Check this out !!!

[Cloudy]

http://www.krasnoconv.com/

Need I say more ?

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Cloudy
Asus P2B-DS, 2 x Celeron 400@75Mhz, 192Mb Ram, SB Live! Platinum,
2 x IBM 4.3Gb scsi,IBM 22GB IDE, Pioneer DVD ROM scsi, G400 32MB DH (Oc to 111.1%).

[CHHAS]

Hehe, great idea

Unfortunately it is too expensive, almost $500 for a 6 chip version, you should be able to put something similar together for about the same amount.

[This message has been edited by CHHAS (edited 23 July 2000).]

[SteveC]

I just saw it and was about to post a new thread... looks cool though - shame there's not a non linux version...

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Cheers,
Steve

"Life is what we make of it, yet most of us just fake"

[MegaManX4]

How much does it cost?

[Swing]

Some information from their web site:

This solution is strictly hardware based. It has a standard unmodified linux text client implemented in the flash-rom of the chip. This memory was mainly used to store target and routing information. Apart from the basic drivers, the only software used is a batch-like procedure that assigns the work units to the processor. It's like adding another computer with each processor, without having to buy all the I/O and power supply components which you don´t need for SETI@home. The client must be downloaded from Berkeley's download area, it is not part of the package due to copyright restrictions. Sorry for that misunderstanding.

Currently two versions of SETI accelerator® are available. CA-01 has one processor installed and is not upgradeable, while CA-06 holds up to six processors.

SETI accelerator® runs at 6.5 X PCI Bus clock frequency. At a standard PCI Bus clock frequency of 33Mhz this means 214.5Mhz. SETI accelerator® is tested with PCI Bus clock frequencies of up to 40Mhz.

The client software and the necessary linux files are stored in the chip´s flash rom. When running, the data files of the current work unit will be stored in the chip´s onboard RAM. During the installation process our software will create a folder containing the variable files for each processor present and the saved work units.

Generally on all computers that have a free standard PCI slot. Drivers and batch-procedures are available for PC´s running Windows(TM) 95/98/NT/2000 and linux. Macintosh drivers are in preparation.

We recommend you purchase the CA-06 board and equip it with the desired number of processors you plan to run. The board is easily upgraded by simply inserting additional chips into unused sockets. Jumpers will eventually need to be repositioned (Instructions provided).

Even after having updated their clients, Berkley will support the use of the former versions for a period of time during which the client on the chip can be updated by downloading a flash utility from our site. This is like doing a BIOS-update and will require no special knowledge. The updated client will have to be downloaded from the SETI@home homepage.

Currently you can only order SETI accelerator® via our website. It will be delivered as COD (secure: you only pay for what you receive).

CA-01 (Single processor board)
Package includes:

Single processor board, equipped with one CPU
Installation software
SETI-Accelerator® management software
Manual on CD-ROM
US$ 89.-

CA-06 (Multi processor board with upgrade option)
Package includes:

Multi-processor board with one CPU installed
Installation software
SETI-Accelerator® management software
Manual on CD-ROM
US$ 129.-

CPU MP-105-D (for upgrading CA-06)
Installation software is included in CA-06 package
Note: To achieve max. processing output you need to order 1x CA-06 plus 5x CPU MP-105-D.
US$ 69.-

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For a 6 CPU board, that comes to $474 U.S. plus shipping. Total cost would probably be near $500! For that kind of money I could build a second system with a used hard drive and video card, and crunch almost 5 WUs a day. [$200 CPU, $100 motherboard, $120 RAM, $50 case, and everything else used]

This thing can run up to 260MHz. That means the onboard RAM is running at >5ns!

The computational power of each CPU (probably RISC) seems quite weak for use in military missiles! I am glad they were replaced!

With that in mind, a very slow, purely RISC CPU should not cost so much ($69 U.S. -- the price of a Celeron, Duron, which can crunch 2 or 3 WUs a day), but it looks like they have the market cornered.

I wonder if some program other than SETI@home could use this CPU board? May be with an IC [CMOS ?] to replace the current encoded hardware?

Hmmm...

[CharlesWA]

Has anyone seen an alternate source for these MP-105-D CPUs? If they could be found for significantly less than $69 each then this could become a much more interesting product...

If I was going to spend $500 to put together a SETI crunching system I think I'd go for a pair of PII Xeon 400 1 MB cpus, a dual board, etc. Should be doable... Hmmm.

[Sir Hitech]

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Its a HOAX, a well planned one I might add..

<a href="http://www.krasnoconv.com/truth.html">http://www.krasnoconv.com/truth.html</a>