Spec me a folding rig?

[Ph4lanx]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to get into folding, and already have run some test runs on my server at home, but I want to build a dedicated folding rig.

I was wondering how cheap and decent can a folding rig get without being too OTT in terms of cost?

My basic look and feel would be:

2 x GPU
Antec 300 case (for size!)
Decent processor to handle possibility of upgrading to 4 GPUs at some point.
Processor to handle up to 4 GPUs
Mobo to handle up to 4 GPUs
Decent PSU to handle all this.

 

[SiriusB]

GPU clients do not use much CPU at all, so any half-decent quad core will do. Find the weebeastie thread - that monster has 4 GPUs so lots of tips there

EDIT: Here it is: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18125782

Scroll down a bit and you will find the full spec shown in the photos.

 

[Ph4lanx]

Fair enough, but then I can run the SMP clients for the CPU stuff anyway, so that's all good

 

[miniyazz]

AMD is probably your best bet unless you're looking for ultimate performance,in which case i7. is still the way to go. You can get a decent AMD motherboard with 4 GPU slots for the price of the cheapest X58,and it'll support the (fairly cheap) six-core AMD CPUs if you're so inclined. GPU-wise, dual-slot cards will be quieter than single-slot but you won't fit as many in. Best PPD/£ you'd be looking at probably 8800GTs and the like. wee beastie is the way to go though for ultimate folding performance.

 

[Ph4lanx]

I'm no ultimate builder I'm afraid. i just wanted to build a machine to do my bit

What motherboard/CPU would you go for if it's AMD then? I've never actually used AMD, so a bit lost with them

 

[dekez]

What sort of budget do you have?

 

[dekez]

In terms of motherboard something with 4 dual slots is ideal, as it will give you the option to go nuts later when (sorry if) you get addicted

I used a second hand MSI K9A2 Platinum in my folding rig: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18054110,

but it's getting a little old now so there may be better more future proof options now (I'm afraid I know little about AMD as well)

 

[Ph4lanx]

Erm, I don't really have a budget, but any (what you think) reasonable price I am happy to work towards.

 

[Frozennova]

Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX - 169.99

AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 630 2.80GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail - 82.99

OCZ Gold Low Voltage 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3G1600lV4GK) - 99.99

4 x Zotac GeForce 9800 GT Synergy 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card - 69.99

Samsung SpinPoint F1 250GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD251HJ) - 28.99

Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black- 44.99

Corsair TX 750W ATX SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-750TXUK) - 100.99

Comes to around £810 plus delivery.

You can probably save a little on the mobo but im unsure of what 4 pci-e slot boards are available.

That athlon quad should be fine as I'm using a dual and it produces roughly 2500ppd with one GPU (2-3% cpu usage)

The Graphics cards could be swapped with something secondhand like GTX260s or even 8xxx/9xxx parts saving around £150 but it would still yield plenty of points.

 

[Ph4lanx]

Thanks for the starting point frozennova, I'll work on your template I think Looks solid. i'll see what can be swapped out mate. Cheers for the help.

 

[Frozennova]

The points I'm currently dumping are from the Athlon II X2 and 8800GT in my sig so you should be looking at 20-25k per day on the above setup, higher if you swap it out for better GPUs

EDIT: Oh and I've just realised you said 2 GPUs to begin with in OP not 4 so that would save £140 or give you better cards whichever route you decided to take

 

[Ph4lanx]

I was considering swapping out the GPUs for some 8800GT's actually, so that's good to hear. Cheers.

 

[miniyazz]

8800GT = 9800GT = 8800GT

 

[Ph4lanx]

Not in 2nd hand price they're not

 

[Ph4lanx]

Am I right in thinking I don't actually need SLI? Just plug the cards in and designate each process to a particular GPU right?

 

[TheTross]

I've read somewhere that you can leave SLI enabled for folding, though not having tried it myself I'm not sure. But no, you don't need it to be enabled.

By the way, welcome to the team

EDIT: This is where I saw it.

 

[SiriusB]

I am sure I read that others had issues with GPU folding and SLI! Too lazy to search for a link

However, since you aren't gaming it is a moot point. You will however need some dummy plugs if you are going to use Vista or Windows 7. The driver requirements MS imposed on Nvidia means you have to have a monitor plugged into each card if you intend to expand the display to those outputs [required to make F@H work].

You have two options to solve this:

1: Dummy plugs per this link: http://www.overclock.net/overclock-net-folding-home-team/384733-30-second-dummy-plug.html
2: Plug a monitor into each GPU! If you have a monitor with dual input you can use each cable on a different GPU.

 

[verbal]

..or just use XP

 

[Ph4lanx]

..or just use XP

Sounds easier

 

[Ph4lanx]

I've read somewhere that you can leave SLI enabled for folding, though not having tried it myself I'm not sure. But no, you don't need it to be enabled.

By the way, welcome to the team

EDIT: This is where I saw it.

Looks like they solved the need to have dummy plugs in that post aswell!