After having dealt, over the years, with several dozens of
'crystallographic computing platforms' and having setup and maintained
quite a few myself, I would recommend to not be cheap. I would
recommend to go with well supported hardware and OS. For linux, I
would recommend a commercial solution, and the hardware could come
from a vendor such as Dell. In our lab, we use Macs practically
exclusively, except for a few legacy Linux boxes.
I don't think it is worth saving a few hundred dollars when you end up
spending/wasting so much time down the road assembling and fixing the
machine as well as trying to keep up with the latest OS patches and
drivers. I'd rather spend my time doing something else than being a
computer support person. I realize I am not using the latest,
greatest, pimped-out number-crunching monster, but a quad-core Mac is
plenty sufficient. I like the fact that a refinement takes a few
minutes longer, because that gives me time to fetch a cup of coffee or
chat with a colleague.
Just a thought.
Best - MM
Dear list,
I haven't seen the "crystallographic computing platform" thread come
up for a while, and I've got a chance to upgrade my desktop to a
workstation, so I thought I'd ask the CCP4BB for advice on:
1. Mac vs. Linux (which flavor?) vs. Windows
2. Graphics cards
3. Displays
4. Processors - multiple processors, multiple cores? Speed?
About half of what I do involves ~1.0 A X-ray structures - data
processing, rebuilding in Coot, refinement, and so forth - so my
current desktop (Optiplex GX745, Radeon X1300) machine drags on
graphics sometimes. I don't seem to need stereo these days, for what
it's worth.
Anybody have suggestions or specs they'd like to share? Thanks in
anticipation of your advice.
Regards,
Anna Gardberg
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mischa Machius, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.; ND10.214A
Dallas, TX 75390-8816; U.S.A.
Tel: +1 214 645 6381
Fax: +1 214 645 6353
