I am trying to run a protein-ligand molecular dynamic simulation for 100 nanoseconds. I would like to know if it could be run on an 8 GB RAM laptop. Do we need superior computers?
Running a molecular dynamics simulation, especially when it involves protein-ligand interactions, is a task that demands substantial computational resources. Your query revolves around the feasibility of executing such a simulation for a duration of 100 nanoseconds on a laptop equipped with 8 GB of RAM. The straightforward answer is that it might be challenging, if not outright unfeasible, depending on the specifics of your system and the intricacy of the simulation.
The size of your system, meaning the number of atoms in your protein-ligand complex, will have a significant bearing on the resources required. The more atoms you have, the more memory and computational power you'll need. Furthermore, simulations can be conducted at varying levels of detail. Those that account for every single atom, known as all-atom simulations, are naturally the most resource-intensive.
The choice of software and algorithms for your simulation can also have distinct computational demands. Some software packages are optimized for specific hardware configurations or can harness GPU acceleration, which can considerably expedite the simulation process.
Lastly, the rate at which you intend to save your data will influence the disk space you'll need and could potentially slow down the simulation.
Given all these factors, an 8 GB RAM laptop might fall short for a detailed 100-nanosecond simulation of a protein-ligand system. If you're aiming to run such a simulation, you might find yourself in need of a more robust computer or even a high-performance computing cluster. If you don't have access to such resources, exploring cloud computing options or seeking time on a supercomputing facility might be worthwhile avenues.