Here's a conversation I just had:<p>I want office hours with a
hardware engineering
professor.<p>Hey! Welcome to office hours, how can I help?<p>What is the most cost-efficient architecture for an Internet-scale search engine?<p>The most cost-efficient architecture for an Internet-scale search engine would likely be a distributed system, where each node in the system is responsible for a portion of the overall data set. This would allow for horizontal scaling, where more nodes can be added to the system as needed to handle increased traffic.<p>Which server brands do you recommend for the same?<p>For an Internet-scale search engine, I would recommend using a distributed system with server nodes from multiple brands. This would allow you to scale horizontally as needed to handle increased traffic. Custom hardware may offer higher performance per watt for the same functions that can be specified in software.<p>Is overclocking a server a good idea?<p>Overclocking a server can potentially increase its performance, but it also comes with risks. Overclocking can lead to stability issues and can shorten the lifespan of the server.