SC36

SC36 — 44-Core Dual-Xeon CFD Node for Small ANSYS Fluent Cases

The SC36 node offers access to our dual-Xeon platform for ANSYS Fluent at an entry memory budget, pairing two Intel® Xeon® E5-2699 v4 CPUs — 44 cores and 88 threads in total — with 16 GB of RAM. It's the most accessible way onto this high-core platform, suited to small cases, testing, and learning where the mesh fits comfortably in 16 GB. When you want to work on the dual-Xeon platform with small cases, SC36 is the entry point.

It is the entry-memory tier on our dual-Xeon platform: a high core count paired with a lean memory budget, and a clear, easy step up to more memory when your cases grow.

Specifications

SC36 uses two Xeon E5-2699 v4 CPUs in a dual-socket system: 44 cores total at 2.2 GHz base (3.6 GHz turbo) with 55 MB of cache per CPU — enterprise-class Broadwell-EP silicon. The 16 GB of RAM is a lean, entry-level budget, so SC36 is matched to small cases that fit comfortably within it.

What's included with SC36

Every SC36 rental comes with extras to help you get the most from it:

• A comprehensive CFD course, free — a full training course to sharpen your simulation skills, included at no extra cost.

• One month of Claude AI Premium — AI assistance to support your engineering, scripting, and problem-solving.

• One hour of free CFD consultation — direct time with our CFD engineers to help set up, troubleshoot, or optimize your case.

These come standard with the node — practical support alongside the compute.

What this node is built for

SC36 is the entry-memory tier on our dual-Xeon platform. It suits:

• Small cases — meshes that fit comfortably within 16 GB.

• Learning and testing — getting familiar with the platform and with parallel solving on a budget.

• Light steady runs — simple models where memory needs are minimal.

• Quick checks and setup work — preparing and validating before moving a larger case to a higher-memory node.

For small cases that fit in 16 GB, Fluent partitions your mesh across the cores and solves it directly. Bear in mind that very small meshes may not benefit from all 44 cores — parallel overhead can outweigh the gain when there are few cells per core — so SC36 is best thought of as small-case and learning-focused.

Cores vs. memory: choosing SC36

SC36 pairs a high core count with a lean memory budget, and in CFD memory is usually the binding limit. Memory sets the largest mesh you can run — roughly 1 GB of RAM per million cells for a typical steady, single-phase case — while cores determine how fast it solves. With 16 GB, SC36 is matched to small cases; for most real workloads, a higher-memory tier on the same platform will serve you far better.

• Ready for real work? Step up the same 44-core dual-Xeon platform: SC33 (64 GB), SC34 (96 GB), SC35 (128 GB), or SC59 (1 TB).

• Want even more memory? See SC56 (1 TB high-memory).

• Want GPU acceleration? Our GPU tiers (the SG series) run Fluent's native GPU solver.

Tell us your cell count and physics, and we'll match you to the tier that fits. SC36 is best for small cases and getting started; as soon as your meshes grow, stepping up in memory is the right move — and easy to do.

Fast SSD storage

The two 500 GB SATA SSDs deliver responsive read/write for loading case files, writing solution data, and handling autosaves — keeping a solve from being held up by slow disk I/O. (For larger datasets or very I/O-heavy work, our higher-capacity and NVMe-equipped nodes offer more room and speed.)

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. On a single dual-socket node, that communication runs over fast on-board interconnects between the two CPUs rather than a network, keeping parallel overhead low. On SC36, the small cases that fit in 16 GB are best solved across a portion of the cores — for tiny meshes, using fewer cores can actually be more efficient than spreading them too thin.

Why rent instead of buy

For small CFD cases and getting started on the dual-Xeon platform, SC36 gives you an accessible entry point — plus a free course, a month of Claude AI Premium, and a consultation hour — with an easy step up to a higher-memory node the moment your meshes grow.

How it works — you're in full control

SC36 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 SC36 node.

2. Set up your simulation — load your geometry and case, configure your solver settings, and run ANSYS Fluent.

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

Who is SC36 for?
Anyone working with small CFD cases, learning the platform, or testing parallel setups on a budget — where the mesh fits comfortably in 16 GB.

How large a mesh can it handle?
With 16 GB of RAM, plan for small meshes — on the order of a few million 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). For larger cases, a higher-memory tier is the right choice. Send us your case and we'll advise.

Why so many cores with only 16 GB?
SC36 is the entry point onto a high-core platform. For small cases the cores are there, but memory is the binding limit — so for most real work, stepping up to SC33, SC34, SC35, or SC59 (same platform, more memory) gets far more out of those 44 cores. We'll help you pick.

Is my data kept confidential?
Yes. Your geometry, case files, and results stay private to you, treated as strictly confidential — and because you run everything yourself over remote desktop, your work stays under your control throughout.

Get started with SC36

If you want an accessible entry onto the dual-Xeon platform for small CFD cases — with a free CFD course, a month of Claude AI Premium, and a consultation hour included — SC36 is built for exactly that.

Contact MR CFD for remote-desktop access to SC36 — and we'll help you confirm it's the right tier for your simulation.