[AG-TECH] Display machine specs

[Gary Refka]

We've just completed a test using Dell Precision 330 workstations on just
that subject.  Unfortunately it didn't work very well, the 330s bombed.  I
don't think it was the processor speed but a Pentium 4 issue.  It seems to
have trouble dealing with the AG video streams and you see large spikes in
the processor and has been noted on the AG-TECH pages before.  We were
seeing four video stream, just us parked in a room, running about 20-30% cpu
utilization and then spikes up to 60-70% utilization.  This isn't a big
problem with a low number of streams, but when you get to around 16 heavy
streams (200-600kbs) the processor is already running 70-90% and the spikes
take it over and things crash.  If you have some of the streams in large
mode, things bomb after about 4 streams.

We've also run some sessions on boxes with single 833mhz Pentium III and did
not have these problems.  You can actually run more sessions on those than
with the P4 1.4 and 1.8 Ghz machines so the problem seems to be more of a
type of processor issue rather than a number of processors.  You're initial
idea is sound just stay away from P4s.




Gary A. Refka
Senior Sales Engineer
INSORS Integrated Communications, Inc.
111 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 1412
Chicago, IL 60604
Email: grefka at insors.com
On the Web: www.insors.com
(847)922-8950

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov]On
Behalf Of John A. Greenfield
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2001 12:41 PM
To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
Subject: [AG-TECH] Display machine specs



Has anybody looked at using a single processor Pentium4 instead of a dual
processor for a display machine? The way the prices are right now, it is
possible to get a 1.7 or 1.8 GHz Pentium4 system for significantly less
money than a dual 866MHz PentiumIII system. It would seem that at 1.7GHz
a single processor system would probably be more than adequate. Any
opinions?

--
**************************************************************
John Greenfield
green at ahpcc.unm.edu
University of New Mexico
THE ALBUQUERQUE HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING CENTER
Office # 505-277-8249
Direct # 505-277-9545
Fax #    505-277-8235
**************************************************************