why would you cluster a raspberry pi

[Faisal A]

Why would you cluster a raspberry pi ? Is there a specific use case ? If you need better performance, then why not go for a PC instead of joining Raspberry Pis together

[SupaKomputa]

Maybe it's not about performance, maybe it's just for proof of concept.

Or people that needs simultaneous multicore processing for the cheapest cost possible.

A Rpi can cost around 30-50bucks with 8 core each, in a cluster of 10 unit, you would have 80 cores for the price of only 500bucks, draws only 5-10 watt each * 10, that's less than 100 watt total. 

 

[Faisal A]

@SupaKomputaYou could just get a server for £100 on eBay and under clock the CPU. Same power usage, more performance, cheaper

[SupaKomputa]

Like i said it's probably not for high performance.

Some of this thing sometimes used to simulate the scalability of an applications, like if you want to study how you can an aplications handles multiple server environment, and getting real world problems without having to build the real stuff.

For a networking students they can simulate how to build a server cluster, evaluate and fix the problem.

If you wanna have simulation with the real stuff is just gonna cost money and space, imagine having 20 unit of real servers inside your bedroom.

[Video Beagle]

Is there a particular case your questioning? Or just the concept in general?

Maybe someone wants to build a Lego server room with functioning computers..........

 

Which as I type that I begin thinking...I might want a Lego server room with functioning computers.

[Faisal A]

@Video Beagle I just don't see the point of it. More money, less performance, less functions

[Video Beagle]

6 minutes ago, Faisal A said:

@Video Beagle I just don't see the point of it. More money, less performance, less functions

But..did you hear of someone doing it? Or did you think "you could cluster pis.....I don't like that, no siree!".

 

[Sauron]

28 minutes ago, Faisal A said:

@SupaKomputaYou could just get a server for £100 on eBay and under clock the CPU. Same power usage, more performance, cheaper

That's used, the pis would be new. Also I doubt the power draw would be even remotely comparable, not to mention the noise and the heat output. RPis have a theoretical peak power draw of 5W but at stock they draw significantly less, it's mostly just there to power peripherals and give you some overclocking headroom. More realistically it's going to be somewhere around 3.5W per Pi. Which means 20 Pis would draw about 70W at full load.

 

Either way the point is usually to experiment with distributed computing, not so much to get a stellar price/performance ratio.

4 minutes ago, Video Beagle said:

But..did you hear of someone doing it? Or did you think "you could cluster pis.....I don't like that, no siree!".

The RPi website runs on a Pi 4 cluster apparently

[Video Beagle]

2 minutes ago, Sauron said:

The RPi website runs on a Pi 4 cluster apparently

 

Ah...and that explains the why, as well.

 

 

Maybe OP doesn't like a cluster pi, but would like a custard pie.

 

(That pun was funnier in my head when it occured to me than how it's turned out in execution.)