The GPU Folding Thread... X1900 owners in here.

Woo hoo! My GPU client finished a WU this morning and is at about Step 76 on the current WU. The 220 points has been registered.

Would lowering the CPU utilisation on the CPU clients increase their performance? Just concerned because WUs are taking up to a day longer at the moment, and according to Stanford the GPU client isn't really taking up 50%.

SiriusB
 
BillytheImpaler said:
They recommend highly that you devote a CPU core to running Core_10. Apparently there is a definite non-linear drop in performance for the GPU Fah_Core and the CPU Fah_Cores alike when forced to share a CPU core.
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Aye, im running the GPU client at a higher priority than the other two CPU clients, the CPU clients get all of core 2 and some of core 1 when the GPU client isn't using it.

Its pretty much half the performance (1k PPD WUs @ 520ish).

Can't wait to ramp this baby up to 3.6ghz!! :D

Oh and i've overclocked more to 700/855 :D Dang, EUE, ah well, that aint stable then :p
 
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Concorde Rules said:
Aye, im running the GPU client at a higher priority than the other two CPU clients, the CPU clients get all of core 2 and some of core 1 when the GPU client isn't using it.

Its pretty much half the performance (1k PPD WUs @ 520ish).

Can't wait to ramp this baby up to 3.6ghz!! :D

Oh and i've overclocked more to 700/855 :D Dang, EUE, ah well, that aint stable then :p
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You're overclocking your GPU with BETA clients and BETA WUs... :D Suprised it hasnt blown up yet! :p

As an aside, how are you overclocking your GPU... and how are you getting it to crunch at the OCd settings. I use Tray Tools and since FaH GPU isn't a 3D proggy it hasnt ramped up the clocks.

SiriusB
 
oceaness said:
Lol we need a program to test the stability of graphics cards now like Prime :p
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Aye, overclocking these cards at the limit takes so so long. Someone, one day will be able to do that.

As for overclocking, i've shoved it back to I know what works. I know it works cos I played BF2 for 12 hours straight once :p
 
Ive been watching very closely on every forum I can find about folding on a Gpu. I understand all the problems you all have encountered and overcome to get the client working and take my hat off to all you guys.
What I dont understand is Stanford had (and still has) an opportunity to help the very people who are trying to help them. Many people who fold for Team 10 have recently been airing thier views on recent price rises of electricity and some have given up folding because of the cost of running thier pcs.

If Stanford had of introduced a higher points system for Gpu Folding then many people would have had increased point production without the need to run extra Pcs. Stanford would still gain in the production of thier work units and probably more as more people would fold on thier Gpus.
The other factor of using a Gpu for folding is that you, me and everyone that does it are giving the total Pc to Stanford. It is possible to fold and play games using the Cpu Client but this is not possible with the Gpu Client.

I am begining to loose faith in Stanfords direction, after all the points mean nothing to them.

It may be that they dont want to loose all the borged corperate pcs as the borgers might give up if the farms overtake them (I doubt that would happen anyway).

Gpu folding is Stanfords baby and unless it it grows and matures into something good to help not only Stanford but the people who help them them it is a lost opportunity and I for one will not participate.

Letting off steam, Tom
 
A very good point there, sir!

This has crossed my mind too, i hope it doesnt go the way of rosetta though :(
Infact, thinking about it, the point system needs a huge boost for gpu's and it would be nice to see what is actually the result of all this work. :)
 
You have to remember this client is still in the BETA stages and there are very few WUs available. To be honest I would be concerned if Stanford were worrying about the points system before they have perfected the GPU client.

You also have to take into account the fact that not everybody has an X1900 series graphics card. Hell, not a lot of people have X1800s! If Stanford go about dolling out mega-points to GPU WUs where does that leave those without a GPU capable of running the client? Stanford have said somewhere on their site that they are well aware of the problems involved with the point system now that they have a GPU client. They need to find a balance.

You made the point that people are using the whole of their PC to fold for Stanford, I should point out that Stanford do not force you to run F@H at all, let alone on the whole PC. I should also mention that the GPU client will effectivly nick half your CPU and it is even recommended those who have Single-Core machines do not run a CPU client at all.

Basically the GPU client gives certain users a choice. Either CPU or GPU. This is where the balance comes in. Even if you have a multi-core machine you will have to sacrifice processing power in order to run the GPU, but then again you do get as good if not better output from the GPU. Some people may have a lowly 3500+ and have an X1900... great, they can use the GPU client instead and get good output.

The GPU client needs a lot of work but so far I think it has been very successful. If Stanford can work out a way for you to fold and have the client give way to a game automatically then the GPU client would be a viable option.

So in summary, GPU client = good. Stanford = good.

SiriusB
 
At 47 years old I have lost a lot of friends and family to various forms of cancer, I fold because I want to help Stanford to achieve thier goals,
I am 100% behind F@H.

My main concern with the Gpu Client is that Stanford have the opportunity to help the people who do volunteer thier pc/pcs to save energy and a higher scale of points would help achieve this.

I too am glad that Stanfords least concern at the present time is the points structure, they have a tremendous amount of work to do to perfect the client for general release.
However Stanford have set the president of x4 bonus for a client which runs 20 to 40 times faster and I am concerned that they will not change this.

Everyone running the Gpu client is complaning about the GUI being "laggy".
If this makes surfing the WEB, writing emails, using Word and other such programs difficult then you have donated the whole PC. If this can be sorted by a revised client or drivers or both then I for one would feel much happier about the Gpu Client.

If Stanford miss this opportunity to help people who donate thier PC to folding then it is a sadder time than most people realise.

Tom.
 
sculptor said:
Letting off steam, Tom
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Letting off steam is good - stops your head exploding and taking out the rigs :)

I'm 99% sure that the GPU base PPD will be increased futher down the line, at the moment it's set to a level which although has people not too happy it's still seeing more and more people getting involved in the Beta. Vijay said in his interview late last week that they'd set the point multiplier low to start with the view to raising it later so they've obviously given it a lot of thought already before the release.

A few people have tried X1600 cards by fudging the drivers which could totally mess up the results for anyone who gets a later generation of that WU. With the current points those X1600s are getting rubbish PPD and everyone who's admitted to doing it has said that they won't get another WU after the current one finishes (both for the good of the science and the fact there's little point) so this could be another good reason the WUs aren't worth much at the moment.

The progress does look good so far, lots of bugs being identified and hopefully getting fixed soon - however they definately need to get this and the points sorted sooner rather than later especially as you say these machines are being crippled by the client currently :o
 
BillytheImpaler said:
Is the overclocking testing utility in ATiTool useful for what you're doing, Concorde?
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Nope, no current testing utility works on X1k series cards.



As for points, rich on MSN last night said 1 point for each flop someone gives to the project. Sounds fair to me.

People saying that farms of 20 P4 2Ghz are being overtaken 1 4ghz Kentsfeild. Well tough, they bought the new tech, then have the power, they get the points. Same with someone with a gfx card. Its using the power to give the folding, if it means they get 5k points well ther you go, next step in tech and everyone who gets left behind moans. Again tough.

Simple as TBH. If they didn't give the extra points to the new tech people wouldn't bother buying the new tech.

I think that the points should re re-organised for a point per flop, if not that then a base of like 5k PPD or something, thats between 10-20 the current rate which is half the amount the GPU is actually doing.
 
Reading this discussion, I can't help wondering what the points system is going to be like for the PS3 version of folding when that comes out.. Potentially a PS3 could outperform any PC around by a factor of 10 or more, will that mean that they get 5000ppd?? I doubt it somehow, everyone with ordindary PC's would probably just give up!
 
kinnison said:
Reading this discussion, I can't help wondering what the points system is going to be like for the PS3 version of folding when that comes out.. Potentially a PS3 could outperform any PC around by a factor of 10 or more, will that mean that they get 5000ppd?? I doubt it somehow, everyone with ordindary PC's would probably just give up!
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I'm not sure if there will even be a points system for the ps3. It may not be configurable at all, it may be factory set to fold and the user may not be able to select a team or change settings or anything... I hope thats not the case but it seems likely.
 
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