Hardware Benchmarking

Introduction

We frequently get asked, "What is the minimum or recommended hardware to use for TUFLOW modelling". This is always a tricky question, as the answer depends on the type and size of the models you are going to be running! For a small model, TUFLOW should run on any modern PC or laptop that is capable of running Windows XP or later. However, for large models there may be requirements for a hefty computer running a 64 bit version of Windows.
The tables below showing computer specifications and model run-time should help you compare systems.
In this page we outline a hardware benchmark model which is available to download from the TUFLOW website the model can be simulated without a TUFLOW dongle (licence). This makes it easy to benchmark on a range of computers and the results are complied below.
We have typically found that the CPU speed is the largest influence on TUFLOW runtimes, with the RAM speed also having an influence for large models. In order to quantify this we are compiling the computational times required for a range of different machines.

Benchmark Model

The benchmark model is based on a “challenge” issued prior to the 2012 Flood Managers Association (FMA) Conference in Sacramento, USA. There is more information on the model setup and purpose in the FMA challenge model introduction.
This hardware benchmark is based on the second challenge which involves a coastal river in flood with two ocean outlets. The model has been modified slightly (mainly in terms of the outputs). It is setup to run use both the TUFLOW "classic" (CPU) and TUFLOW GPU (graphics card) solvers for a range of cell sizes.
Cell sizes

Cell Size (m)	Number of cells
30	80,887
15	323,536
10 (GPU only)	727,865

The model runs for three days of simulation time (72 hours). The approximate run time for the 30m model on the CPU is likely to be ~20min and for the 15m version approximately 4 hours. Given the runtime for the CPU model at 10m resolution is likely to be > 12 hours, this is skipped in the benchmark (this can also be run with a licence).
To participate in the benchmark, please follow the steps below:

• Download the model from http://www.tuflow.com/Download/TUFLOW/Benchmark_Models/FMA2_GPU_CPU_Benchmark.zip
• Extract the model on a local drive of the computer you would like to benchmark.
• Navigate to the TUFLOW\runs\ folder and run the "Run_Benchmark.bat" file. This checks if you are running a 32 or 64 bit system and then runs the benchmark. This also generates some output files that contain more information on the processor, memory and GPU that you are using.
• Email the _ TUFLOW Simulations.log, cpu.txt, ram.txt and GPU.txt files to support@tuflow.com and we will includes these in the results tables below.
  

In order to be able to run the GPU model am nVidia graphics card that is CUDA compatible is required. For more information on this please see the release notes.
The computer information is determined in the batch file using the wmic and dxdiag commands.

CPU Results

The following table summarises the runtimes for a range of computers. More will be added when additional results are obtained. The table is ordered based on the combined runtimes with the fastest computers at the top of the table.
Runtimes for CPU benchmarks

Processor Name	Processor Frequency (GHz)	RAM size (GB)	RAM frequency (MHz)	Runtime 30m (mins)	Runtime 15m (mins)	Combined Runtime (mins)
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz	4	32	2400	20.1	219.8	239.9
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4670 CPU @ 3.40GHz	3.4	8	1600	23.9	256.7	280.7
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3740QM CPU @ 2.70GHz	2.7	16	1600	31.7	301.5	345.8
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K CPU @ 3.30GHz	3.3	64	2133	29.2	317.1	348.1
Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1240 V2 @ 3.40GHz	3.4	32	1600	39.0	334.4	373.3
2 x Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X5680 @ 3.33GHz	3.33	64	1333	40.5	368.9	409.4

GPU Results

The following table summarises the runtimes for a range of computers. More will be added when additional results are obtained. The table is ordered based on the combined runtimes with the fastest computers at the top of the table.
The GPU benchmark only uses a single GPU card. TUFLOW GPU can be run across multiple nVidia GPU devices. However, the benefits of these are typically more noticeable for larger models with more than 1 million cells. It is likely this benchmark will be extended to include a huge model in the future.
Runtimes for GPU benchmarks

Processor Name	Graphic Card	GPU RAM (GB)	Number of CUDA Cores*	Runtime 30m (mins)	Runtime 15m (mins)	Runtime 10m (mins)	Combined Runtime (mins)
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K CPU @ 4.00GHz	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980	4	2,048	1.4	7.8	24.4	33.6
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K CPU @ 3.30GHz	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980	4	2,048	1.8	8.7	25.2	35.7
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4670 CPU @ 3.40GHz	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770	2	1,536	1.9	11.5	36.8	50.1
Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1240 V2 @ 3.40GHz	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690	2	1,536	2.3	13.7	43.6	59.6
2 x Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X5680 @ 3.33GHz	NVIDIA Tesla C2075	1.2	448	3.4	19.1	58.4	80.9
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3740QM CPU @ 2.70GHz	NVIDIA NVS 5200M	1	96	12.7	89.3	303.2	405.2

 * it is noted that the number of CUDA cores is not provided as an output from the '''dxdiag''' command and this information has been sourced from the nvidia website.<br>
** Need to check overclocking speeds

Discussion

More will be added when the tables above are populated.