Bronze vs 2690v2

Simbelmynë · October 26, 2018, 03:30

Any estimate what we could expect from a dual Xeon bronze system? Would the superior memory bandwidth (about 50% higher, right?) be enough to place it before a dual 2690v2 system or is the CPU too gimped? The price is quite similar between the two systems if we only consider 48 GB ddr4 memory.

Which system has the highest (iterations per second) / (price) ratio?

flotus1 · October 30, 2018, 08:20

Bronze...I think the highest SKU in that tier has 8 cores and 1.7GHz clock speed without any turbo. It will be difficult to even max out bandwidth usage with so little processing power.
Apart from the ability to upgrade to better CPUs later It does not strike me as a very compelling option.

Simbelmynë · October 31, 2018, 03:19

Is it possible to estimate it using the results from the Xeon Gold 6148?

In single thread it solves the benchmark case in 874 seconds running @ 3.7 GHz. For single thread performance of the same generation CPUs, shouldn't we be able to extrapolate results based on frequency? In that case the 1.7 GHz bronze CPU would finish in about 1900 seconds. I expect the scaling to be perfectly linear since the bronze system will never be bandwidth limited.

so for 12 cores we manage 0.63 iterations/second.
with 16 cores we have 0.84 iterations/second.

with the ASUS Sage motherboard we might even be able to hit 1+ iteration/second considering the mild OC capabilities.

If this is true then a xeon bronze setup is similar or better than a 2690v2 as far as I can tell (and you get new hardware as opposed to refurbished).

What do you think?

flotus1 · October 31, 2018, 04:32

I am reluctant to estimate an absolute performance value. Too many extrapolations for my taste. All I know is I wouldn't buy it if it was my decision.
Don't expect too much from the "overclocking" capabilities of an Asus WS C621E Sage. All it can do with a Bronze CPU is increase BCLK by 2-3 MHz.

Simbelmynë · October 31, 2018, 05:54

OK, then I will not test to build a small bronze system infiniband cluster

Silver and up quickly approaches EPYC prices, in which case I will always pick EPYC.

Now if RAM prices continue to drop then this might change.

Btw, that Sage FSB overclock seems really lackluster, I would have guessed around 5-10% increase to even market it as having OC features.

flotus1 · October 31, 2018, 06:05

The restriction does not lie in the BCLK itself, but other vital frequencies that rely on it.
On some older platforms it was possible to increase it further, but of course CPU manufacturers successfully limited this feature.

Simbelmynë · October 31, 2018, 06:12

Back in the days I remember that it was possible to unlock AMD CPUs using a pencil.

October 26, 2018, 03:30	Bronze vs 2690v2	#1
Simbelmynë Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 546 Rep Power: 15	Any estimate what we could expect from a dual Xeon bronze system? Would the superior memory bandwidth (about 50% higher, right?) be enough to place it before a dual 2690v2 system or is the CPU too gimped? The price is quite similar between the two systems if we only consider 48 GB ddr4 memory. Which system has the highest (iterations per second) / (price) ratio?

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October 30, 2018, 08:20		#2
flotus1 Super Moderator Alex Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 46	Bronze...I think the highest SKU in that tier has 8 cores and 1.7GHz clock speed without any turbo. It will be difficult to even max out bandwidth usage with so little processing power. Apart from the ability to upgrade to better CPUs later It does not strike me as a very compelling option.

October 31, 2018, 03:19		#3
Simbelmynë Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 546 Rep Power: 15	Is it possible to estimate it using the results from the Xeon Gold 6148? In single thread it solves the benchmark case in 874 seconds running @ 3.7 GHz. For single thread performance of the same generation CPUs, shouldn't we be able to extrapolate results based on frequency? In that case the 1.7 GHz bronze CPU would finish in about 1900 seconds. I expect the scaling to be perfectly linear since the bronze system will never be bandwidth limited. so for 12 cores we manage 0.63 iterations/second. with 16 cores we have 0.84 iterations/second. with the ASUS Sage motherboard we might even be able to hit 1+ iteration/second considering the mild OC capabilities. If this is true then a xeon bronze setup is similar or better than a 2690v2 as far as I can tell (and you get new hardware as opposed to refurbished). What do you think?

October 31, 2018, 04:32		#4
flotus1 Super Moderator Alex Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 46	I am reluctant to estimate an absolute performance value. Too many extrapolations for my taste. All I know is I wouldn't buy it if it was my decision. Don't expect too much from the "overclocking" capabilities of an Asus WS C621E Sage. All it can do with a Bronze CPU is increase BCLK by 2-3 MHz.

October 31, 2018, 05:54		#5
Simbelmynë Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 546 Rep Power: 15	OK, then I will not test to build a small bronze system infiniband cluster Silver and up quickly approaches EPYC prices, in which case I will always pick EPYC. Now if RAM prices continue to drop then this might change. Btw, that Sage FSB overclock seems really lackluster, I would have guessed around 5-10% increase to even market it as having OC features.

October 31, 2018, 06:05		#6
flotus1 Super Moderator Alex Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Germany Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 46	The restriction does not lie in the BCLK itself, but other vital frequencies that rely on it. On some older platforms it was possible to increase it further, but of course CPU manufacturers successfully limited this feature.

October 31, 2018, 06:12		#7
Simbelmynë Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 546 Rep Power: 15	Back in the days I remember that it was possible to unlock AMD CPUs using a pencil.