Building a super computer...

[hickc]

GPU miners are not going to be viable in the future as soon as the reward halving drops, so keeps this in mind when planning your next great super computer build.

[Luno]

The OP was asking about a render / physics simulation farm, not a mining rig. If they have a warrant on a suspected grow up, they'll leave empty handed. If they don't have a warrant, you don't let them  in or discuss anything with them in the door. Though your neighbours might think then that something strange is going on in your apartment. If the law suspect any type of computer crime going on, they are able to check you out without bothering you

[Envious]

You can rent GPU clusters from Amazon.

[b!z]

You'd be surprised at how many states in the U.S. have some sort of "open-carry" policy. In a lot of states you're usually ok to open-carry your weapons so long as you do so responsibly.

Yes, you will get the occasional person who will call the cops freaked about the "guy with the gun" but when the police approach so long as you make it obvious that you are not dangerous, you are licensed to open carry (if necessary to be licensed in your state) and so long as your weapon is holstered in an obvious location where it can be seen.

Is that even related to OP building a supercomputer?

[c4n10]

You'd be surprised at how many states in the U.S. have some sort of "open-carry" policy. In a lot of states you're usually ok to open-carry your weapons so long as you do so responsibly.

Yes, you will get the occasional person who will call the cops freaked about the "guy with the gun" but when the police approach so long as you make it obvious that you are not dangerous, you are licensed to open carry (if necessary to be licensed in your state) and so long as your weapon is holstered in an obvious location where it can be seen.

Is that even related to OP building a supercomputer?

You obviously didn't read past the original post...

[underminer]

I don't think gpu mining can be written off just yet, especially for people like the poster who will need to be running the equipment regardless.

[Cm5xng]

Unless your location where this super computer is being built does not look like a farm house it should be fine.

[FbBitcoinLottery]

you say you want to use their idle time to mine... you can leave the miners running... the miner will only use the processing power that you are not using...

[Shadow383]

The OP was asking about a render / physics simulation farm, not a mining rig. If they have a warrant on a suspected grow up, they'll leave empty handed. If they don't have a warrant, you don't let them  in or discuss anything with them in the door. Though your neighbours might think then that something strange is going on in your apartment. If the law suspect any type of computer crime going on, they are able to check you out without bothering you

If they suspect computer crime, they'll take EVERYTHING.
Happened to a mate of mine when his torrent site got closed down rather abruptly 

[Hydrogen]

Police view excessively high electricity consumption as a sign of indoor marijuana growing operations.  I guess you could erect solar panels, a windmill or other alternative energy source to feed your farm as a means of distributing your power generation and lowering electricity consumption footprint in an effort to avoid drawing attention. 

Having a basement and using a crane to lower your machines into it, would make them difficult to steal without a crane.

Modifying the doors and windows of the room you're storing equipment in to be too small to fit your hardware through them could also be an option?  Its hard to steal stuff that is too big to fit through an open doorway.

Vicious attack dogs could add yet another abstraction layer of security to your existing model.

Insurance and backdoors installed on the hardware which dial home in the event hardware is stolen and reconnected could represent yet another means of eventually eliminating theft but unfortunately not doing much to compensate for intervals of downtime between thieveries.

[Bitznbitz]

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/39622
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/67109

/thread

I'mma take care them thar claim jumpers!!

[reyals]

Don't make your equipment visible from any windows. Don't tell anyone about your equipment. Get renter's/homeowner's insurance.

As far as the police, you can call your power company and let them know what's up, but that's probably not necessary.

Thanks for the response   My biggest concern related to theft, is that someone will break in hoping to score a laptop & TV, but stumble upon the servers, and stealing those too.  Do you think it'd be good enough to have the rack bolted/welded into the floor and each individual server locked into the rack cabinet?

Thanks for the idea on calling the power company!  I probly never would've thought of that xD


@ mufa23:
haha that'll work while I'm home, but not while I'm away! xD  + I already got a shotgun with .00 buckshot & a .40 glock

How would you not have thought of that?
Have you even considered how much electricity '700 pounds' of equipment is going to pull?  You're probably going to have to have the electrical company run you a special connection (assuming they will) for all the power you're going to need.