FR Folding@Home Project- ATI Stream Computing Drive Bio-Medical Research at Stanford University

ATI Website and Stanford University ^ | Nov 13 2006 | Vijay Pande

[texas booster]

Today ATI's graphics processors help accelerate complex computations in stream computing applications used in scientific research. ATI is supporting bio-medical research to help scientists understand disease at the genetic level. With a strong understanding of how diseases form, it will become possible to develop diagnostic methods, and preventative treatment and medicine for many acute diseases in humans.

Stanford University is using ATI’s GPUs (Graphics Processor Units) to run Folding@Home, a distributed computing project designed by its chemistry department. This application performs computationally intensive simulations of protein folding, using the stream computing capabilities of ATI’s Radeon® 1900 and 1950 Series processors, which provide incremental power over CPU processing. ATI’s Radeon® X1900 and Radeon® X1950 Series process the complex calculations of the simulation and render advanced 3D visualization of the protein folding process in real time.

Folding@Home will help researchers uncover how certain diseases develop, including:

Cancer

Alzheimer's Disease

Parkinson's Disease

Huntington's Disease

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Stanford University’s research team discovered that ATI’s Radeon X1900 and Radeon X1950 Series of products provide 20 to 40 times faster processing over CPUs in many of the calculations needed to simulate the folding of proteins.

What is Protein Folding Proteins are necklaces of amino acids – long chain molecules that drive all biochemical reactions in the human body, helping to build bones, muscles and blood vessels, and helping the body fight infections. To accomplish these tasks, proteins must take on a particular shape, or, to “fold”. Proteins that fold incorrectly can cause complications and can lead to critical diseases. Folding@Home simulates the folding process to understand why proteins don’t fold correctly. The findings will help researchers prevent and cure these diseases.

You Can Help Find the Cure Folding@home uses distributed computing to simulate protein folding – instead of using super computers, the workload is broken up into small work units and distributed across 100,000’s of PC systems over the internet. When users throughout the world download and run the application they directly contribute to a good cause through the power of their ATI graphics processor. The GPU version of the application will use the processing power of end users’ GPUs to accelerate the simulation and provide data to Stanford’s researchers faster.

Every new PC that runs the application gets us closer to the cure.

You can help by simply downloading and running the Folding@Home application developed by Stanford University. The application is free and secure. It will run in the background, making use of spare GPU capacity in your PC, without impacting the performance of your other applications.

You can increase your contribution by forming and joining teams and competing against others. Contributors are assigned a score indicating the number and difficulty of completed work units. Rankings and other statistics are posted to the Folding@Home website.

Please note that, currently, only the following products in ATI’s Radeon X1900 Series and Radeon X1950 Series can run the application. We will post information about upcoming products that will support this application in the near future.

Radeon X1900 Series: Radeon X1900 GT, Radeon X1900 XT, Radeon X1900 XTX, Radeon X1900 CrossFire Edition

Radeon X1950 Series: Radeon X1950 XTX, Radeon X1950 CrossFire Edition

[Egon]

My shameless self-promotion for this thread:

If you're interested in tracking your folding machine(s) over the web, please Freepmail me.

Available features include:

• Timely snapshot of each machine's progress on it's current project
• Point values for project
• Estimated completion dates/times
• Warning indicators for machines that appear to have stopped communicating or folding
• Warnings for machines that won't make their deadline
• Team ranking status box (courtesy of EOC)
• Machine stats like PPD (points per day)
• Project comparison stats: PPD, average time taken to completion, etc.
• It's free-- and always will be
• ...other features as time permits, and people request

[zeugma]

I've heard about the new GPU folding client. Sounds like it really rocks. I wonder if they could be used for doing crypto as well.

[ican'tbelieveit]

HAHA!!!!! I had to go look up Veg-o-matic for half an hour to see what you are talking about. No, I don't need a french fry maker (that is what I had one for years and years ago).

I need one that will make a paste or grind cookies down to crumbs for a pie crust, :-).

[Straight Vermonter]

Aren't we just about at our 1 year anniversary?

We've done a lot of folding in that 1 year.

[texas booster]

Officially I started the group in May of 2004.

systematic and soccer_maniac started publicizing Folding@Home over the Thanksgiving break. They deserve the credit for making it the broad team that it is.

May have to post an anniversary thread soon!

[GoldCountryRedneck]

Stanford University is using ATI’s GPUs (Graphics Processor Units) to run Folding@Home....

Question Tex...

If one of the new ATI units gets installed, will the running F@H app auto-sense the new hardware, or does a different version need to be downloaded???

Thanx ~GCR~

p.s. still folding between 91st-95th place since mis summer :)

[dfwddr]

Some quick notes to those interested in the GPU folding.

-You must be running XP
-The vid card needs to be based on the ATI X1900 or X1950 chip. This does not mean the card is labeled as a Raedon. Other manufacturers cards will work, as long as the chip is right.
-The X1600,X1650, and X1800 will fold, but are not supported, you may have to fool device manager into thinking it's a 19xx.
-Only ATI drivers 6.5 and 6.10 work for folding.
-You need DX9.0c or later installed. (need d3dx9_30.dll)
-You need a PCI-E board and power supply. There will be decent AGP versions available "in December" (already in UK?)
-512k HIGHLY recommended
-Cost = 150.00 to 425.00
-You must have separate accounts set up for each user on the computer.
- CTRL-ALT-DEL will close client
-GPU needs at LEAST 25% CPU time free.
-Shaders are used for folding. Higher shaders = higher PPD. This is why GForce will not work.
- Your GPU will run HOT.
- Some claim 600 PPD off a GPU, but reality hasn't had it's full say yet. Your mileage may vary......



There seems to be some "known issues" (they are not calling them "bugs") running a GPU client and a CPU client at the same time. You will get lag every 4-5 seconds unless you pump up the GPU clock and voltage. 512 vs. 256 helps, but not a sure cure.

At this point, you seem to have to trade your CPU folding for GPU folding (after a $200-$400 expense, not counting MB and PS issues).
My main box that already has a PCI-E slot and PS is running a duel core CPU, so I personally and not going to trade at this point. REMEMBER, this is still in beta, so don't dismiss anything at this point, just don't think you can shove a X19xx in your box and pick up an extra 600 PPD.

If anyone would like to donate the GPU to me, I'll be happy to do further research and report back. LOL

[GoldCountryRedneck]

The X1600,X1650, and X1800 will fold.. not supported... have to fool device manager...(need d3dx9_30.dll)... need a PCI-E board ...CTRL-ALT-DEL will close client.....some "known issues"... will get lag every 4-5 seconds...pump up the GPU clock and voltage... not a sure cure.

Ummmm, thanks dfw...I think.

I'm just gonna stick with my own dual-core for now. It ain't broke, soooooooo...

[Drango]

The Fry's ads are up! Guess I'll sleep in.
http://www.fatwallet.com/t/24/674361

[SoftballMominVA]

Just so I have an idea how my procesor is doing--I'm folding at about 13s to 15s per frame (unless a child is running a high graphics game, then it slows to about 30s a frame).

Is that good? bad? normal?

[SoftballMominVA]

Vid chip--I have a NVidea GeForce 7600 GS--I think it's doing pretty goood, not sure.

[dfwddr]

-I'm folding at about 13s to 15s per frame (unless a child is running a high graphics game, then it slows to about 30s a frame).

It really depends on which WU your doing at the time. The easiest way to compare yourself to other FReepers, is to download and install Egon's monitoring program, build up a little history, and then check your times for a project, compared to others. This is done by clicking on a project name listed under your computer. Egon has put a lot of time and effort into this tool, and it is well worth using.

[dfwddr]

NVidea GeForce 7600 GS--I think it's doing pretty goood, not sure.

The 7600 is a good card, but you can't fold off it's GPU. Stanford has a new client that allows you to use your GPU to process WU's. When I first read about it, I was thinking "Hey, for a few bucks, I could throw a new card in my box, and double my output". Well, it's not quite that easy. Unless it's an idle box, or you really have a reason to take the pressure off your CPU, IMO right now it doesn't seem like a good idea, because your replacing your CPU, not adding to it. This whole deal is still Beta though, and I'm sure it will only get better.

[dfwddr]

I'm just gonna stick with my own dual-core for now. It ain't broke, soooooooo...

Ditto here....for now. But I'm thinking I may build a new box after the first of the year, just to play with this.

[dfwddr]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my FReeper FOlding FRiends !!!

[processing please hold]

Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Just stopped in to see if my wu was still chugging along. Back to cooking and herding grandkids out to the yard. :-)

[texas booster]

I will ditto what dfwddr said. FReepmail Egon for his monitoring program and it will make more sense.

Frame speeds are so subjective that it is very hard to make comparisons. The graphics cards actually means fairly little to the over all speed of a work unit. The GROMACS core is design to be as independent as possible of hardware, with just a few tweaks to implement assembly code into looping functions.

The work units also make a big difference in speed, depending on what is being studied. Some Tinker cores can run very slow and some GROMACS can run very slow. If you have a work unit with 20,000,000 frames then each frame normally goes by quicker than a WU with 4,000,000 frames.

[texas booster]

I dropped into my local CompUSA to look at deals on X1900 cards. Almost got one for $190 but they seem to be sold out chain wide. Real bummer.

I will try to grab one by Christmas and start the experiment, if I can get it by the Finance Committee.

Hmm, where are those diamond ads I saw last week?

[dfwddr]

The Diamond X1950pro 512 is suppose to be available in AGP. I'm not sure if now, or in a couple weeks. Probally reasonably priced too.

There should also be a price drop on the X19xx whan the 8800 settles down price wise. Not sure how long that will take though.

[Paladin2]

I never used a vegomatic, but they looked like a tremendously useful device when I was a kid watching TV.;-)

I almost bought the thing I saw in Ikea just to see if it really worked.