Big Mac Benchmark Drops to 7.4 TFlops

coolmacdude writes "Well it seems that the early estimates were a bit overzealous. According to preliminary test results (in postscript format) on the full range of CPUs at Virginia Tech, the Rmax score on Linpack comes in at around 7.4 TFlops. This puts it at number four on the Top 500 List. It also represents an efficiency of about 44 percent, down from the previous result of 80 achieved on a subset of the computers. Perhaps in light of this, apparantly VT is now planning to devote an additional two months to improve the stability and efficiency of the system before any research can begin. While these numbers will no doubt come as a disappointment for Mac zealots who wanted to blow away all the Intel machines, it should still be noted that this is the best price/performance ratio ever achieved on a supercomputer. In addition, the project was successful at meeting VT's goal of developing an inexpensive top 5 machine. The results have also been posted at Ars Technica's openforum."

Comments

REPOST #2 (STEVE JOBS IS COOL!)

[DAldredge]

(STEVE JOBS IS COOL!)

That 80% efficiency simply sounded too good to be true, and it was.

Now its at 44%. Thats not a small drop, thats a MASSIVE drop.

They didnt predict any loss in going from a small subset to the whole system? Or was it a publicity stunt (we can outperform everyone! our names are __________!)
--
[I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]

Re:A supercomputer by Any Other Name....

[DA-MAN]

shopper == person purchasing, not selling.

You'd have to be a pretty stupid shopper to buy a 300 dollar pc for 5.3 million!