"Last fall, I had an opportunity to test the new quad-core Intel Xeon 5400 processor (Harpertown) processor. As the Harpertown was in short supply, I only had two nodes (two sockets on each node for total of 16 cores) with which to run my tests. I'm not picky, however, I like to run HPC tests as this type of data is absent in the mainstream press. In particular, I am most interested in how multi-core and MPI play in the HPC space. There is plenty to discuss, but for some interesting benchmark numbers, read on.
"The hardware was provided by Appro as part a white paper I was writing for SC07 (SuperComputing 2007). After some delays, like converting my temporary basement office to a real office with walls, I have finally managed to publish some of the more interesting finding from my tests. But first. a little background may be useful..."
