[K12OSN] $5,000 cluster server powers 120 clients?

[Robert Arkiletian]

I think this idea is worth looking at:

Why not make a MONSTER LTSP server with say a 6 node cluster of AMD 
Sempron 3100+'s. They have built in memory controller so RAM latency is 
low. They are 754 pin cpu and most of these MB come with Gigabit lan and 
SATA built in. Here is the specs for each node:

CPU AMD Sempron 3100+ (32bit cpu) $150
MB ASUS K8V-X VIA K8T800 (or nforce3 chipset)  Gigabit LAN, SATA $120
Ram 2 sticks of 1024MB= 2GB DDR400  $220
HD 1 Seagate SATA 120GB   $120
case with quality 400W PS $100

Total cost of 1 node approx. $700
Cluster price approx. $4200 + Plus Switch for cluster: 8 port gigabit 
switch $200 = $4400 total
(approx. same price as a dual Xeon 2.8Ghz with 4Gb of RAM)

But this 6 node cluster would be at least 10x more powerful.
720 GB disk storage
12 GB RAM
Could serve 120 clients == 4 labs

What do you guys think?

Robert Arkiletian
Eric Hamber Secondary School