4 ms·

On the other hand, by the time anyone starting just now learn enough ML to be dangerous, the price of the $10,000 hardware would drop to $5,000 or less, so star

On the other hand, by the time anyone starting just now learn enough ML to be dangerous, the price of the $10,000 hardware would drop to $5,000 or less, so starting with the cheapest yet decent option seems a better approach...

dsacco 10y ago
Fair point. I'm just quibbling about where "decent" begins, and adding in the point about ease of upgrades. Replacing a GPU is pretty easy. Replacing a motherboard because you don't have enough PCIe slots will require tearing down the majority of the machine and rebuilding it. The latter is more likely to happen if you start down this path at rock bottom prices.
- lloyd-christmas 10y ago
  I began building one a year and a half ago, starting with a 5930k, 1x980ti, 32GB. This put me in a position to incrementally upgrade it starting at ~$2.5k. That being said, at this point the smallest AWS p2 instances are equivalent to my current setup, and it would take 150 days worth of running my hardware to make it cost-effective vs. AWS.
  - visarga 10y ago
    When you build your first DL box you also get a moral boost. If you think every second is counted and penalized against you, you might use it less (such as when you're using cloud servers). But if it is already yours bought and paid for, then you can afford to run any crazy idea. A good compromise would be a local DL box and extra virtual machines on demand, for when you need to run extensive hyperparameter searches. If you make the leap and invest, at least you commit your money into the direction of ML, strengthening your resolve.
    - lloyd-christmas 10y ago
      On the flip side, dropping $2.5k for a hobby you haven't investigated yet and then looking back 6 months later on the computer collecting dust will likely dissuade you from investing any time into potential future hobbies. I play piano, and I'd never encourage anyone to go drop $2.5k on an electric keyboard just to provide a motivation. A decision to pick up a new hobby/skill should be based on desire, not a handcuff.

dsacco 10y ago

Fair point. I'm just quibbling about where "decent" begins, and adding in the point about ease of upgrades. Replacing a GPU is pretty easy. Replacing a motherboard because you don't have enough PCIe slots will require tearing down the majority of the machine and rebuilding it. The latter is more likely to happen if you start down this path at rock bottom prices.

lloyd-christmas 10y ago
I began building one a year and a half ago, starting with a 5930k, 1x980ti, 32GB. This put me in a position to incrementally upgrade it starting at ~$2.5k. That being said, at this point the smallest AWS p2 instances are equivalent to my current setup, and it would take 150 days worth of running my hardware to make it cost-effective vs. AWS.
- visarga 10y ago
  When you build your first DL box you also get a moral boost. If you think every second is counted and penalized against you, you might use it less (such as when you're using cloud servers). But if it is already yours bought and paid for, then you can afford to run any crazy idea. A good compromise would be a local DL box and extra virtual machines on demand, for when you need to run extensive hyperparameter searches. If you make the leap and invest, at least you commit your money into the direction of ML, strengthening your resolve.
  - lloyd-christmas 10y ago
    On the flip side, dropping $2.5k for a hobby you haven't investigated yet and then looking back 6 months later on the computer collecting dust will likely dissuade you from investing any time into potential future hobbies. I play piano, and I'd never encourage anyone to go drop $2.5k on an electric keyboard just to provide a motivation. A decision to pick up a new hobby/skill should be based on desire, not a handcuff.