General questions on hardware & QM calculations


Hi,
I have general questions about Gaussian and "single user" hardware systems (i.e., not server based).

G94 running on a Digital 600MHz alpha.
G94W running on the same machine but with NT as the OS.
Estimates (experience) the performance difference? Where are the performance drops?

"Gaussian 94W is a complete implementation of the popular Gaussian 94"
Are there no functional limitations in G94W with respect to G94 UNIX? In other words the computational options in G94W & G94 are the same?

Since G94W is called "94" I assume it was originally released in 94. Anyone comment on if there will be a G98W this year?

Also, there has been general discussion about Intel based PC's vs SGI vs MAC for both computational and general use. But little comment on Alpha based machines.

High prices for high end PC's have been quoted (on user groups) to the extent that they compete with SGI's ($10-12K).

Below are two systems from Microway (alpha CPU & Intel CPU):

Any comments on how these systems compare: price/performance?
Are alpha based machines the best for computational work?

1)
Microway's Alpha Powered "Scream'n Demon"
600 MHz Powerhouse Special
Featuring the "Screamer-LX 600 MHz" (for NT or Linux)
with 4 MB SRAM Cache (A Microway Exclusive)

$6,995.

This system features the latest Microway Screamer-LX motherboard which is based upon Digital's AlphaPC 164LX reference design. The motherboard features a new memory architecture that boasts a transfer rate of 1.3 GB/sec!

Microway Screamer-LX 600 MHz Motherboard (21164A CPU)
4 PCI/2 ISA, 2 Serial/1Parallel Port, 4 MB 9ns SRAM Cache
Full-Size Tower (10 bays) w/DIMM Cooling & PS/2 400 Watt Power Supply
128 MB SDRAM (2 ea. 8x72-10ns DIMMs expandable to 2 GB)
ITI4140UE Ultra Wide SCSI-3 Controller with 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45
4.5 GB UW SCSI Hard Drive 7200 RPM (Seagate)
Matrox Millenium II 8MB PCI Video Card
12X Toshiba SCSI CD-ROM Drive
3.5" Floppy, DEC PS/2-style Keyboard, Logitech 3-Button Mouse
Either NT Workstation (CD) v4.0 or Red Hat LINUX (CD) v4.2
Digital's FX!32 Software Emulator


2)
Microway Number Smasher® Dual Pentium Workstation includes:

Motherboard with two 300 Mhz Pentium II Processors and 512 KB cache
32 MB RAM
ATX Mid-size Tower with 7 drive bays and three fans
300 Watt Power Supply
4.5 GB UW SCSI Drive 7200 RPM (Seagate)
IntraServer 3140U UW SCSI Controller
24x IDE CD-ROM
Matrox Millenium II 4MB Graphics Card
2 Serial, 1 Parallel Port
3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Drive
Mouse and Keyboard
Windows NT (CD) version 4.0 installed


System Price: $3,995


Option Package: $395
*additional 32 MB RAM (64 MB total)
*Creative Labs' AWE 64 Sound Card with Labtec Speakers
*US Robotics 56K internal fax/modem


http://www.microway.com/specials.html

Thanks
Laurence Lavelle



""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Laurence Lavelle, Ph.D.
University of California Los Angeles
Molecular Biology Institute, and Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Laboratory of Structural Biology & Molecular Medicine
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1570, USA


Email:LAVELLE(-(at)-)MBI.UCLA.EDU
Phone (Lab): (310) 206-8270
Phone (Office): (310) 825-2083
Fax: (310) 267-1957
http://www.doe-mbi.ucla.edu/people/lavelle/lavelle.html
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It will be a great day when schools have all the money they need,
and the military has bake day sales.



In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read.