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--- eman2:faq_computer [2025/06/19 03:13] – created steveludtke
+++ eman2:faq_computer [2025/07/03 03:16] (current) – [(Almost) Timeless Recommendations] steveludtke
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   * For the sort of processing we typically do, scaling is basically linear with CPU speed, and almost linear with number of cores. So, when pricing, optimize the product of these two numbers. In other words, maximize cores*speed/total cost.
   * There are still some tasks that do NOT scale with number of cores, so if the product of speed * cores is similar, opt for the machine with fewer faster cores.
-  * Try for at least ~4 GB/core of RAM, with an absolute minimum of 2 GB/core. This is particularly true if you plan to use other image processing software as well. For high resolution subtomogram averaging, you
+  * Try for at least ~4 GB/core of RAM, with an absolute minimum of 2 GB/core. This is particularly true if you plan to use other image processing software as well. For high resolution subtomogram averaging, you will want at least 128 GB of RAM so you can work with whole tomograms well.
-  * Get an NVidia GPU. EMAN2 uses these for only a limited number of tasks, but other software you may wish to use with EMAN2 does use them heavily. It probably isn't worth the extra $$$ for one of the very high-end Tesla cards. The highest end consumer card is usually the best choice. In some cases RAM may be an issue, so the Titan series may be worth the extra $ in some case.
+  * Get an NVidia GPU. EMAN2 is beginning to use them more heavily, and EMAN3 will use them for most tasks. It probably isn't worth the extra $$$ for one of the very high-end data center cards. The highest end consumer card is usually the best choice. In some cases RAM may be an issue, a card with more RAM for a little extra $ is usually a good choice.
   * Get a big monitor with high resolution, or multiple monitors. Small 4K TVs are quite cheap now, and you really want the extra resolution for working with large images and other purposes.
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   * Disk performance is critical for many tasks. There are 2 ways to get high speed disk access:
     * SSD -
-      * A good M.2 SSD can provide 10 - 20x the performance of an individual spinning platter drive. HOWEVER - they are not as reliable, and capacities are much lower. These are great for the operating system, and possibly 'working storage' while processing, but probably not for long-term archival.
+      * A good M.2 SSD can provide 10 - 20x the performance of an individual spinning platter drive. These are a perfect choice for working storage and scratch, but probably not a good choice for long-term archival. It is technically possible that SSDs will lose data if you leave them sitting on a shelf without power for a long time. Spinning platter drives sitting on a shelf can last for decades.
-      * SATA SSDs are similar to M.2 except they are much slower, limited by the speed of the SATA interface. If you have a choice, M.2 is the better option.
+      * SATA SSDs are similar to M.2 except they are much slower, limited by the speed of the SATA interface (600 MB/s). If you have a choice, M.2 is the better option.
       * DANGER - SSDs are not designed for long-term shelf storage! If you unplug a SSD and put it on a shelf, or power off the PC and put it in a closet, SSDs will eventually (years typically) start to lose data. Spinning platters will not. Do NOT use SSD's for long term unpowered data archival!
     * RAID of traditional hard drives
       * Each spinning platter hard drive will provide ~150 MB/s, which is quite slow compared to SSDs. However, when you build a RAID array the drive performance adds. An 8 drive RAID 5 array with a hardware RAID controller can easily provide 1 GB/s read/write speeds, and also offers the redundancy of RAID 5 with the better capacity and long term reliability of spinning platters.
-      * Supermicro is known for making nice workstation cases which support arrays of 8 hot-swap SATA drives. With 16 TB drives now available for ~$500 you could add over 100 TB of RAID 5 storage to a workstation for <$5k and have >1GB/s performance. This is an excellent solution for general data processing and long term archival.
+      * Supermicro is known for making nice workstation cases which support arrays of 8 hot-swap SATA drives. With 16 TB drives now available for ~$300 you could add over 100 TB of RAID 5 storage to a workstation for <$5k and have >1GB/s performance. This is an excellent solution for general data processing and long term archival.
+      * External NAS boxes (QNAP, Synology, etc.) can be an excellent choice. With a 10 Gb network connection directly from the NAS to your computer you can easily pull 1 GB/s from a 12 bay NAS, with the redundancy of RAID6, large capacity (>100 TB) and very good speed.
   * Regardless of how you store your data, DON'T FORGET THE NEED for BACKUPS. Even if you build a RAID array, failures happen!