Last time I did something like this, I was looking for the most expensive computer that I was allowed to self-configure, eventually reaching $3,000,000. This time, I've been looking for something a little different. I have an old Micro-ATX computer with a Celeron 600MHz processor lying around which I've been trying to decide what to do with, and one of my ideas was to strip the case out and build a new quad-core system using Phenom processors for use as a server or something.

Now, as some of you will have noted, especially Eggo, system-builder extraordinaire, computer components have dropped considerably in price over the last few years, and continue to drop for a system with increasing performance. AMD, while not the power champions by any degree, sell processors at great value, including their Phenom quad-cores which begin at a price far cheaper than the competing Intel Core 2 designs. Currently, I could purchase a quad-core system with 4GB of RAM and integrated graphics at about €350, and while this would be inappropriate for gaming, it would be perfect for a low-end server.

But somewhere along the way, I got to thinking about cluster computing. I had seen designs before for the Beowulf-style clusters, where a relatively small number of desktop systems are connected together for the purposes of number-crunching. One that particularly struck me was the Microwulf system, which aimed to form a small, portable cluster for a low cost. Therefore, I decided to see what sort of four-node cluster I could build for a low cost.

Considering the €350 build that I could obtain from the online retailer, Komplett, with a quad-core processor, I looked for a set of components which would fit the bill nicely. Here goes:

Motherboard: MSI K9N6PGM2-V, Micro-ATX x4: €164.04 (€41.01 per unit)

Processor: AMD Phenom 9550, 2.2GHz x4: €516.00 (€129.00 per unit)

RAM: Kingston ValueR. DDR2 PC5300 4096MB x4: €132.00 (€33.00 per unit)

Power Supply: Fortron/Source ATX 400W x4: €148.00 (€37.00 per unit)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 x1: €43.18

DVD Drive: Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-5200A x1: €19.88

Network Switch: NETGEAR ProSafe Switch 8P 1Gbps x1: €58.75

Network Adaptor (master-to-world): Sunsway/ST Lab PCIe Gigabit Adapter x1: €25.10

Network Adaptor (node-to-switch): NETGEAR PCI Gigabit Ethernet Adapter x4: €67.24 (€16.82 per unit)

Cooling: AKASA Amber Series Ultra quiet Fan 120mm x4: €52.20 (€13.05 per unit)

Altogether, that comes to a total of €1,226.43, plus postage and packing. According to the formulae used to acquire predicted performance, this would be potentially capable of 70.4 GFLOPS, which is nothing compared to current supercomputers, but it could be potentially expanded later on with GPU units running GP-GPU code, which would need more powerful power supplies. Still, for something that could fit on your desktop, it appears to be very impressive. By the way, the case would be constructed manually, as even a Micro-ATX case takes up a lot more space than you'd need for a cluster like this.

I wouldn't have any sort of use for a system like this right now, but it proves that cluster computing is easily within the reaches of many people, and this sort of configuration would certainly be useful for scientific departments, including chemists, geneticists and astronomers.

I saw the Guru3D thing about the 'Deskee'. Thought i might move my PC and HTPC into the same machine, and had already considered networking both.

Though using the equation, adding together 3 nodes (different specs, gpu sli counted separately) would give a multiplicative sum of 249 GFLOPs, though a large sum of that is through the SLI grafics and that isn't counting expandability for the HTPC for a graphics card.

Not that i have any need for that much power, but it is scary that on a theoretical level if i so wished i could cobble a PC together that would only be ~7.5 times faster than the '96 Cray Supercomputer.

It's a bit of a shame there isn't MATX SLI boards really, or even ones with 2 PCI-E 16x lanes. I've seen people running multiple GPUs with SLI disabled as single processors basically, and that would give you an extra 4 graphics cards of expandability.

Incidentally you would be surprised what you could run off a 400w PSU, of course it depends a bit on the PSU, efficiency and the like but my computer is running a 700W PSU and according to the Zalman thing i have, which measures the wattage no more than 300W is used, with a E8400/4GB/8800GTS SLI.

i'd just have to say try for dual power supply for the mobo's, tho it does cost a bit more it's pretty cool hot swapping the power supplies

Eggo:
If you're interested in GP-GPU stuff, you should see this thread I made for the ultimate F@h box:

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1356910

It's roughly similar to your build, but the motherboard is ATX, not m-ATX.

MSI K9A2 Plat MoBo ...$150.
AMD BE-2400 CPU ......$40.
4x 9600GSO Vid cards .$320.
2x 1 GB Ram ...............$30.
~550 Watt SLI PSU ......$70.
Cheap HDD ..................$40.
Total so far ...................$650.
Add a case + OS + shipping and your probably looking at around $800.

Of course, you probably will want to bump up the CPU...And while you only get one Phenom instead of 4, those 4 GPUs in PCI Express 2.0 tandem will more than make up for that deficiency.

I'd be inclined to add that as a separate node, adding GP-GPU capacity to the CPU power of the other Phenoms in the cluster. OK, it would be less portable, but you're still talking about something you could easily put on a wheeled cabinet and move around a scientific department with ease.

Pity that F@h doesn't yet have a Linux GPU port, because I'd be wanting to use a Linux OS for the cluster to save a bit of money.