Adding an Nvidia 8400gs to system

demonstag

demonstag

demonstag

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Joined
18 Dec 2005
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Hi Guys,

I have a spare 8400GS card and tried to add it so that I could use it to fold, I installed 256.15 driver and everything is fine in win 7, I then tried to set it up through F@H Tracker. However I get the following message after 20seconds of enabling the card:

Folding @ Home has encountered a serious error running the core. and will shut down.

How do I get the card to work? :confused: I currently have an ATI HD 6950/70 running as primary and have had no issues
 
Not to put a downer on this, but I don't think the 8400GS will meet deadlines for all the work units. Folding 24/7 it will make some, possibly even most, but definitely not all of them.
Have you got the fahlog.txt output? That might give a more specific error message to help find out why it won't fold.
Finally, I've never tried folding on both ATI and Nvidia at the same time so I'm not sure if that will work - disregard this if you've already checked though heh.
 
This is the FAHLog:

# Windows GPU Console Edition #################################################
###############################################################################

Folding@Home Client Version 6.30r1

http://folding.stanford.edu

###############################################################################
###############################################################################

Launch directory: C:\Users\Scott\Downloads\Folding@Home\FAH_GPU_Tracker_V2\FAH GPU Tracker V2\GPU1
Executable: C:\Users\Scott\Downloads\Folding@Home\FAH_GPU_Tracker_V2\FAH GPU Tracker V2\FAH_GPU3.exe
Arguments: -oneunit -forcegpu nvidia_g80 -advmethods -gpu 1

[16:23:42] - Ask before connecting: No
[16:23:42] - User name: Demonstag (Team 10)
[16:23:42] - User ID: 1569F1A37488D338
[16:23:42] - Machine ID: 4
[16:23:42]
[16:23:42] Gpu type=2 species=30.
[16:23:42] Loaded queue successfully.
[16:23:42]
[16:23:42] + Processing work unit
[16:23:42] Core required: FahCore_11.exe
[16:23:42] Core found.
[16:23:42] Working on queue slot 01 [December 30 16:23:42 UTC]
[16:23:42] + Working ...
[16:23:42]
[16:23:42] *------------------------------*
[16:23:42] Folding@Home GPU Core - Beta
[16:23:42] Version 1.24 (Mon Feb 9 11:00:12 PST 2009)
[16:23:42]
[16:23:42] Compiler : Microsoft (R) 32-bit C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 14.00.50727.762 for 80x86
[16:23:42] Build host: amoeba
[16:23:42] Board Type: AMD
[16:23:42] Core :
[16:23:42] Preparing to commence simulation
[16:23:42] - Looking at optimizations...
[16:23:42] - Files status OK
[16:23:42] - Expanded 98616 -> 492188 (decompressed 499.0 percent)
[16:23:42] Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=98616 data_size=492188, decompressed_data_size=492188 diff=0
[16:23:42] - Digital signature verified
[16:23:42]
[16:23:42] Project: 5733 (Run 2, Clone 583, Gen 1008)
[16:23:42]
[16:23:42] Assembly optimizations on if available.
[16:23:42] Entering M.D.
[16:23:48] Tpr hash work/wudata_01.tpr: 2200230785 4036776356 2706474524 515140084 2908846333
[16:23:52] CoreStatus = FFFFFFF6 (-10)
[16:23:52] Client-core communications error: ERROR 0xfffffff6
[16:23:52] This is a sign of more serious problems, shutting down.
 
[16:23:42] Board Type: AMD
Click to expand...
Looks like that's your problem, it's using the wrong core.
I'm not sure how GPU tracker handles multiple clients when one is Nvidia and one is AMD, it might be worth going to Setup - Download FAH Clients, to get new clients and cores. This will lose any units being worked on though so -oneunit your current units and do this afterwards to avoid losing units. That might help, it might not, as I said I've never used it on mixed GPUs.

Edit: also, try without the GPU3 box checked, see if it works on the GPU2 client.
 
Last edited:
It used to be necessary to add -gpu 0 or -gpu 1 flags to tell the client which GPU to use so try adding -gpu 1 to the config or shortcut of your 8400.
 
Snapshot said:
It used to be necessary to add -gpu 0 or -gpu 1 flags to tell the client which GPU to use so try adding -gpu 1 to the config or shortcut of your 8400.
Click to expand...

I used the auto detect option in the FAHTracker and it removed the details of the ATI card from GPU0 and tried to set the 8400 as GPU0 and states that it will use GPU 2 core and GPU 3 is not selected. However the ATI card was running as GPU0.

I am unsure what you what you mean by adding -gpu 1 to the shortcut as it is all done through the FAHTracker program!
 
Can't help with that as I set everything up manually rather than use FAHTracker. I get the impression that it hides too much detail from the user and I like full control.
 
demonstag said:
I am unsure what you what you mean by adding -gpu 1 to the shortcut as it is all done through the FAHTracker program!
Click to expand...

GPU tracker has done that for you already. From your log:
Arguments: -oneunit -forcegpu nvidia_g80 -advmethods -gpu 1
Click to expand...

So you shouldn't need to worry about that.

From a little bit of searching this morning it seems that GPU Tracker doesn't handle Nvidia and AMD together very well. If you're set on using the 8400 as well, I'd run it as a separate client, but make sure it's using a different machine ID to your clients on GPU tracker.
I use GPU tracker myself and it's a very handy program, IMO much better than the new v7 F@H client which does much the same thing in terms of integrating the clients a little better. There are just some setups whicha ren't very commonly used that it doesn't cope too well with.

Incidentally, what kind of PPD are you getting from your 6950/70?
 
Currently folding 5737 and ppd is showing as 4647.4 but my total ppd is only 18381 which I think is low, but as I am new to folding I am unsure what to do to get it any higher, my machine is on 24/7.
 
What CPU are you folding on?
Sounds low overall, it's likely that the ATI card is taking too many CPU cycles and thus drastically slowing down your CPU folding - I know this was a problem with the ATI client but I was under the impression this had been addressed, however I don't run any ATI cards so I'm not speaking from experience.
Turn off your GPU folding and see what PPD you get from the CPU alone, you'll probably find it will improve drastically.
Unless anyone has a guide on how to get ATI cards folding closer to their potential, I'd suggest either leaving the card idle, or putting it to work on a project other than folding, you'd then be able to run the 8400 with no problem as the Nvidia cards take almost no CPU cycles.
 
I am using i7-2700k @ 4.6ghz, Since your post I stopped the gpu folding and my PPD has increased to 26-28000 from 18k. Is this more like the type of points I should be getting with this cpu?
 
GS8400 is only going to net an extra 6-700 ppd, it will probably rob more than that from the cpu client.
 
It seems to be improving as today it is reporting PPD as 31045.9. how do I know if I am getting -big WU ? I have stopped all GPU folding. I would just like to say cheers for all the help given, greatly appreciated.

On a different note I have a spare Phenom X3 that I was looking to run as a folding machine aswell as my current rig, what would I expect to achieve if I set up the rig(24/7)?
 
Bigadv wu will show in the WU type, anything 640x or 630x is a big-bigadv

Phenom X3 Depends on the overclock.I think they get around 1-1.5K per core
 
It appears that I have not had any big-bigadv Work Units, but I have all the flags set? Is there anything I need to do other than select -advmethods & -bigadv?
 
This is a copy of my client config file:

[settings]
username=Demonstag
team=10
passkey=0********************b
asknet=no
machineid=2
bigpackets=big
local=24
[http]
active=no
host=localhost
port=8080
usereg=no
[core]
priority=0
checkpoint=3
nocpulock=1
addr=

Is this correct? Sorry for the continual questions, I am just trying to get my head around this.

Cheers
 
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