This quad-GPU Arm gaming server can run 16 Crysis instances at once
Four quad-GPU graphic cards in one computer can be both expensive and fun
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Supermicro recently unveiled anArm-based server - the ARS-210M-NR andServethehome took it for a spin, loading it with four Nvidia A16 cards.
The test server came with a 128-core Ampere Altra Max Arm processor, running at 3GHz, with 16 DDR4 memory modules (512GB memory in all), two 25GbE-capable SPF28 ports, 16 2.5inch bays and a pair of 2Kw power supply units, all nicely assembled in a tool-less chassis.
The cherry on the cake is the quartet of Ampere-basedNvidiaA16 graphics cards. Each card comes with 64GB of GDDR6 ECC memory and four GPUs that sit on a full height full length dual slot, passively cooled PCB. The A16 is not the most powerful data center card that Nvidia has; that would be the A100; however, it hits a sweet spot for service providers looking to get the maximum number of concurrent users on a single board.
But can it run…
In terms of pure performance, each of these GPUs has half the number of CUDA cores of the Geforce RTX 3050, so yes it should be able to run the legendary Crysis game without too much issue - so in theory, you could have 16 iterations of one of the most taxing games ever running concurrently - you just need to create 16virtual machinesand load 16 copies ofCrysis.
There were no pricing details provided but given that theA16 retails for around $3,000and afully loaded serverwith similar credentials costs around $10,000, you would be expected to fork out north of $22,000 for such a system.
Power to the cloud
Now who would need such a debauchery of power? For a start, cloud gaming is now mainstream (even ifGooglebailed out earlier this year when it mothballedStadia) and it is the likes of the ARS-210M-NR that makes it a reality.
Beyond this though, it’s about VDI (Video Desktop Infrastructure) for businesses and enterprises. The rise ofhybrid workingacted as a catalyst for the adoption of VirtualWorkstation(and Virtual PC) aswork-from-homebecame a reality for millions of users. And just one of these servers can accommodate a lot of VMs (virtual machines); a recent test by cloud computing firmNutanix showedthat two Nvidia A16 graphic cards can handle 128 virtual machines, which means that four cards should be able to run 256.
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Of course you may need to deploy a more powerful CPU than the Altra Max and more memory as well (Nutanix used 1.5TB RAM and twoIntelXeon Gold 6354, each with 18 physical cores). Increasing SaaS support for virtual GPU across a wide range of applications (e.g.PhotoshoporChrome) explains why dense servers with very high GPU count are becoming a common sight.
Other applications likeweb hostingmay benefit from high CPU core count which is whyVPS (virtual private servers)are so affordable now with the price gap withdedicated serversandbare metalsolutions remaining high.
Servethehome ran the 2U server onUbuntuand while the experience was not as smooth as it could be, it was certainly worth the effort. Arm is slowly turning into a formidable opponent to both Intel’s Xeon andAMD’s Epyc and withAmazonreadying the fourth generation of itsGravitonCPU family, there has never been a better time to try Arm.
Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled inwebsite buildersandweb hostingwhen DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.
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