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Isn't the Pi incredibly underpowered for use as a compute node?
by ris 13y ago
Isn't the Pi incredibly underpowered for use as a compute node?
- kragniz 13y agoIt depends what you want to use it for. I'm imagining this being used in small embedded projects where the physical size of the current Pi is undesirable.
- ris 13y agoBut there are plenty of SODIMM-sized ARM embedded modules with much more compute power than the Pi already.
- Narishma 13y agoAnd they are also probably a lot more expensive than $30.
- ris 13y agoI wouldn't say a lot.
- vardump 13y agoHow do they rate against Videocore IV? AFAIK, ARM core represents only about 2-5% of total computing power in RPi. And can you provide some links, please?
- ris 13y ago"Total computing power" is massively load-dependent. And I don't think The VideoCore IV is massively outstanding in the field of embedded GPUs. Links? This is turning into a let-me-google-that-for-you, but they appear very regularly on http://linuxgizmos.com http://linuxgizmos.com
- vardump 13y agoI see it more like a SIMD processor than a GPU. It's not massively outstanding, but there's a lot of value of it having an open documentation, a known instruction set.
- X-Cubed 13y agoThat's entirely dependent on what you're trying to achieve. Sure, if you're trying to mine bitcoins, this hardware alone probably won't be much use. But if you just want to learn about distributed systems, and how to manage a cluster of hosts and distribute tasks between them, this is a great place to start, eg: http://coen.boisestate.edu/ece/raspberry-pi/ http://coen.boisestate.edu/ece/raspberry-pi/
- ris 13y agoRight, so, playing around. (In my experience, "learning about how to manage distributed systems..." and etcetera isn't much fun and is something you can do fairly well emulating as many systems as you'd like in software.)
- jff 13y agoYes, pretty much. This is coming as someone who has helped build ARM clusters. You'll spend a lot of time getting all the parts mounted in a decent way, wiring them up, getting power done properly, writing dozens of SD cards for the operating systems, and then you realize you have a cluster of 700MHz nodes with 100Mbit interconnects. You'd be better off spinning up a bunch of VMs if you want to "learn about distributed systems"
- zokier 13y agoYes.
- merlish 13y agoYes, but the graphics part is pretty good (especially compared to the raw 'CPU' part). I'm seeing this as just the same Raspberry Pi without the specific form factor of the original. I'd like to think that someone can make something that looks like a smartphone with this.
- ris 13y agoWhy could they not do that with any of the existing SODIMM-based ARM boards?
- tomswartz07 13y agoFor standard 'computing', yes. However, I have several that I use for single-purpose tasks and it excels at this. I have one Pi in my office that runs tmux/mutt/irssi, so I can easily access email and our internal chat server from any computer in the building. I have another hooked up to a TV that acts as digital signage, showing uptimes and other system info. Pretty neat stuff, but it's painfully slow for GUI tasks
- ris 13y agoGreat, but what's that got do with one being released as a system-on-module? As a system-on-module, it's aimed more at embedded engineers than first time hobbyists, and embedded engineers already have many much better solutions like this.
- outside1234 13y agoHilarious - i was just thinking it was overpowered! It depends on your use case. If you are thinking of this for industrial controls, its overpowered. If you are thinking of this for mining bitcoins, it is underpowered.
- tlrobinson 13y ago(FYI mining Bitcoin can only be reasonably done using custom ASIC hardware these days)
- whyenot 13y agoThe funny thing is those ASICs more often than not are hooked up to a RaspberryPi running cgminer or equivalent.
- ris 13y agoSo use one of the many existing SO-DIMM sized ARM boards.