So sánh mainframe computer và supercomputer

What’s the difference between mainframe and supercomputers? It’s a question that many can’t answer without explaining what exactly they are and their respective uses. So let’s take a deep dive by comparing a mainframe computer vs a supercomputer.

What is a Mainframe computer?

Mainframe computers are large high-speed databases used for storage, transaction processing, and data processing. Many large organizations also use these computers for various bulk data processing tasks. These tasks include censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, large-scale transaction processing, etc.

A mainframe computer also supports numerous workstations and peripherals in terms of hardware. They can even have multiple operating systems simultaneously. Mainframe computers are very fast, but not as fast as supercomputers.

They are cheaper than supercomputers making them pretty economical. Mainframe computers can also operate millions of instructions simultaneously and serve basic purposes effectively.

Supercomputers are large high-speed computers used to solve complex algorithmic tasks and mathematical equations. They also play an essential role in many fields, including quantum mechanics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling, physical simulations, etc.

Supercomputers are also the world’s largest and most expensive computers in terms of hardware. In terms of software, most supercomputers run Linux-based OS. They also have multiple CPUs to achieve high computational speeds.

What sets these computers apart is their use of vector arithmetic, which lets them do various complex tasks simultaneously with high speed and accuracy. Each one is also purpose-built for specific tasks. Supercomputers are also capable of executing billions of instructions in just a second.

You can check out the top 500 supercomputers by going to this link.

Mainframe Computers vs Supercomputers

Mainframe ComputerSupercomputersUsed to store large databases, transaction processing, and simultaneously serve as a maximum number of users.They are used to solve complex algorithmic tasks and mathematical equations.Executes millions of instructions are executed simultaneously.Execute billions of instructions within a second.Mainframe computer’s speed is fast but not as fast as Supercomputers.Supercomputers are faster than mainframe computers.Mainframe computers are smaller than supercomputers. They are similar in size to refrigerators. Supercomputers are the world’s largest computers. They can take up entire floors of a building.Mainframe computers are less costly than supercomputers and reasonably economical.Supercomputers are the world’s most expensive computers. Can run multiple operating systems simultaneously.Most supercomputers run Linux-based OS.Mainframe computers are built to handle a large variety of tasks.Built for a particular taskProcessing speed ranges from 3-100 MIPS.Processing speed ranges from 100-900 MIPS.

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Nalin is a tech writer who covers VR, gaming, awesome new gadgets, and the occasional trending affairs of the tech industry. He has been writing about tech and gaming since he started pursuing Journalism in college. He has also previously worked in print organizations like The Statesman and Business Standard. In his free time, he plays FPS games and explores virtual reality.

Both of these are the most powerful types of computers developed to date. There is a fundamental difference between Supercomputer and Mainframe Computer based on their size, performance, operations, and many more. In this article, we will discuss the same. But let us first understand a bit about both of these as well.

Both types of computers perform different tasks. Supercomputers basically focus on faster computing for the mathematical operations that might be complex in nature. The mainframe computer, on the other hand, acts like a server. It offers multiprogramming, many I/O devices, and provides support for large DB (databases).

What is a Supercomputer?

These types of computers are the largest when it comes to computer sizes. Thus, they are the most expensive ones in the market. Seymour Cray basically invented the supercomputer. These assist in various complex and large computations of mathematics. As compared to the mainframe computers, their speed is also pretty high. It means that a supercomputer can feasibly perform the execution of billions of instructions in just a second (or floating-point instructions).

What is a Mainframe Computer?

These types of computers are also pretty advanced, but they are comparatively smaller in size than the supercomputers. Also, the mainframe computers are slower in speed and help in storing large amounts of databases in them. These computers are pretty economic and serve basic purposes effectively. IBM invented the first-ever mainframe computer. It performs a simultaneous execution of millions of instructions together, and yet, it offers a slower speed than the supercomputers. Still, these are pretty fast.

Difference Between Supercomputer and Mainframe Computer

Parameters Supercomputer Mainframe Computer Basics and Implementation The primary function of a supercomputer is to perform various large computations of mathematics that might be complex in nature. The primary function of a mainframe computer is the storage of large amounts of databases in them. Invention Seymour Cray invented the first successful Supercomputer back in 1976- known as the Cray 1. IBM came up with the first-ever mainframe computer. It is still the most popular company that develops these computers. Speed These can feasibly perform the execution of billions of floating-point operations in just a second. These can perform simultaneous execution of millions of instructions at the same time. Size These are basically the largest computers till today in the world. These are also pretty large but smaller than the supercomputers in size. Expense These are the most expensive type of computers in the world. These are also comparatively more expensive than a majority of computers but cheaper than supercomputers. OS (Operating Systems) Supercomputers (modern ones) make use of the Linux OS and its derivative variants. A typical mainframe computer is capable of running multiple OS simultaneously. Performance The performance of these computers is faster and much better. It is because of their ability to execute billions of operations per second. These can simultaneously execute and perform millions of operations together- but they are slower and less efficient than supercomputers.

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