{"id":12515,"date":"2021-08-03T16:57:27","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T14:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=12515"},"modified":"2022-04-04T13:24:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T11:24:12","slug":"combine-processing-power-two-computers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Combine the Processing Power of Two (or more) Computers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668449e87f226\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668449e87f226\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668449e87f226\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Benefits_of_Combining_Multiple_PCs_Processing_Power\" title=\"Benefits of Combining Multiple PCs\u2019 Processing Power\">Benefits of Combining Multiple PCs\u2019 Processing Power<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#How_is_processing_power_combined_A_high-level_view\" title=\"How is processing power combined? (A high-level view)\">How is processing power combined? (A high-level view)<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Latency\" title=\"Latency\">Latency<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#What_Kind_of_Performance_Can_Be_Combined\" title=\"What Kind of Performance Can Be Combined?\">What Kind of Performance Can Be Combined?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#CPU\" title=\"CPU\">CPU<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#GPU\" title=\"GPU\">GPU<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Other\" title=\"Other\">Other<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#What_Workloads_Can_Be_Run_On_Multiple_PCs\" title=\"What Workloads Can Be Run On Multiple PCs?\">What Workloads Can Be Run On Multiple PCs?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Can_the_Processing_Power_of_Two_PCs_Be_Combined_for_Gaming\" title=\"Can the Processing Power of Two PCs Be Combined for Gaming?\">Can the Processing Power of Two PCs Be Combined for Gaming?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#What_about_Streaming\" title=\"What about Streaming?\">What about Streaming?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#How_to_Combine_the_Processing_Power_of_Multiple_PCs\" title=\"How to Combine the Processing Power of Multiple PCs\">How to Combine the Processing Power of Multiple PCs<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Over_the_Network\" title=\"Over the Network\">Over the Network<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Software_Capabilities\" title=\"Software Capabilities\">Software Capabilities<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Render_Managers\" title=\"Render Managers\">Render Managers<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Parallel_Virtual_Machine\" title=\"Parallel Virtual Machine\">Parallel Virtual Machine<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Message_Passing_Interface\" title=\"Message Passing Interface\">Message Passing Interface<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Does_Combining_the_Performance_of_Multiple_PCs_Make_Sense\" title=\"Does Combining the Performance of Multiple PCs Make Sense?\">Does Combining the Performance of Multiple PCs Make Sense?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Can_I_Combine_My_Laptops_and_PCs_Processing_Power\" title=\"Can I Combine My Laptop's and PC's Processing Power?\">Can I Combine My Laptop's and PC's Processing Power?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Can_You_Sell_Your_Computers_Processing_Power\" title=\"Can You Sell Your Computer\u2019s Processing Power?\">Can You Sell Your Computer\u2019s Processing Power?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Utilize_the_Processing_power_of_multiple_PCs_through_Online_Render_Farms\" title=\"Utilize the Processing power of multiple PCs through Online Render Farms\">Utilize the Processing power of multiple PCs through Online Render Farms<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/combine-processing-power-two-computers\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>What\u2019s faster than one PC? Well, two (or more) PCs, right?<\/p>\n<p>Yes and no.<\/p>\n<p>As so often, it depends on your workloads.<\/p>\n<p>And even if your workloads are suited for running on multiple PCs, how can you combine their processing power, anyway?<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll go through different workloads \u2013 from rendering to gaming \u2013 and see when it\u2019s beneficial for you to combine multiple PCs - and how to do so.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Combining_Multiple_PCs_Processing_Power\"><\/span>Benefits of Combining Multiple PCs\u2019 Processing Power<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s see what you can gain from utilizing the resources of multiple PCs, and whether or not it\u2019s worth it for your use cases.<\/p>\n<p>Connecting computers and pooling their resources together is done for three main reasons:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>So you can continue using your primary PC without slowdowns<\/strong>.<br>\nThis way, you can carry on working on your next project, or even gaming, while your, e.g., rendering or other processing tasks are running on the secondary computer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>To speed up extremely time-consuming tasks<\/strong>.<br>\nSome tasks might just take terribly long to complete. Yes, I am looking at you &#8220;Rendering&#8221; and &#8220;Simulating&#8221;.Such tasks can usually be separated into sub-tasks and assigned to different computers to be run simultaneously - often leading to a near-linear time-decrease per added PC. The bottleneck here is network connection latency, though, but for well-parallelized workloads this can be negligible.<\/li>\n<li><strong>For safety &amp; reliability reasons<\/strong>.<br>\nThere may be a process that you don\u2019t want to be interrupted, so why not have a secondary computer that can take over if your first one crashes? This can save you from any potential data loss or time delays that can set back a project, or an ongoing process (like a live streaming session).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_is_processing_power_combined_A_high-level_view\"><\/span>How is processing power combined? (A high-level view)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Combine&#8221; is a bit of a misleading word here. If I were to truly combine 2 PCs, I would expect the result to be <em>one<\/em> PC that is twice as powerful.<\/p>\n<p>Well, combining processing power doesn't quite work this way. You don't assemble or combine hardware physically.<\/p>\n<p>It's more of a <em>connecting<\/em> of 2 or more PCs, so you can &#8220;utilize the performance of both individual PCs as well as possible, with some ease-of-use&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>For simplicity's sake, we\u2019ll measure the processing power of a PC by how long it takes to complete one task. This task can be e.g. rendering a Video (Image sequence).<\/p>\n<p>If one PC takes 1 hour to render our Video, then two PCs will optimally take just 30 minutes to complete the rendering. If you had 10 PCs, then that Video rendering will be done in just 6 Minutes.<\/p>\n<p>This is an optimal case.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if you start the video rendering on your first PC, there\u2019s no way for all the other PCs to know yet, that they should help out with this task.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll have to connect them and tell them to talk to each other.<\/p>\n<p>There are many ways to connect PCs, but the most used and easiest one is through a network connection. You go out, buy a switch and some LAN Cables, and hook them all up to each other.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12628\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined.jpg\" alt=\"How is processing power of multiple PCS combined\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-825x464.jpg 825w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-420x236.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12628 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201149%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"How is processing power of multiple PCS combined\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1149\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201149%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-768x431.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-825x464.jpg 825w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined-420x236.jpg 420w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-is-processing-power-combined.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Servers work the same way. A single server is just a fancy word for a Computer in a different form-factor and intended use-case, and they are all hooked up to each other through a network connection.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Latency\"><\/span>Latency<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Of course, a Network (or any kind of) connection introduces <em>latency<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The farther data has to travel, the larger latency becomes (in layman's terms).<\/p>\n<p>The distance within a PC is very small, so data travel is extremely short (e.g. between one PC's CPU and RAM). But from one PC to another PC over suboptimal wires (LAN cables), is a lot slower.<\/p>\n<p>So what we have to do to circumvent the latency bottleneck as much as possible, is make sure the PCs can do as much work as possible <em>on their own<\/em>, before having to talk over the LAN cable to other PCs again.<\/p>\n<p>This also means that not all tasks can be easily parallelized. Only tasks that can be easily divided into independent sub-tasks. More on that later.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Kind_of_Performance_Can_Be_Combined\"><\/span>What Kind of Performance Can Be Combined?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s begin by looking into what particular components of your secondary PC you can use and benefit from the most.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12633\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup.jpg\" alt=\"Uses Cases of a dual PC setup\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12633 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Uses Cases of a dual PC setup\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Uses-Cases-of-a-dual-PC-setup.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CPU\"><\/span>CPU<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re going to be delegating a rendering task to a secondary computer, chances are you will need its CPU power.<\/p>\n<p>The best CPU for rendering is one that has a high core count, with fast clock speeds.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a second PC that\u2019s sitting around, then you can make use of what you already have, even if it doesn\u2019t have a CPU that is purpose-built with your workloads in mind.<\/p>\n<p>But if you want to plan out a new build based on optimizing the processing power of a secondary PC\u2019s CPU, you\u2019ll want to make sure it has the best specifications for the task.<\/p>\n<p>This is where our article on the <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-cpu-for-rendering\/\">best CPUs for rendering<\/a> will come in handy.<\/p>\n<p>So to recap: You'll be able to make use of a second PC's CPU, but depending on its performance, the benefit might not be that great.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GPU\"><\/span>GPU<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If your workloads are more so dependent on GPU performance (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-hardware-for-gpu-rendering-in-octane-redshift-vray\/\">GPU Rendering<\/a>), then a second, unused GPU can help you immensely in alleviating resources from, or adding to, the resources of your main PC.<\/p>\n<p>And PCs can drive more than just a single GPU. With HEDT Workstation builds that can function as <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-to-build-your-own-render-farm\/\">render nodes<\/a>, you can add up to 4 GPUs per (desktop) PC.<\/p>\n<p>If rendering workloads are on your daily task list, you'll be happy to know that some render engines even support hybrid rendering. This means that, in addition to the performance of a second PC's GPUs, you can also make use of the CPU's processing power as well.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12078\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering.jpg\" alt=\"CPU vs GPU rendering - which should you choose\" width=\"1280\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering-768x405.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12078 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201280%20675%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"CPU vs GPU rendering - which should you choose\" width=\"1280\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201280%20675%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering-768x405.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/05\/CPU-vs-GPU-rendering.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Here's our comparison guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/cpu-vs-gpu-rendering\/\">CPU vs GPU rendering<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other\"><\/span>Other<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Though the secondary PC will most likely be used either for its CPU or GPU, there are some cases where hardware components without direct processing capabilities can be of use.<\/p>\n<h4>Storage<\/h4>\n<p>For example, you can use additional storage units to create a Network Attached Storage (NAS) system, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/raid-levels-explained\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RAID<\/a> configuration, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.promax.com\/blog\/best-raid-for-nas-storage-overlap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">or both<\/a>, through an Ethernet connection.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12467\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations.jpg\" alt=\"Raid Configurations\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-768x768.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12467 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%201500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Raid Configurations\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%201500%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations-768x768.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/07\/Raid-Configurations.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Also, having a PC relegated as a file server will allow you to access your data through multiple devices, and create redundancy that will keep your files safe.<\/p>\n<p>This might not be combining &#8220;processing power&#8221; as much as it is &#8220;making best use of independent resources&#8221;, though.<\/p>\n<h4>RAM \/ VRAM<\/h4>\n<p>In some cases, you may also be able to utilize the RAM (Memory) of a secondary device.<\/p>\n<p>RAM is connected to the CPU via a high-speed bus so that it can be accessed in an instant.<\/p>\n<p>If the CPU of one computer were to access RAM from another, it would take a considerable amount of time that would make the entire process pointless.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you assign a sub-task to a second PC and have the CPU use the RAM of that PC to complete the task, you can free RAM storage from your main computer.<\/p>\n<p>This is done automatically, though, and goes hand in hand with utilizing the processing power of the CPU or GPU (and its VRAM) of a secondary PC.<\/p>\n<p>So, indirectly, you can use the System Memory or Graphics Memory of a secondary PC as well.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Workloads_Can_Be_Run_On_Multiple_PCs\"><\/span>What Workloads Can Be Run On Multiple PCs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at some of the most common tasks that you can carry out using multiple-computer setups:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>3D Rendering<\/li>\n<li>Video Rendering<\/li>\n<li>Simulations<\/li>\n<li>Batch-processing<\/li>\n<li>Cryptocurrency Mining<\/li>\n<li>Image Sequencing<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-pc-machine-learning\/\">Machine Learning<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Streaming<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And you can add to this list any other workloads that can be split into independent sub-tasks.<\/p>\n<p>Why sub-tasks?<\/p>\n<p>Remember what we said about latency above? The less talking we have to do through the network, the faster processes can be completed.<\/p>\n<p>If a simple task needs<strong> 1 second<\/strong> to get data through a network, a task that consists of 1 million such simple tasks would take forever.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if this simple task would get data not through a network, but from their <em>local Memory<\/em>, this request would take just <strong>10 nanoseconds<\/strong>! 100000000 times faster.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>So our main goal has to be to reduce the amount of talking over the network.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We can do that by taking a big task, and splitting it up into <strong>independent<\/strong> sub-tasks.<\/p>\n<p><em>Independent<\/em>, so that an individual PC can work on this sub-task without the need for <em><strong>any<\/strong> <\/em>network access (until the job is completed and the result is sent back to the host).<\/p>\n<p>Let's make an example. A workload\/task that <em>can be <strong>easily<\/strong> parallelized<\/em>:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Image processing (e.g. Batch scaling images to a different resolution). <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you want to resize 1000 Images, on 4 PCs, there's nothing easier than just have each PC resize 250 Images.<\/p>\n<p>The task of resizing 1000 Images can be easily split up into 1000 sub-tasks. Every single image resizing being one sub-task.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rendering a 3D Animation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This works the same way. Rendering an Animation that consists of 100 Frames, can be easily split up into 100 individual sub-tasks. The Rendering of 1 Frame being the sub-task.<\/p>\n<p>If you had 100 PCs this 100 Frame animation would render 100 times faster than on just a single PC (optimally).<\/p>\n<p>What if we had 101 PCs? Or 1000 PCs? Would this help?<\/p>\n<p>No!<\/p>\n<p>Because sub-tasks can't be easily split further, having more PCs than sub-tasks will not help speed up the process.<\/p>\n<p>This brings us to the next section:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_the_Processing_Power_of_Two_PCs_Be_Combined_for_Gaming\"><\/span>Can the Processing Power of Two PCs Be Combined for Gaming?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>This is an example of a task that <em>can't<\/em> be split up into sub-tasks:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Gaming<\/strong>: You can't split up running a Game into sub-tasks that would benefit from running on multiple PCs. Because of Latency.<\/p>\n<p>Say you would want to use the Graphics Card on your secondary PC to compute the graphics, instead of the main PC that is running your Game.<\/p>\n<p>Because the GPU needs to access 3d model data, scene data, textures, animations of a given level in real-time, 60 times (or more) per second, your network connection is just too slow and has unsuitable latency to send back the required rendered frames in that short of a time. You'd encountered abysmal lag.<\/p>\n<p>Any task that requires real-time interaction is usually unsuitable for running on multiple PCs.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you could just launch the game on your second PC, and remote \/ screen share and control that second PC from your first PC, but that's not really combining any processing power. That's just playing on your second PC and controlling it from your first.<\/p>\n<p>You have much less latency, but you still have <em>some<\/em> latency, as the finished, rendered frames still have to be sent to you through the network to display on your first PC's monitor. (This is how online Streaming Games like Google's Stadia works, by the way).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_about_Streaming\"><\/span>What about Streaming?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There is a case where connecting two PCs can be useful for gamers. If you love to stream your gaming achievements to an audience, then delegating the streaming task to a second PC can be incredibly useful.<\/p>\n<p>To use the terms we introduced above: Running the Game is one (sub-)task, running the stream is another (sub-)task. Although this doesn't scale perfectly, you have two tasks, and streaming can be outsourced to a second PC without any issues.<\/p>\n<p>Not only does it free up resources from your master machine \u2013 allowing your CPU and video card to focus on processing the gaming application \u2013 but it also provides a safety net.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12629\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC.jpg\" alt=\"How to setup a secondary streaming PC\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12629 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"How to setup a secondary streaming PC\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/How-to-setup-a-streaming-PC.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>If your PC crashes, the second computer can still run the stream in real-time, uninterrupted. Viewers will still see you crystal clear, even if the game stopped entirely.<\/p>\n<p>In order to stream using two PCs, you will need a specific peripheral called a <a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"AVerMedia Live Gamer Portable 2 Plus, 4K Pass-Through, 4K Full HD 1080p60 USB Game Capture, Ultra Low Latency, Record, Stream, Plug &amp; Play, Party Chat for XBOX, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch (GC513)\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/recommends\/avermedia-live-gamer-portable-2-plus-4k-pass-through-4k-full-hd-1080p60-usb-game-capture-ultra-low-latency-record-stream-plug-play-party-chat-for-xbox-playstation-nintendo-switch-gc513\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener noreferrer\">capture card<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This connects to both gaming and streaming computers. It captures the audio and video from the gaming PC and outputs it to the streaming PC so it can be processed by a streaming application like OBS or XSplit.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intel.com\/content\/www\/us\/en\/gaming\/resources\/dual-pc-streaming.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tutorial by Intel<\/a> that goes through the entire process in detail.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Combine_the_Processing_Power_of_Multiple_PCs\"><\/span>How to Combine the Processing Power of Multiple PCs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alright, so let\u2019s say you need to combine PCs, how can you get it done? Well, there are different methods you can use, some more straightforward and simple than others.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_the_Network\"><\/span>Over the Network<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve already talked a bit about network connections.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s perhaps the simplest way to hook up multiple PCs to each other. From here, you can use the devices in a Homegroup network (Windows) so you can share files and peripherals.<\/p>\n<p>This is also the step that allows certain specialized software (e.g. the Render Manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awsthinkbox.com\/deadline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thinkbox Deadline<\/a>) the ability to harness the computational power of both your PCs through application-specific capabilities.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Connect-Two-Computers-Together-with-an-Ethernet-Cable\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Here's a Guide<\/a> to getting started with any Hardware \/Software Setup for enabling LAN connections.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Software_Capabilities\"><\/span>Software Capabilities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>These specialized applications will allow using network-connected PCs to help in processing a <em><strong>specific<\/strong> <\/em>workload.<\/p>\n<p>For example, certain 3D render engines \u2013 like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6ADgf_ARS_o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OctaneRender<\/a> \u2013 will have a \u201cnetwork render\u201d option. Using this option from the settings will allow you to send rendering tasks to a second computer with the click of a button (After some setup).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12630\" style=\"width: 831px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12630\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12630 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2.jpg\" alt=\"Octance Network render Settings\" width=\"831\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2.jpg 831w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2-768x578.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 831px) 100vw, 831px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12630\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12630 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20831%20625%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Octance Network render Settings\" width=\"831\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20831%20625%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 831w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 831px) 100vw, 831px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2.jpg 831w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2-768x578.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Octance-Network-render-2.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-12630\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Octane's Network Rendering Option - Image-Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/home.otoy.com\/render\/octane-render\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Otoy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Render_Managers\"><\/span>Render Managers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Because you might have more than just <em>one specific workload <\/em>that you\u2019d like to distribute across your network PCs, a third-party Render Manager makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>Render Managers are Tools that can manage processing jobs for a wide variety of Software. They queue, distribute and assign jobs based on different PCs\u2019 processing capabilities and collect the result for further use.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to make the investment and build your own Render Farm then your computers can become Render Nodes. These Render Nodes are subsequently controlled by a Render Manager.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12499\" style=\"width: 1410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12499\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12499\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1.png\" alt=\"A Renderfarm is controlled through a Rendermanager such as Thinkbox Deadline\" width=\"1410\" height=\"880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1.png 1410w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1-1024x639.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1-768x479.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12499\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12499 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201410%20880%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"A Renderfarm is controlled through a Rendermanager such as Thinkbox Deadline\" width=\"1410\" height=\"880\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201410%20880%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1410w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1.png 1410w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1-1024x639.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1-768x479.png 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2020\/05\/monitor_preview1.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-12499\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Renderfarm is controlled through a Rendermanager such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awsthinkbox.com\/deadline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thinkbox Deadline<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>As denoted by its name, this application manages any rendering processes and allows you to assign the task through any device in the Render Farm.<\/p>\n<p>One such Render Manager application is Thinkbox\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.awsthinkbox.com\/deadline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If creating a Render Farm sounds like the right choice for you, make sure to check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-to-build-your-own-render-farm\/#comments\">ultimate guide to creating a Render Farm<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Parallel_Virtual_Machine\"><\/span>Parallel Virtual Machine<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Two widely used forms of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Distributed_computing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Distributed computing<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Concurrent_computing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">concurrent<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Parallel_computing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">parallel<\/a>) are:<\/p>\n<p>The Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) and the Message Passing Interface (MPI). These are a bit more complex and difficult to set up.<\/p>\n<p>A PVM allows you to connect heterogeneous computers (basically PC\u2019s with different hardware architecture; think AMD vs Intel) for concurrent operations.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on this subject, you\u2019ll want to visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netlib.org\/pvm3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">netlib<\/a>, where you\u2019ll find the appropriate software and several in-depth tutorials.<\/p>\n<p>Do be warned that these tutorials are highly technical in nature.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Message_Passing_Interface\"><\/span>Message Passing Interface<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When it comes to MPI, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virtualbox.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VirtualBox<\/a> is where it\u2019s at. You can use this application to connect multiple guest machines into a unified virtual machine.<\/p>\n<p>VirtualBox also allows you to create guest operating systems on a device, which can give you the opportunity to test applications on different operating systems (if compatibility is an issue).<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you\u2019re using a Mac but the application you want to run only works on Windows, you can install a virtual OS and connect your separate computers to that OS and have them execute the application.<\/p>\n<p>I know this sounds complicated, but it really is easier than it sounds.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, though, you\u2019re always bound by the bottleneck a Network Connection introduces.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Combining_the_Performance_of_Multiple_PCs_Make_Sense\"><\/span>Does Combining the Performance of Multiple PCs Make Sense?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As discussed, this depends on the workloads you're running.<\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Can your workload be divided into independent sub-tasks? (<strong><em>good<\/em><\/strong> for distributing across multiple PCs)<br>\nExamples - Passive tasks such as Rendering, Batch-Processing<\/li>\n<li>Or are your workloads highly latency-dependent? (<strong><em>bad<\/em><\/strong> for distributing across multiple PCs)<br>\nExamples - Active tasks such as Gaming, Active Work within a Software Application<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>That\u2019s your answer right there.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12631\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs.jpg\" alt=\"Workloads that can easily be distributed across multiple PCs\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12631 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Workloads that can easily be distributed across multiple PCs\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Workloads-that-can-easily-be-distributed-across-multiple-PCs.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_Combine_My_Laptops_and_PCs_Processing_Power\"><\/span>Can I Combine My Laptop's and PC's Processing Power?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Sure! Laptops are just PCs in a different Form Factor, so all of the above applies to them as well.<\/p>\n<p>Their lower performance capabilities compared to desktop PCs or Servers, though, wouldn\u2019t make them my first choice.<\/p>\n<p>If you already have one, feel free to use it, don\u2019t buy an extra Laptop, though, for increasing your performance.<\/p>\n<p>The performance per Dollar will always be worse in Laptops. They are made for mobility reasons first and foremost.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Sell_Your_Computers_Processing_Power\"><\/span>Can You Sell Your Computer\u2019s Processing Power?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Since a Distributing Computing system can work via the cloud, your PC can also become a node on any such network.<\/p>\n<p>In return for accessing your computer\u2019s processing power, you can be compensated depending on your PC\u2019s hardware, and the number of hours you lease it.<\/p>\n<p>There are also Scientific Research Projects that distribute tasks, such as simulating Protein features, onto thousands of worldwide home PCs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foldingathome.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Folding @home<\/a> is a well-known Project that you can take part in with very little setup.<\/p>\n<p>There are also Render Farms that work by utilizing Home-PCs. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheepit-renderfarm.com\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sheep-It Renderfarm<\/a> is such an example.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12632\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12632\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-12632\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power.jpg\" alt=\"Lend your computers processing power\" width=\"500\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power-877x1024.jpg 877w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power-768x896.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12632\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-12632 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20584%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Lend your computers processing power\" width=\"500\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20500%20584%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power-877x1024.jpg 877w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power-768x896.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2021\/08\/Renting-your-computer_s-processing-power.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-12632\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">With the Sheepit Renderfarm you can make your PC's resources available to others<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Payment isn\u2019t always monetary, though, in such Projects. You might be granted other means of compensation such as to render points.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Utilize_the_Processing_power_of_multiple_PCs_through_Online_Render_Farms\"><\/span>Utilize the Processing power of multiple PCs through Online Render Farms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you need to complete easily parallelizable tasks quickly, it may be wise to use an online Render Farm.<\/p>\n<p>A Render Farm refers to a cluster of computers (Render Nodes) that are connected via a LAN network connection and accessed remotely.<\/p>\n<p>Such Render Farms can be used via the cloud (online), through various companies that offer their rendering and processing services for a price.<\/p>\n<p>Here is our list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-online-render-farms\/\">best online Render Farms<\/a>. This article also has tips on how to assess whether it\u2019s worth it for you to rent one of these services, or just <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-to-build-your-own-render-farm\/\">build your own Render Farm<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Combining the processing power of two or more PCs is something that can greatly improve your efficiency, speed up your workloads, and reduces the risk of data loss or time loss.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, it can be somewhat complicated for beginners to set up, but - for the right tasks - it can also be worth every minute, and every penny, spent.<\/p>\n<p>Just remember: this is a method used mainly for dividing a process into sub-tasks and distributing them to different machines so that they can be executed simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t make your main PC more powerful.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span>Over to You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Are you planning on connecting multiple computers? Are you having any trouble choosing which method is best for your needs?<\/p>\n<p>Feel free to ask us in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a> below! You can also check our <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\">expert forum<\/a> for any previous posts on the subject that may have already been answered, or create a post of your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s faster than one PC? Well, two (or more) PCs, right? Yes and no. As so often, it depends on your workloads. And even if your workloads are suited for running on multiple PCs, how can you combine their processing power, anyway? In this article, we\u2019ll go through different workloads \u2013 from rendering to gaming...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":12627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74,232],"tags":[118,122,117],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12515"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12515"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17160,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12515\/revisions\/17160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}