Microsoft and Cray deliver "mainstream" CX1 supercomputer: starts at $25k

C'mon, who here doesn't want their very own supercomputer to do, um, whatever they want with? In an effort to make sure every man, woman and child has an absurdly powerful number cruncher in their home (let's go with OSPP, or One Supercomputer Per Person), Microsoft has tag-teamed with the fabled Cray in order to "drive high productivity computing into the mainstream." The Cray CX1 Supercomputer comes loaded with Windows HPC Server 2008 and incorporates up to 8 nodes and 16 Intel Xeon CPUs (dual- or quad-core); additionally, it boasts up to 4TB of internal storage, 64GB of memory per node and interoperates nicely with Linux. The CX1 is said to be the most affordable supercomputer offered by Cray (not to mention the "world's highest-performing computer that uses standard office power"), but it'll still run you anywhere between $25,000 to well over $60,000. Chump change, right?

[Via NetworkWorld]

[Fred @ Sep 16th 2008 4:06PM]

You had me at Cray. Now I can design that caterpillar drive I've been meaning to build.

[vypergts @ Sep 16th 2008 4:15PM]

I'll just say what everyone else was thinking: PORN!

[stianh @ Sep 16th 2008 4:29PM]

That wasn't what I was thinking.

[Casper42 @ Sep 16th 2008 4:46PM]

So Cray went and built something HP has had on the market for almost a year huh? Whoopty doo!

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/blades/components/enclosures/c-class/c3000/

The HP c3000 also supports a special Blade called the BL2x220c which means you can cram 2 Servers with 2 Quad Cores in the space of 1.
So instead of 8 blades with 2 Procs each, you can fit 16 blades with 2 procs each (albeit with less memory on each node)
You can also deploy Quad CPU blades instead of only Dual CPU blades.
And the Intel Six Core Xeon 7400s (aka Dunnington) was released yesterday.

I would venture to say the HP solution is a hell of alot cheaper too since it doesn't say CRAY on the front.

[Jerry @ Sep 16th 2008 5:32PM]

I'm not interested until we can see it play Doom.

[Mike10010100 @ Sep 16th 2008 5:44PM]

Doom? Crisis? No.

I want to know where those damn hurricanes are going before NOAA does.

Or see how many points i can rack up on folding at home.

[Nekrik @ Sep 16th 2008 6:52PM]

@Casper

maybe they'll be offering HPC on that very HP rig in the near future, or at least something with comprable specs:

"...Microsoft plans to unveil partnerships with other OEMs for computers similar to CX1, Faenov said. Some of those likely will come at the launch of Windows HPC next week, he said, though he declined to give specifics."

[Sukhminder @ Sep 16th 2008 7:03PM]

This is the new Xbox 720 that we've been hearing about?

[Casper42 @ Sep 16th 2008 7:50PM]

@Nekrik: Looks like they already do:
http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/583787-0-0-0-121.html
CCS = Microsoft Windows 2003 Computer Cluster Server
All the BLxxxc servers fit in the c3000 Chassis.

Granted that is 2003 and the article mentions 2008, but my guess is you're right and its only a matter of time before its officially announced.
The Server 2008 tab on that page doesn't have the HPC Edition even mentioned yet.

[Chris @ Sep 16th 2008 8:30PM]

haha nice red october reference...

[Chris in CA @ Sep 17th 2008 11:00AM]

It could probably model it's own blending.

[RyanTV @ Sep 18th 2008 4:50AM]

I want to see what it could do with Folding@Home

[JUDI @ Sep 18th 2008 1:13PM]

CRAY ALUMNI HERE 1982-1997

SO MANY POSTS..... SO LITTLE TIME

Fred:::::::article had me at CRAY also

CASPER:::: obviously you never worked for CRAY, the force is alive!!!!

and the other guy V: YES TOTAL PORN!!!

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 16th 2008 4:07PM]

Well I could see the potential for this later on with some of the "networked" homes they have coming out but outside of that. WTF will the average home user buy this for?

[SupaYoYoMan @ Sep 16th 2008 4:09PM]

Crysis

[Abuzar Baloach @ Sep 16th 2008 4:20PM]

porn

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 16th 2008 4:20PM]

This thing would destroy Crysis...

[Flashpoint @ Sep 16th 2008 4:22PM]

The question is not whether or not it can run Crysis.

The question is if it can run several different windows of Crysis in VERY HIGH over several monitors for a single computer LAN PARTY !

[Ryan Trevisol @ Sep 16th 2008 4:26PM]

No mention of a 3d card.

Team it with an Nvidia Quadro Plex and then you're talkin.

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 16th 2008 4:31PM]

a) CPUs suck at doing anything graphic intensive. even the most powerful clusters can't beat out a GTX 280 or HD 4870 x2 in graphic capability, let alone any crossfire or sli set up.

b) The Nvidia Quadro Plex is a workstation set up, not a gaming set up. Will it be able to do a good job gaming, yes. Are there better setups for 1/2 the price for gaming, absolutely.

[OneLove @ Sep 16th 2008 5:06PM]

"high productivity computing", lol.

[OziD @ Sep 16th 2008 4:07PM]

I feel like I could be making the same mistake they made in the past, but...

What would anyone do with a super computer??

[Zal @ Sep 16th 2008 4:12PM]

What we do everyday, Pinky. Take over the world!

[Fred @ Sep 16th 2008 4:21PM]

Well, "Try to" anyway.

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 16th 2008 4:32PM]

dude, last year my friends and i were.... "carefree and happy" on night and we decided we had to watch pinky and the brain. dude i fucking love that show.

[trekkie604 @ Sep 16th 2008 4:08PM]

Time for somebody to build the "Turk" from Terminator and have it give birth to Skynet.

[EmoChicksAreHot.....Seriously @ Sep 16th 2008 5:19PM]

Dude,Google's already taking care of that so you don't worry your pretty little head.

[SubGenius @ Sep 17th 2008 9:48AM]

Dean Kamen (if that is his real name) has already started work on the Terminator arm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_mLumx-6Y

[GB @ Sep 16th 2008 4:09PM]

will it run Crysis?

[Patriks7 @ Sep 16th 2008 4:12PM]

No it won't
But (!) it will run Crysis, 20 other games, multiple HD video editing and I don't know what else at the same time :p

[Kimleng @ Sep 16th 2008 4:13PM]

Not only will it run Crysis, it will run circles around Crysis. In fact, the real reason they built this computer was because they got tired of people asking if x will run Crysis.

Someone who buys this will have friends who ask: "Will you host the Crysis 16 player LAN party next week? We'll bring the keyboard and mouse."

[HAZE @ Sep 16th 2008 4:14PM]

Lol, beat me to it.

[ED @ Sep 16th 2008 6:50PM]

It will blend Crysis.

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 16th 2008 11:12PM]

But can it find the Higgs Boson?

[Lloydcom @ Sep 16th 2008 4:12PM]

I'll take 2.

[thedesolate1 @ Sep 18th 2008 12:02AM]

ONLY 2? why not go all out? one Super PC per family member...

[wickedpheonix @ Sep 16th 2008 4:12PM]

Now what would the ordinary mainstream consumer use one of these for (except for attempting to achieve new Folding@home records)?

[HAZE @ Sep 16th 2008 4:13PM]

But can it run Crysis on 100%?

[swiss @ Sep 16th 2008 4:14PM]

Nice Case

[Randy @ Sep 16th 2008 4:14PM]

With that many CPU's It's unlikely your Standard 110V household plug could power this thing. And lets not talk about the cooling requirements.

Still, I wouldn't mind having one of these in my basement, running Linux of course, attached to a 60TB FC SAN. I would never have to delete a file for the rest of life.

[Jack @ Sep 16th 2008 4:16PM]

New car smell... or.... The smell of Crysis in the morning...?

[swiss @ Sep 16th 2008 4:16PM]

Oh c'mon that's not funny anymore

[GaryZ @ Sep 16th 2008 4:16PM]

skynet just got a boost on its way to reach selfawareness...

[Kimleng @ Sep 16th 2008 4:17PM]

Oh yeah, also, in other news...Sony probably saw this and is now considering beating it with the PS4. They hear that people are willing to work quadruple overtime so they can afford a machine that can simulate the universe while playing Little Big Planet 2 with your buddies from Jupiter for free.

[Eli Gundry @ Sep 16th 2008 4:17PM]

Fuck Crysis, this thing can run the entire internet.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 16th 2008 4:22PM]

Fuck the internet this thing can power the matrix....

[BuddyBoy @ Sep 16th 2008 4:27PM]

Fuck the Matrix is runs the Real World!

[Samboini @ Sep 16th 2008 4:33PM]

Fuck everything!

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 16th 2008 4:40PM]

kudos to everyone involved with such an epic post...

[Eli Gundry @ Sep 16th 2008 5:42PM]

Your welcome, my friend, you are welcome.