Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Running intensive computational softwares on laptops

DubaiAmateurRocketry - 10-7-2018 at 13:23

I know, bad idea, I have a high end 2015 Xeon processor, and it works, kind of. Running an optimization using DFT B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) takes anywhere from 30-160 minutes.

I was thinking of getting a new laptop with the 6 cores, but would they just start burning from the thermal load?

I could do a desktop but I move around often.

JJay - 10-7-2018 at 13:55

You could use a cloud service. They are extremely portable and bill in intervals as low as one second. Google is running a free trial, but I think you have to pay if you want more than eight cores on a single machine. They also provide access to GPUs and Google's custom tensor processors if you have the cash.

diddi - 10-7-2018 at 19:48

you may be able to find a way of exploiting your GPU. so on a desktop, drop in a semi reasonable graphics card and you gets lots of grunt for not much cost. eg RX570 only USD150

clearly_not_atara - 10-7-2018 at 20:02

Quote: Originally posted by DubaiAmateurRocketry  
I know, bad idea, I have a high end 2015 Xeon processor, and it works, kind of. Running an optimization using DFT B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) takes anywhere from 30-160 minutes.

I was thinking of getting a new laptop with the 6 cores, but would they just start burning from the thermal load?

I could do a desktop but I move around often.

Much more reasonable to run the computation remotely on your desktop. The big advantage aside from cost is that if you have to get up and go somewhere -- say you get hungry -- the computation will keep running even when your laptop is suspended.

Sulaiman - 10-7-2018 at 21:10

Irrespective of processor type and computational intensity it is always a good idea to ensure good ventilation for laptops,
at least keep airways clear and clean out dust regularly.
External fan-assisted airflow often helps.

If you are using a HDD then changing to an SSD really makes a difference.

I've never come across a P.C. that runs faster with less RAM.


The real question is ... do you need or want a new P.C. :P

MJ101 - 10-7-2018 at 23:49

@clearly_not_atara: True. Also, a laptop tends to favor a low power plan. Yes you can change it, but they're not designed for that kind of punishment.
Adding a Solid State Drive may help, although the performance increase may not make enough of a difference to warrant the extra cost.

Also, all bets are off if the software is not designed to take advantage of multi-core CPUs and hyperthreading.

Running your calculations in a cloud is more than likely the most cost-effective approach, since some cloud computing systems allow for distributed computation.

With that said, If you still want to get a laptop,take a look at digital audio workstations. You can get one that's designed to run for many hours, because they use them to record shows and concerts.

Every time I look at the hardware here, I drool and cringe at the price. :D

https://www.adkproaudio.com/



[Edited on 11-7-2018 by MJ101]