I just noticed an announcement from January.
1. Beginning May 1st, 2014 BIGADV will require a minimum of 24 cores.
2. On Jan 31st, 2015, BIGADV ends.
I don't run BA work units now, but have thought about building a big server with lots of CPU cores for graphic rendering, and just putting it to work 24/7 for BAs when I'm not doing any rendering. Now with this announcement, it seems that if I did build such a machine this year, my bonus-benefit would eventually go away.
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Questions below in the context of an example system loosely fitting this description:
A 2P Intel system with two 10-core CPUs and let's say two dual-GPU cards (such as the not-yet announced GTX 690 or R9 290 X2; each with GPUs running separately, not in Crossfire or whatever), resulting in something like this...
1 CPU folding slot with 10 X 2P X HT = 40 cores
4 separate GPU slots
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Question 1: Will massively multi-CPU-slot/multi-CPU-core server systems still be worthwhile to run with regular "A4" CPU Work Units?
Question 2a: For folding, does increasing the number of CPU cores eventually reach diminishing returns with "regular Work Units"?
Question 2b: If yes to 2a above, can Virtualization be used to "virtually split" the CPU folding slot so as to accept more than one a4 CPU work unit so that the machine can process more in parallel and overcome the point of diminishing returns? For example, running a Linux or Windows guest under HyperV, Virtualbox, or VMWARE alongside the Windows system and setting aside some cores in one or more guest OS instances for CPU-only folding?
Example: Aforementioned 40 cores split into 20 cores for Widows CPU folding unit and two 10-core units each running in a virtual Linux guest under HyperV for a total of three CPU units...
Question 2c: If yes to 2a and 2b above, can I use workload balancing to allow the 3D graphic rendering program(s) to dynamically grab CPU cores from the Linux folders and give them back when the rendering project has completed?
Note: X17 Work Units do not commandeer/serialize a CPU core like X16 WU's did and more than 95% of my WUs are X17, so I did all my math without removing any CPU cores from the total available.