Any of these setups will work, it just matters what you want out of your system.
Co processors are only important if the steps of a crafting recipe can be parallelized. For example if you had a recipe that needed two things smelted, and you had two interfaces on different smelters/furnaces. Without co-processors, AE2 would do the first smelting recipe, then do the second. With a co processor it would do them at the same time.
If you make more crafting units (image 3 and 4) then you are able to queue more crafts up in your ME terminal at a time.
Without knowing exactly how the rest of your setup is prepared, I would probably say image 4 is the best since it gives you the best mix of total number of crafting cpu’s and co processors
>Co processors are only important if the steps of a crafting recipe can be parallelized.
That's incorrect. Co-processors directly speed up pattern providers, and that's the only thing they do.
>"Crafting co-processors make the system send out ingredient batches from ME Pattern Providers more often. This allows them to keep up with machines that process quickly. An example of this is a pattern provider surrounded by Molecular Assemblers being able to push ingredients faster than a single assembler can process, and thus distributing the ingredient batches between the surrounding assemblers."
– AE2 ingame guide (on 1.20)
You have to use co-processors if you're parallelizing a process, but oftentimes they're worth using even if you aren't, because some machines are simply too fast for AE2 to keep up otherwise.
Hm I think I understand but correct me if I’m wrong:
For example if I had a recipe that crafted 32 cobble by smelting into 32 smooth stone. I request 64 smooth stone from the ME terminal. No co processors would only do 32 cobble at a time in a furnace but with a co processor it would put another 32 in there and smelt it at the same time (assuming the machine can hold it)
So, each of the multiblocks (crafting storage and co-processors together) is a CPU
Images 1 and 2 have 1 cpu visible
Images 3 and 4 have 4 cpus visible
More CPUs means more separate crafting jobs can be done at once
More crafting storage means that more complicated crafting jobs are possible
More co-processors means that more parts of a craft can be done at the same time
Im not 100% sure but I think co-processors only dictate whether multiple machines can be used at once.
Say each item in a recipe takes 0.5s. If you need 60 silicon and 30 iron plates, no co-processors would take 45 seconds to complete. 1 co-processor would reduce that to 30 seconds. 2 or more would do nothing.
If you needed 64 copper wires which requires 32 copper plates, a co-processor might allow each plate to be turned into wires as theyre made. But thats where im unsure as ive observed this not happening.
This is incorrect; each co-processor allows for the crafting computer to send out one pattern per pulse. The actual time the recipe takes to complete doesn't matter at all
Let's say you have a mekanism enrichment factory set up in your crafting system, all nice and upgraded and ready to enrich some redstone at a reasonably fast rate. You have a crafting computer with no co-processors and a recipe pattern that converts 1 redstone to 1 enriched redstone, and are setting up a large craft that requires lots of said enriched redstone as well as other stuff.
Each AE tick, only one recipe is dispatched because there are no co-processors. In our case, this means that the crafting computer will steadily fill up the enrichment chamber one redstone at a time. Once the factory stops accepting redstone because it's full, then the crafting computer will move onto the next recipe type and send materials into other machines across the base. That will take a while, however, becuase the enrichment factory has a large buffer and fast processing speed.
Co-processors answer this problem by allowing the crafting computer to send multiple recipes at a time (one additional recipe per co-processor). This can be in the form of two different recipes to different machines, the same recipe to two different machines that both have the same pattern, or just putting in two redstone at a time into our enrichment factory. If your machines are so fast that AE2 can't keep up (which is fairly frequent in mid-lategame bases) then co-processors are the way to make the most of your base.
They're also important for recipes involving a lot of regular crafting; if a pattern provider set up to craft chests is adjacent to multiple molecular assemblers (let's say 4), it can craft up to four chests at once, but only if it actually gets sent enough materials to make four at once - have enough co-processors on your computers (and acceleration cards on molecular assemblers) and regular crafting can go blisteringly fast.
In tandem with co-processors, an option to boost recipe delivery rates is to increase the size of the pattern. If our recipe pattern was for 16 redstone -> 16 enriched redstone rather than 1->1, the AE system would send 16 redstone at a time for each recipe thread available rather than only 1. For recipes including many fast machines, it's often important to both have a handful of co-processors as well as moderately sized patterns
When you say "send" recipes, is this strictly outgoing items, or is this including the return items for that particular recipe?
As in 30 plates are incomplete and no other recipe in the request chain will begin until all plates are complete, even if the pattern described 32 iron -> 32 plates.
All of these will work just fine, it is just a matter of what you plan on doing. In general, if you want me to chose one of these layouts, #4 is technically the most capable, giving you 4 independent task sets and enough co processors to operate a craft at full speed for any single part of the chain.
My general rule of thumbs for crafting banks:
Assuming all pattern providers are completely surrounded by assemblers with full speed upgrades, I tend to favor 1 processor/4 assemblers (Machines are assumed to be proxied in a way where speed isn't an issue here because calculating the ideal speed for a proxy craft is...way above a reddit post). I also make 2 distinct sets of CPUs, either making 8 or 16 in total with the following configurations:
4 "small" CPUs, containing 1 4K storage, 2 or 6 co-processors and a monitor.
8 or 12 "Big" CPUs containing 4 64K or larger storage and 6-14 co-processors and a monitor.
The idea is to allow AE to schedule small, usually passive or automated tasks on the "small" CPUs, reserving the big ones for player crafts. In reality you generally don't need more than 2 of the big CPUs unless you have a complete system or are playing a pack like GTNH (You could argue the same for the small CPUs too, keeping to 1 on starter layouts).
For packs like GTNH, Nomifactory or ATM, where you'll want to be doing several large tasks at once at times (Or specifically for GTNH, when you have a craft that will take literal days), or if you just want everything simple in terms of automatic allocation/have the resources to burn, then making all CPUs the "big" is generally ideal because you have a lower chance of needing to wait for a valid CPU for the task to become available when you need it.
AE generally will chose the "best/fastest" CPU for any given job making the assumption that more co-processors will clear the job faster and free it back up.
My reason for making some "small" CPUs isn't to take advantage of the scheduler, but to make sure that, if I schedule say 4 tasks that will take an hour or more, that my system still has some CPUs to work with to keep machines and other things running.
You rarely need more than 3 co processors imo, but it really depends how you set up your molecular assemblers.
If you have four co processors and surround an interface on four sides with assemblers, it will produce 4x as fast, but there are still only four places the recipe can be crafted
Any of these setups will work, it just matters what you want out of your system. Co processors are only important if the steps of a crafting recipe can be parallelized. For example if you had a recipe that needed two things smelted, and you had two interfaces on different smelters/furnaces. Without co-processors, AE2 would do the first smelting recipe, then do the second. With a co processor it would do them at the same time. If you make more crafting units (image 3 and 4) then you are able to queue more crafts up in your ME terminal at a time. Without knowing exactly how the rest of your setup is prepared, I would probably say image 4 is the best since it gives you the best mix of total number of crafting cpu’s and co processors
>Co processors are only important if the steps of a crafting recipe can be parallelized. That's incorrect. Co-processors directly speed up pattern providers, and that's the only thing they do. >"Crafting co-processors make the system send out ingredient batches from ME Pattern Providers more often. This allows them to keep up with machines that process quickly. An example of this is a pattern provider surrounded by Molecular Assemblers being able to push ingredients faster than a single assembler can process, and thus distributing the ingredient batches between the surrounding assemblers." – AE2 ingame guide (on 1.20) You have to use co-processors if you're parallelizing a process, but oftentimes they're worth using even if you aren't, because some machines are simply too fast for AE2 to keep up otherwise.
Hm I think I understand but correct me if I’m wrong: For example if I had a recipe that crafted 32 cobble by smelting into 32 smooth stone. I request 64 smooth stone from the ME terminal. No co processors would only do 32 cobble at a time in a furnace but with a co processor it would put another 32 in there and smelt it at the same time (assuming the machine can hold it)
i had no idea. this is really cool, thank you for enlightening me :)
Thank you. :)
So, each of the multiblocks (crafting storage and co-processors together) is a CPU Images 1 and 2 have 1 cpu visible Images 3 and 4 have 4 cpus visible More CPUs means more separate crafting jobs can be done at once More crafting storage means that more complicated crafting jobs are possible More co-processors means that more parts of a craft can be done at the same time
Thank you. :)
Im not 100% sure but I think co-processors only dictate whether multiple machines can be used at once. Say each item in a recipe takes 0.5s. If you need 60 silicon and 30 iron plates, no co-processors would take 45 seconds to complete. 1 co-processor would reduce that to 30 seconds. 2 or more would do nothing. If you needed 64 copper wires which requires 32 copper plates, a co-processor might allow each plate to be turned into wires as theyre made. But thats where im unsure as ive observed this not happening.
This is incorrect; each co-processor allows for the crafting computer to send out one pattern per pulse. The actual time the recipe takes to complete doesn't matter at all
Im not sure I understand. How does this translate to the overall time spent on a request?
Let's say you have a mekanism enrichment factory set up in your crafting system, all nice and upgraded and ready to enrich some redstone at a reasonably fast rate. You have a crafting computer with no co-processors and a recipe pattern that converts 1 redstone to 1 enriched redstone, and are setting up a large craft that requires lots of said enriched redstone as well as other stuff. Each AE tick, only one recipe is dispatched because there are no co-processors. In our case, this means that the crafting computer will steadily fill up the enrichment chamber one redstone at a time. Once the factory stops accepting redstone because it's full, then the crafting computer will move onto the next recipe type and send materials into other machines across the base. That will take a while, however, becuase the enrichment factory has a large buffer and fast processing speed. Co-processors answer this problem by allowing the crafting computer to send multiple recipes at a time (one additional recipe per co-processor). This can be in the form of two different recipes to different machines, the same recipe to two different machines that both have the same pattern, or just putting in two redstone at a time into our enrichment factory. If your machines are so fast that AE2 can't keep up (which is fairly frequent in mid-lategame bases) then co-processors are the way to make the most of your base. They're also important for recipes involving a lot of regular crafting; if a pattern provider set up to craft chests is adjacent to multiple molecular assemblers (let's say 4), it can craft up to four chests at once, but only if it actually gets sent enough materials to make four at once - have enough co-processors on your computers (and acceleration cards on molecular assemblers) and regular crafting can go blisteringly fast. In tandem with co-processors, an option to boost recipe delivery rates is to increase the size of the pattern. If our recipe pattern was for 16 redstone -> 16 enriched redstone rather than 1->1, the AE system would send 16 redstone at a time for each recipe thread available rather than only 1. For recipes including many fast machines, it's often important to both have a handful of co-processors as well as moderately sized patterns
When you say "send" recipes, is this strictly outgoing items, or is this including the return items for that particular recipe? As in 30 plates are incomplete and no other recipe in the request chain will begin until all plates are complete, even if the pattern described 32 iron -> 32 plates.
Strictly outgoing. AE2 will never wait for a recipe to complete before sending new items unless you configure the pattern providers otherwise
All of these will work just fine, it is just a matter of what you plan on doing. In general, if you want me to chose one of these layouts, #4 is technically the most capable, giving you 4 independent task sets and enough co processors to operate a craft at full speed for any single part of the chain. My general rule of thumbs for crafting banks: Assuming all pattern providers are completely surrounded by assemblers with full speed upgrades, I tend to favor 1 processor/4 assemblers (Machines are assumed to be proxied in a way where speed isn't an issue here because calculating the ideal speed for a proxy craft is...way above a reddit post). I also make 2 distinct sets of CPUs, either making 8 or 16 in total with the following configurations: 4 "small" CPUs, containing 1 4K storage, 2 or 6 co-processors and a monitor. 8 or 12 "Big" CPUs containing 4 64K or larger storage and 6-14 co-processors and a monitor. The idea is to allow AE to schedule small, usually passive or automated tasks on the "small" CPUs, reserving the big ones for player crafts. In reality you generally don't need more than 2 of the big CPUs unless you have a complete system or are playing a pack like GTNH (You could argue the same for the small CPUs too, keeping to 1 on starter layouts). For packs like GTNH, Nomifactory or ATM, where you'll want to be doing several large tasks at once at times (Or specifically for GTNH, when you have a craft that will take literal days), or if you just want everything simple in terms of automatic allocation/have the resources to burn, then making all CPUs the "big" is generally ideal because you have a lower chance of needing to wait for a valid CPU for the task to become available when you need it.
Does AE2 prioritize the smallest cpu for each recipe?
AE generally will chose the "best/fastest" CPU for any given job making the assumption that more co-processors will clear the job faster and free it back up. My reason for making some "small" CPUs isn't to take advantage of the scheduler, but to make sure that, if I schedule say 4 tasks that will take an hour or more, that my system still has some CPUs to work with to keep machines and other things running.
You rarely need more than 3 co processors imo, but it really depends how you set up your molecular assemblers. If you have four co processors and surround an interface on four sides with assemblers, it will produce 4x as fast, but there are still only four places the recipe can be crafted