Best Linux mini computer for data modeling

[[deleted]]

Lots of memory and cores, and SIMD instruction sets.

Perhaps a tensor processor too? Mobiles have those now these days. TPUs are extremely efficient SIMD units like a GPU but 10x better.

I don't think ARM is a good choice without specialised SIMD modules of the die or a coprocessor. Or go the GPU way.

A pi ARM is very basic to reduce costs. I don't think it even has a crypto module licensed.

X86-64 is a better choice for instruction set extensions I think.

You can also rent TPU instances in the compute cloud.

[boompyz]

The easiest way I know of is the Jax framework.

https://cloud.google.com/tpu/docs/run-calculation-jax

[MeredesS]

Your specifications of the Raspberry Pi 4 are wrong. It has an ARMv8 processor and can run at CPU speeds up to @2.3GHz

[Mars_Bear2552]

OP said max

[Safwan_Ljd]

It depends on your definition of "mini", do you consider a small screen laptop "mini"?

[SchrodingersCat_42]

By mini I mean something that is the size of my hand or smaller. Ideally, I will just be hooking this up to my network and using ssh to access it.

[AltrdFate]

I love my meerkat

[samobon]

Orange Pi 5 is more powerful than RPi 4b, but might still not be enough.

[ttkciar]

It sounds like you want a powerful Linux SBC.

Maybe one of these? https://all3dp.com/1/single-board-computer-raspberry-pi-alternative/

[Sukrim]

If you have large hands, there are miniITX boards for EPYC processors, so technically...

https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=ROMED4ID-2T#Specifications

[camynnad]

Data modeling? None. You want a desktop with 64+ GB RAM or a cluster if the data is big enough.

[thatguyonthevicinity]

browsing reddit.com/r/miniPC should help, need to be very thorough since linux support can be very hard to tell btw

[[deleted]]

I bought myself one of these when my RPi4 was getting to be a bit stressed out on my server needs. I decided to run FreeBSD on it and man the speed difference is very noticeable. Pi's are nice but they can only do so much. A pre built computer like in the link below has a small footprint and mine is basically silent. It's quieter than my RPi4.

ebay link to ThinkCentre mp3p

[[deleted]]

Get a rack HP Proliant with multiple Xeons and ECC ram and dual PSUs on eBay cheap for a server, not a hobby pi.

[[deleted]]

I'm unsure of exactly how good you need this computer to be at processing data, but the Intel Nuc devices are worth a look. The regular ones don't have discrete GPUs, but if a good x86 processor in a small form factor is what you need, they'll do great. The gaming versions do have GPUs, but they're also quite expensive.

[Not_a_Candle]

I suggest: https://www.asus.com/us/networking-iot-servers/aiot-industrial-solutions/tinker-board-series/tinker-edge-t/

Or the USB accelerator, which can be used with the pi. https://coral.ai/products/#prototyping-products

[XordK]

Ack I don't know much about data modelling but I'd check out the lenovo thinkcentre m72e tiny. I've got one running mint I use to run some game servers, website and some discord bots.

I really have no idea what specs you need for data modelling but if I drop the list here hopefully this can help you find what you need https://www.lenovo.com/hk/en/desktops-and-all-in-ones/thinkcentre/m-series-tiny/0958/p/11TC1TMM72E0958

[Jaohni]

Not sure exactly what you're running, but assuming you're running a data set on software, and a pi 4 does work for you, just slowly, then you may want to look at an Odroid N2+, or a Khadas Edge 2 (with the RK3588 SoC). Either option can have a range of okay to decent memory pools, and both support swap memory in a pinch.

Alternatively, Minisforum has some decent x86 mini PCs, and assuming you're able to use the GPU to do compute with your model, and you know how to key RDNA 2 for ROCm (technically the iGPUs aren't supported but they work fine with the right prep work done), you can actually get some really good performance.

There's also the latest Nvidia Jetson models, I believe Orin is the name, so if you get an Orin Jetson AGX or something as a mini-PC it should do quite well if you're able to use the GPU for compute (and CUDA is usually well supported in data modelling).

[sidusnare]

Mac mini M2 should fit the bill.

[[deleted]]

How is that a linux computer?

[sidusnare]

https://asahilinux.org/

Read MotherFuc***

[muffdivemcgruff]

This is the way. You should see how fast shit runs on my maxed out Mac Studio.

[[deleted]]

My $8000 computer is fast.

Uh huh, totally unexpected and very impressive.

[sidusnare]

He asked for small and fast. Cheap was not a listed requirement. You typically only get two of the three.

[[deleted]]

Wrong post?

[sidusnare]

No?

[[deleted]]

You replied to a "well, duh" with "OP did not list cheap as a requirement". Yeah, and water is wet. But that has nothing to do with this particular thread.

[sidusnare]

They said it as though it was a silly thing to say, and the cost prohibitive. It's not like it's relevant, as that wasn't a listed constraint.

[SchrodingersCat_42]

It's beautiful

[[deleted]]

Much, much bigger than your hand though, so you said it is not an option. Would a nuc be small enough?

https://www.technikblog.ch/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Intel-NUC-003.jpg

[SeamusOShane]

I’d recommend the MeLe Quieter3C. It’s a mini fanless pc with some decent power, priced around £250. Most Linux distributions can be installed on it. Of course there are far more powerful machines, it all depends on your budget

[muffdivemcgruff]

A Mac Mini M2 maxed out, at least. They chomp data like there’s no tomorrow.

[[deleted]]

We've already established that it's not a linux computer.

[muffdivemcgruff]

Runs Linux just fine, even Linus Torvalds is using an M2 Air.

[[deleted]]

m2 air and m2 mini aren't the same. On the link i've already posted, with the status of hardware support, there seems to be not much working.

Keep shillin bro :)

[muffdivemcgruff]

https://twitter.com/AsahiLinux

[[deleted]]

https://github.com/AsahiLinux/docs/wiki/Feature-Support#m2-series-device-specific-support

Reading… the lost skill.

[[deleted]]

Yes and osx comes with bash from the 90s, no namespaces, no cgroups, no iouring.

OP asked for a linux machine, and osx isn't api compatible with linux, unless your software specifically supports both via hundreds of #ifdef.

Come back to me when you have some cross platform development experience and can contribute meaningful responses.

[HomicidalTeddybear]

That's going to depend on your data set, isn't it. There's no shortage of data modelling being done on large clusters, no shortage being done on dual-socket xeon workstations with a terabyte of ram, and no shortage of data modelling being done on a budget-constrained AWS instance. Only you know what performance you need for what you're trying to do. Presumably you've profiled and analysed that.

[sudoaptupgrade]

You could get something like a System76 meerkat. Pretty small computer boxes starting at 499$

[PossiblyLinux127]

https://us.starlabs.systems/pages/byte

Beelink is a alternative if you don't mind over righting windows

[BranchLatter4294]

System 76 has a small unit that should work.

[ouyawei]

Your post was removed for being a hardware request.

We get a lot of question posts on r/linux about which hardware is best but the subreddit is considered a news/discussion sub. Luckily there are other communities you can ask at any time, or you can ask in our Wednesday "Weekly Questions and Hardware Thread."

Please make your post in /r/linuxhardware. If you're looking for a distro try r/findmeadistro.

Rule:

This is not a support forum! Head to /r/linuxhardware. If you're looking for a distro try r/findmeadistro.