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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 10/18/2007 : 03:51:42
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Makes sense to me: Dartmouth astrophysicist Dr. Gaurav Khanna has rigged up an array of eight PS3 systems to help him crunch numbers in his study of theoretical gravity waves. The waves are supposed to be a byproduct of a super-massive black hole consuming a star, and Khanna is using the processing power to determine if such waves would be strong enough that we could observe them some day.
Previously in his research, Khanna was forced to pay as much as $5,000 for the use of a supercomputer to crunch his numbers. While Sony provided Khanna with the PS3s free of charge, the astrophysicist told the magazine it would still have been cheaper to use PS3s instead of the supercomputer. |
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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JohnOAS
SFN Regular
Australia
800 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2007 : 17:14:06 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Makes sense to me: Dartmouth astrophysicist Dr. Gaurav Khanna has rigged up an array of eight PS3 systems to help him crunch numbers in his study of theoretical gravity waves. The waves are supposed to be a byproduct of a super-massive black hole consuming a star, and Khanna is using the processing power to determine if such waves would be strong enough that we could observe them some day.
Previously in his research, Khanna was forced to pay as much as $5,000 for the use of a supercomputer to crunch his numbers. While Sony provided Khanna with the PS3s free of charge, the astrophysicist told the magazine it would still have been cheaper to use PS3s instead of the supercomputer. |
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It's not a unique phenomenon. With the game console wars being as bloody as they are, it's common practise for companies to sell their hardware at cost or even at a loss to undercut the competition and recoup their losses with future game title sales.
Modern gaming consoles are mostly standard (whatever that means) machines running task specific software. Some of their hardware and software features make them even better for some sort of modelling tasks then regular ones.
Scientists should make the most it, more power to 'em I say. If some networking gaming in the lab (purely for quality control purposes, obviously) is good for science, so much the better, have at at!
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John's just this guy, you know. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 10/18/2007 : 17:19:35 [Permalink]
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Yeah, I think it's great. Science gets the benefit of mass-market prices.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Hawks
SFN Regular
Canada
1383 Posts |
Posted - 10/19/2007 : 00:15:08 [Permalink]
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| Given that Linux is available for PS3, there should be a range of scientific (and more) applications that runs on it. |
METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL
It's a small, off-duty czechoslovakian traffic warden! |
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Coelacanth
Skeptic Friend
United Kingdom
50 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2007 : 09:00:57 [Permalink]
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| Hmmm... I need to get myself one of these Pee Ess Freeze. |
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astropin
SFN Regular
USA
970 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2007 : 11:38:34 [Permalink]
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| Yeah the PS3 is insanely powerful considering its price point. I blew past my windows "protein folding" numbers (which had been running for 2 years!) in a matter of weeks with my PS3. My PS3 has now reached numbers that would take my windows machine decades to catch. Not to mention it plays some sweet games and Blu-Ray movies to boot!! |
I would rather face a cold reality than delude myself with comforting fantasies.
You are free to believe what you want to believe and I am free to ridicule you for it.
Atheism:
The result of an unbiased and rational search for the truth.
Infinitus est numerus stultorum |
| Edited by - astropin on 10/22/2007 11:40:32 |
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Astrophysicist uses 8 PS3s to study gravity waves
