while the PowerMac G5s do not.
MacRumors has also received multiple confirmations of the planned upgrade, but varying reports as to the fate of the original PowerMacs used in the cluster. According to ThinkSecret, Apple will be providing a one-to-one tradein for the PowerMacs with Xserves.
As one reader (suzerain) noted, Srinidhi Varadarajan had stated in October that "We are planning on moving to ECC systems in the future", suggesting that the upgrade has been planned for some time. Apple's recently released Xserve G5s support ECC memory, while the PowerMac G5s do not.
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105 months ago
Does this mean we're going to suddenly see an onslaught of refurbished G5's on the Apple store? :)
105 months ago
Understandable. I guess this was part of the original deal: hurry them out so they get ranked and boost Apple, then build the *real* cluster.
105 months ago
This is probably how Apple "worked with them" to give them a deal. Instead of volume pricing, they paid full price with a trade-in plan. Makes sense all around.
It may be sad to see Big Mac 1 go, but "Big Mac 2" will have real estate to keep growing!
Meanwhile, it's good PR for Apple that VT was forced to use desktops: they're the big sellers, and people like the idea that their tower is the same one used in a famous supercluster.
And now Apple will have a proven LARGE-SCALE Xserve G5 installation. Very comforting to future buyers.
(Personally I'd have waited for a G6 or higher GHz... but that probably wasn't the deal.)
It may be sad to see Big Mac 1 go, but "Big Mac 2" will have real estate to keep growing!
Meanwhile, it's good PR for Apple that VT was forced to use desktops: they're the big sellers, and people like the idea that their tower is the same one used in a famous supercluster.
And now Apple will have a proven LARGE-SCALE Xserve G5 installation. Very comforting to future buyers.
(Personally I'd have waited for a G6 or higher GHz... but that probably wasn't the deal.)
105 months ago
Sorry I don't know much about how these things work. Is the main advantage to doing this a space and heating issue? Or is there something that makes a Xserve faster in this then a normal dual G5 would be?
105 months ago
Does this mean we're going to suddenly see an onslaught of refurbished G5's on the Apple store
Maybe a few, but remember that Apple sold over 200,000 PMG5's last quarter. Having another 1,000 isn't going to change things much.
105 months ago
True. But those 1,100 PM's aren't going to be resold as new (one would think)... and while I haven't really flipped through all of the refurbished gear on sale at Apple.com, I would expect that adding 1,100 used dual G5's is going to be at least somewhat significant.
Wish I could afford one of them, in any case.
Wish I could afford one of them, in any case.
105 months ago
Didn't they build a whole new building and heatflow system especifically for the G5s? Wouldn't that have been one huge waste if they were just going to swap to the smaller and more compact Xserves?
105 months ago
...if they sold the old machines on eBay. Engrave a number somewhere, slap a Certificate of Authenticity in the box, and sell the G5s as "a piece of computing history, a fully-functional component of the third-fastest supercomputer in the world! Only 1100 available!"
I'm sure there are some Mac fanatics who'd pony up the bucks to own one. :)
~Philly
I'm sure there are some Mac fanatics who'd pony up the bucks to own one. :)
~Philly
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