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Playstation 2 Linux Cluster at NCSA
Mr. Spock writes "The National Center for Supercomputing Applications is looking at scientific computing on the Sony Playstation 2. They've set up a cluster with 65 compute nodes. They're running Linux for Playstation 2. What will they think of next?"
More info on the processing power of the PS2 as applied to computational chemistry.
Basically, this study shows the PS2 has roughly the computational linear algebra power of a PIII-600 (the then fastest processor on the market).
Imagine a cluster of...
Oh.
imagine two thirds of the comments mentioning a beowulf cluster of something!
oh wait..
This seems like a fairly expensive way to make a cluster. $200 for each PS2 and $200 for each Linux kit? That comes out to $26,000. You could buy computers with more RAM and faster processors (than a 400MHz MIPS) for about the same amount.
Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.
--Ronald Reagan
the nodes started competing with each other and yelling "w00t w00t". In the end no work got done.
-- Thou hast strayed far from the path of the Avatar.
http://www.us.playstation.com/hardware/more/SCP
~$200
-= Why can't I add 'Anonymous Coward' to my list of Foes? =-
I Highly doubt they paid a dime for any of it... I'm sure they told Sony what they wanted todo and Sony said "Hmm, 65 PS2's and you'll make a cluster out of them and we'll get good press? Sure, where would you like the pallet delivered..."
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
I feel I should make a WMD joke here...but I won't.
Windows of Mass Destruction
there
A Xbox is cheaper than the PS2 (An Xbox is about $150, according to OSDN Pricewatch), comes with twice the amount of memory, ethernet, and instead of buying a $200 Linux kit, you pick up a flashable, legal* mod chip for $25-$50. How the Emotion Engine compares to the Xbox P733 I have no idea, but I can't imagine the EE is that much faster.
:)
Both The Xbox-Linux Project and Gentoox can provide you with a distro. For free.
Even if you're not planning a cluster, this is a good deal for a low-performance work station, or just a "media box", using Xbox Media Player, which plays most (all?) popular media formats, both music and video.
It's been repeated countles times that Microsoft are losing money on the console itself, and depend on the games to cover their expenses. Therefore, paying up for a Xbox and giving your money to MS isn't immoral as long as you don't buy any games.
See, it's a win-win situation
* I lost track of the current situation in the U.S., but in the free world (Read: Europe) at least the chips not using MS code is legal.
I shall go and tell the indestructible man that someone plans to murder him.