New home server

Finally ordered the components for my new home server, it arrived yesterday. Spent most of the evening and half of today putting it together. This is the first time I've actually assembled a computer by myself, so I was quite happy (and slightly surprised) when it didn't explode when I turned it on :)

Anyway, this is my new server:

• Intel i7 920 processor
• Asus Rampage II Gene motherboard
• 1x 2GB DDR3-1333 RAM
• Asus GTS 250 graphics card (just for folding - the server runs headless)
• 3x 1.5 TB storage space (it's a server, after all)
• 1x 160 GB 2.5" system disk
• Antec Sonata III case
• Antec EarthWatt (EA) 500 W power supply (included in case)

The OS is Ubuntu Server 8.04 LTS. 

After a few experiments, Folding@Home gives me ~7,000 PPD from the processor and ~5,500 PPD from the graphics card, for a total of ~12,500:

Not too shabby as initial score, it is five times more than my PS3 and Mac mini together.

Next step will be to reduce power consumption and noise. I want a decently performing server, but I also want it to be very energy efficient and as close to silent as I can make it.

The graphics card was a mistake - it's way too noisy to run 24/7. I was going for the DK (Dark Knight) model, as several reviews said it was reasonably quiet for a mid-range graphics card. But what I received was a non-DK model, I guess I'll return it for the DK version.

On the other hand I'm very happy with the motherboard. It is advertised as a dedicated "hardcore gamer" board, and I am most definitely a non-gamer, but I love it - there are tons of stuff to experiment with in the BIOS, and it is equally useful whether you are looking for maximum performance, minimal power consumption or, as myself, optimal efficiency.

So I guess I have a few weeks of experiments ahead. It will be fun :)

Some background

I started with Folding@Home (F@H, FAH) a couple of weeks ago. 

If you are unfamiliar with the phenomenon of distributed computing (DC), it involves downloading and installing a small program on your computer. The program runs as a low-priority task in the background so as not to interfere with normal use, but takes over when the computer is idle to calculate something of interest to the project. Result are sent to a central server, and the program gets a new task automatically. 

The point from the project's point of view is that millions of small computers put together can do more calculations than even the largest supercomputers in the world. 

People volunteer their computers because the program is not too much in the way of other work. And perhaps because it gives a warm fuzzy feeling to selflessly sacrifice idle computer time for the betterment of mankind. Or something.

The intention was (is?) that this kind of program would run on existing, everyday work or home computers while people did business as usual. 

But some of us (mostly guys, I believe - boys and toys or something :) get slightly caught up in the performance statistics: How many points did I get today? When will I pass this other guy right ahead of me? Can my team X beat that other team Y? 

Then we start looking for ways to improve the score: Leave the computer to run 24/7, turn off the screen saver (it steals processor cycles from the DC program), talk family, friends or colleagues into running the program as well. And maybe start optimizing your hardware for that particular project, that's where I am.

The most dedicated build "farms": A bunch of self-assembled computers put together just for 

a) the fun and challenge of building it

b) racking up points and advancing on the statistics

c) occasionally for personal, business, training or other reasons

Some of these farms can be quite impressive in their own right. A couple of examples:

Ikea Helmer - 6 Intel Quad and 48 GB RAM in a cabinet from IKEA. For 3D rendering.

Atlas - 24 nVidia GTX 295 for Folding@Home.
Estonia donates has a similar setup.

Prime Monster - for Mersenne Prime Search.  (A few years back, probably not operational today.)

I have no intention of competing with these guys, I have neither the floor space nor the budget for it. 

But I was already planning on making a home file server, and was looking into options for making it energy efficient and quiet for 24/7 operation.

So what I will do is is adjust the plan for my home server to include a few Folding@Home-specific optimizations. I do not aim for the performance crown. But I intend to compete in the class for "energy-and-cost-efficient performance on a budget that doesn't make too much noise in a small condo".

I aim to have my home-server-and-semi-dedicated-folding-client up and running in a month or two. I will post updates here.