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CPU performance

Misc notes on CPUs and their performance for HPC use.

Links:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Opteron_microprocessors
• AnandTech: Intel Woodcrest, AMD's Opteron and Sun's UltraSparc T1: Server CPU Shoot-out (Jun 2006)
• Opteron vs Xeon C2 power consumption (Dec 2006)

Performance tests

Geant4 'scint' simulation, 1000000 events, no graphics, with Geant4.8.0p01 on SL43 32bit, gcc 3.4.5, no architecture specific optimizations, user time:

• 1m19.554s on DAQ-PC (Pentium IV HT "Prescott", 3GHz, 1MB cache)
• 1m04.480s on Sirius (Opteron 144 "Venus", 1.8GHz, 1MB cache)
• 1m33.259s on PSI (Pentium IV 2.4GHz, 512kB cache)

Geant4 'scint' simulation, 1000000 events, no graphics, with Geant4.8.0p01 on OsX 10.4.7 32bit, gcc 4.01, no architecture specific optimizations, user time:

• 0m57.256s on Phobos (Intel Core Duo, 2GHz)

So, in this Geant4 AMD64 wins on Intel PIV by 23%, with a 40% lower clock, or 105% after adjusting for clock speed. Core Duo wins on the Opteron by 12%, 1.5% after adjusting for clock speed, but with a different gcc.