SC121 — High-Clock 8-Core CFD HPC Node with 128 GB Memory for ANSYS Fluent

The SC121 node is built for a different kind of speed. Instead of stacking cores, it steps up the clock — a single AMD EPYC 4345P running 8 cores and 16 threads up to 5.5 GHz, so every core Fluent uses does more work per cycle. Paired with 128 GB of RAM and 2 × 1.88 TB NVMe SSD, it's the tier to choose when your case needs a lot of memory, doesn't scale efficiently past a handful of cores, or leans on fast per-core throughput more than raw parallel count.

Where a many-core node wins by spreading a case across dozens of cores, SC121 wins by making each core faster — and by giving you four times the memory headroom to fit cases a 32 GB node simply can't hold.

Specifications

The headline here isn't core count — it's clock speed and memory. 5.5 GHz boost is well above the per-core speed of our many-core nodes, and 128 GB is four times the RAM of the standard 32 GB tier. Fewer cores means less to split a mesh across, but each one finishes its share of the work faster, and you have far more room before memory becomes the limit.

What this node is built for

SC121 is the clock-and-memory tier: maximum per-core throughput plus room for cases that outgrow smaller nodes. It suits:

• Cases that don't scale well across many cores — fine near-wall meshes, heavy per-cell physics, or workflows where adding more MPI ranks stops paying off; single-core speed does more here than core count.

• Large meshes that need memory more than core count — 128 GB fits cases a 32 GB node can't load at all, regardless of how many cores are solving them.

• UDF-heavy and serial-bottlenecked solves — parts of a case that don't parallelize well are gated by single-core speed, and that's exactly where 5.5 GHz pays off.

• Meshing, geometry cleanup, and post-processing — much of this work runs on just a few threads, so raw clock speed does more for turnaround than extra cores sitting idle.

• Transient, LES, and DES runs writing heavy data — NVMe storage keeps large data files and frequent autosaves from slowing down the solve.

Clock speed & memory vs. core count: choosing SC121

A Fluent solve's speed comes from both clock speed and core count together. SC121 trades core count for a much higher per-core clock and far more memory. Choose SC121 when:

• Your case doesn't scale efficiently past a small number of cores, and

• Your case needs more than 32 GB to fit, or you want the fastest possible per-core throughput on the cores you do have.

If instead your case is core-hungry — it scales well across 20+ MPI ranks and comfortably fits in 32 GB — a many-core node will out-solve SC121 on wall-clock time, since more cores sharing a case that parallelizes well beats fewer, faster ones. As a rough guide, Fluent needs about 1 GB of RAM per million cells for a typical steady, single-phase case, so with 128 GB, SC121 comfortably covers meshes well beyond what a 32 GB node can hold — into the tens to low hundreds of millions of cells for simpler physics, fewer for transient or multiphase cases with many transported scalars.

Tell us your cell count, physics, and what matters most — clock speed, memory, or raw parallel throughput — and we'll point you to the right tier.

Fast NVMe storage

The two 1.88 TB NVMe SSDs give substantially higher read/write throughput than SATA SSDs, plus nearly 3.76 TB of combined capacity. That means faster loading of large case and data files, quicker autosaves, and room to keep multiple case variants or a full DOE sweep's output on disk without constantly clearing space — useful on a node that's already built to move fast.

How parallel solving works on this node

When you run Fluent in parallel, the solver partitions your mesh across the available cores (using algorithms such as METIS), each core solving its share of cells and exchanging boundary data each iteration via MPI. With only 8 cores sharing the mesh, each one carries a larger slice of the work than it would on a many-core node — which is exactly where a 5.5 GHz clock speed shows up in the numbers: less time spent per core on its share of the cells each iteration.

Why rent instead of buy

For engineers whose cases are memory-hungry or bottlenecked by single-core speed rather than parallel scaling, SC121 delivers the clock and the memory — and you can still move to a many-core node when a job calls for spreading across more cores instead.

How it works — you're in full control

SC121 is yours to drive directly. You connect to the node over a secure remote desktop connection and run everything yourself, exactly as you would on a local workstation:

1. Connect via remote desktop — you get full remote access to the SC121 node.

2. Set up your simulation — load your geometry and case, configure your solver settings, and run ANSYS Fluent with all 8 cores at your command.

3. Run and monitor in real time — start, pause, adjust, and watch the solution as it progresses, with complete control throughout.

4. Keep your results — post-process on the node or download your solution and data files whenever you're ready.

You have full authority over the node for the duration of your rental: we provide the hardware and the support, and you run the simulations your way.

Frequently asked questions

How is SC121 different from a many-core node? Fewer cores (8 vs. 16–20+), but a much higher per-core clock (up to 5.5 GHz) and four times the memory (128 GB vs. 32 GB). SC121 wins when your case doesn't scale well past a handful of cores, or when memory capacity — not core count — is what's limiting you.

Will fewer cores hurt my solve time? Only if your case would otherwise scale well across many cores. If your case is memory-bound or doesn't gain much from extra MPI ranks, SC121's clock speed makes better use of the cores it has.

How large a mesh can it handle? With 128 GB of RAM, plan for meshes well into the tens to low hundreds of millions of cells for simpler steady single-phase cases, fewer for transient or multiphase physics (about 1 GB of RAM per million cells is a good starting estimate). Send us your case for a precise answer.

What if I need both a huge core count and huge memory? We offer many-core and high-memory nodes for cases that need to scale across dozens of cores and hold very large meshes at the same time — we'll recommend the right tier, or a multi-node setup, for your specific case.

Is my data kept confidential? Yes.

Get started with SC121

If your cases are held back by memory limits or single-core bottlenecks rather than a shortage of parallel cores, SC121's clock speed and memory are built for exactly that.

Contact MR CFD to run your ANSYS Fluent case on SC121 — and we'll help you choose between clock speed, memory, and core count for your simulation.