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Subject: Re: Crap statement refuted about parallel speedup

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 06:57:21 09/19/01

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On September 19, 2001 at 07:18:28, Tony Werten wrote:

>On September 18, 2001 at 18:27:01, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On September 18, 2001 at 17:19:54, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>
>>>On September 18, 2001 at 16:53:30, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On September 18, 2001 at 14:45:45, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>
>>>[snip]
>>>
>>
>>That is correct.  If you can produce a speedup of > 2x, using 2 cpus, you
>>have a bug, or an anomaly position.  It is simply not possible.  If you
>>are _really_ doing that, you should modify your single-cpu version as
>>follows:
>>
>>search normally until you would choose to use a second process if you had one.
>>From this point forward, time-slice between two search threads.  Search one
>>node on one, one on the other.  That should run twice as fast, since it is
>>_exactly_ how the program really does on the SMP platform.
>>
>>And that will _not_ work unless you have either the world's worse sequential
>>search algorithm, or the world's buggiest parallel search algorithm.
>>
>>Before you label a statement as ridiculous, find me _one_ person that will
>>side with you and say that "yes, it is possible to get a > 2 speedup using
>>only two cpus on anything but anomaly positions.  Find _one_ person that will
>>agree...
>>
>
>Just for fun, I'll give it a try. I'm probably wrong but maybe you can point out
>where I go wrong.
>
>To make it more obvious I'll make the numbers a bit more extreme.
>
>Vincent says that in 85% of the cases the first move is the cutoff move, that
>means in 15% it's not. Now suppose the cutoff move is always the second move and
>that it's an easy cutoff.
>
>Normally you would search the first move (say 15 seconds) then the second (say 5
>sec) total is 20.
>
>Now 1st and second are searched parallel, second causes cutoff after 5 secs,
>first get's stopped. Total time 5 secs. 4 times faster.


Here is the problem.  That works in 15% of the time.  What about the _other_
85% of the time?  You search two moves.  You only need to search the first to
get a cutoff.  85% of the time you search double the stuff you _need_ to search.
Net result:  way slower.



>
>Funny thing: The worse your first cutoff rate is, the bigger the speedup.
>

True of course.  And well-known.  But today's programs (mine at least)
gets a cutoff on the first move 92% of the time.  That leaves only 8%
for improvement.


>cheers,
>
>Tony



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