FR Folding@Home Project Update -- The Need for Speed (#56 - 19,000,000 Points)

Stanford University Folding@Home Distributed Computing Project ^ | 02/02/2007 | Stanford University

[texas booster]

Getting a video card upgrade IS still the best way to bump an older system up in speed. Currently ATI X1xxx video cards are supported. Just check on the chip used (R560, R570, R580) and get the most pizel shaders you can afford.

Here is a post from a forum speaking to the points [er day with a new card:

I've posted the specs in other places, but here goes:

P4 3.0GHz hyperthreaded
4 Gb ECC ram (which shouldn't be all that important)
8x AGP
Hardware RAID-5 array on PCI-x

Results I'm getting are about 8min14s to do a console "block" of about 250 frames or 2.0 to 2.1s/frame in GUI mode. Probably about 13h to do a WU in console mode, so 600ppd. Both execution units run at about 60-65% capacity.

Someone else posted that on 4x AGP 2.0GHz P4 they were over 10min per block or about 500ppd - still pretty good. My guess is that without hyperthreading the CPU will be running full out, and that you really want the 8x AGP.

I only mention the RAID as it's the reason I don't want to upgrade for another 2 years or so - that was expensive and a very nice feature to have. I feel like I'm becoming a champion of retrofitting tired, out-dated old hack machines, which wouldn't be so bad, but up until I joined FAH I *thought* I had an awfully good system....

For comparison a normal desktop is pegged at about 110 ppd, as compared to 500+ ppd for a system with a new graphics card.

[texas booster]

I found a Linux Boot CD generator here:

http://reilly.homeip.net/folding/cd.html

Another possibility is to start folding off a jump drive like here:

http://reilly.homeip.net/folding/usb.html

I'll check these out but it will be later this week.

Any advice from a Linux guru out there?

[SW6906]

I just got a new computer and am slowly getting off the old one. There is a folding project running on there, I don't want to just abandon it. Is there a way to tell it to complete the project it is on and then not start a new one? That way, I can let it finish what it's doing before I take that computer off the network and part it out. ideas?

[ken in texas]

Is there a way to tell it to complete the project it is on and then not start a new one?

If you're running the graphical client, you should be able to right-click on the icon in the systray, and then select "pause when done". That way once it's finished with the current WU it should send the results and just wait for you to tell it to proceed or stop. I'm sure the console version has a similar capability, but I don't have that one here at the moment.

[texas booster]

If using the GUI version then follow ken's advice - right click on the gui flower and select pause when done.

There is also a selection inside the configuration tab of F@H GUI. Right click the flower, selct Configuration, select the Connections tab and select "Ask before using Network". You may get several requests to send the work results up. After the results are sent then stop the process.

You can also restart into Safe Mode and copy the entire folder to the new computer via a jump drive.

If you are using the console version you need to edit the registry, or boot into Safe Mode and copy the folder.

[texas booster]

I always ask that new folders start with the GUI version. It is easy to install and has pretty pictures of molecules.

The GUI will interfere with many Windows games. More exactly Microsoft's OpenGL will interfere with F@H, so just right click and pause or stop the folding, and restart when you are finished with the game.

F@H should be thought of as a screen saver rather than a stand alone program. It works when nothing else does. If you have a computer that just sits idle, F@H is a perfect way to use the idle system 100% of the time.

I normally jump to the console version with folks who play lots of games or have multiple people logged onto the computer. The only complaint of the GUI is that it only folds when the user is actually logged in, so it is possible to lose a days' worth of folding when you are not logged in.

[SW6906]

"If using the GUI version then follow ken's advice - right click on the gui flower and select pause when done."

Thanks guys! I have the GUI version, so I'll do just that.

Now what's this about how it only works when nothing else is and only when you're logged on? I (now) have 2 XP machines (the old one was W2K Pro) and each one has two XP accounts: one for me, one for my daughter. We always leave email and Firefox and sometimes a game (like Petz) running, does that mean Folding isn't going to run?

[FourtySeven]

Gettin up there bump!

Just for information, anyone who gets the message from their FAH "Attempting to send results" for a long time, it's best to just wait. That usually means that the server that issued the work unit is down for maintainance, but when it comes back up, the program will be able to send the completed work unit. From what I understand, the program will continue to fold a new unit it downloaded from another server, so no time is lost.

[GOPBiker]

This can also be caused by an upgrade to IE7. I had this situation for a few days and it took Texas Booster and dfwddr to solve it.

Sorry I wasn't bright enough to save the link to the solution. I remember that in the GUI version you right-click on the system tray icon, choose 'configure' and then choose the 'connections' tab; uncheck 'use Internet explorer connection settings' and then OK. There may be something else but I have misplaced the memory right now.

[Egon]

Just ask Egon if he enjoyed running the SMP core on those Mac Core Duos.

[Having just gotten over a grieving spell, Egon glances at his screen, reads this, and begins weeping anew.]

[texas booster]

Firefox has no problem coexisting with F@H. Some games will block F@H but these are mostly older games, especially DOS games in a Window.

To find out, run all the programs that you like, open the Task Manager and select the Processes tab. At the bottom of the Task Manager you will see the CPU usage, and inside the Processes you will se the CPU column showing how much each program (process) is actually using.

I keep a F@H GUI. a F@H console and Opera open all day, plus lots of other stuff. When I type in Opera I will see the program use maybe 5% - 10%. The rest of the CPU usage is dedicated to F@H.

[ken in texas]

Now what's this about how it only works when nothing else is and only when you're logged on?

The GUI version runs only when you're logged on. If you leave both accounts logged on, and switch between them using "fast user switching", or something like that, it will remain active all the time.

As far as working when nothing else is, that's a bit of a misinterpretation, due to some people saying it's like a screen-saver. It can be used as a screen-saver, but that governs only what it displays. It is always running in the backgroud, using whatever CPU power is available. However, since it runs at such a low priority, it should never take CPU cycles away from something you're actively working on.

[texas booster]

Inquiring minds want to know ...

How much of your jump to 2,000 ppd is due to the ATI card and how much of the increase is due to additional systems folding for you?

That graph looks very good on you, BTW.

[JosephW]

The GPU is located on Constellation-GPU, I need to remove updates from Constellation (the CPU) as it, itself doesn't fold. The ATI card gets me about 600ppd. However the CPU (single core) in that box can't fold because of the GPU. The CPU if it could also be used for folding would probably get about 150ppd. So in reality the GPU is worth about 450ppd.


Lightning 1 & 2 are a dual core AMD laptop. It's numbers have dropped significantly as I've loaded up VMWare and am running the Linux SMP client on the same box (hence Lightning's numbers are way down). I'm getting probably about 500 ppd from the SMP (and maybe another from 45ppd from the Lightning cores agregate). So that laptop is turning out almost 550ppd.

Galactica just went online about a day ago running two instances on its dual core and appears to have about 120ppd/core. When more memory arrives on Wednesday, it will go the way of Lighting and run the SMP client as well. I expect to see similar numbers from it. Agregate cores will drop from 240 per day to about 50, but the SMP will add in about 500 making it a 550ppd box.

Everything else is just another folding box.

Tony & Alex are my little boys boxes that get preempted to pay Cars or other kids games and mama is my mother-in-law's that is normally used for streaming Russian TV. So they actually produce very little per day.

Several of my laptops are getting quite old and don't produce much either (and will soon be going away), but Galactica more that outperforms all of them combined, so it's not really a loss.

Hope this helps.

[texas booster]

I have had a couple of questions concerning older computers and folding. Here are the guidelines for rummaging down in the basement for old systems to set up folding 24/7:

PIII 450 mhz with SSE is the slowest Intel processor that will complete all work units within the deadline.

AMD MHz AMD-K6-2 366 MHz with 3DNow and above processors will complete a WU within the deadlines when folding 24/7.

You should provide the system with all of the memory you can squeeze in to give the system a fair chance. Back then we used mostly PC-100 and PC-133 SDRAM and most motherboards would hold at least 256 MB (as though anyone could afford THAT much memory).

You video card is not as important, but anything that will help Windows run faster is a benefit, just to keep M$ from being a bottleneck.

Yes, you can run is with Win 98, Win Me, Win 2000 or Win XP. I would advise you to look at a Linux distro, since you would get more bang for your buck, but Windows will work. You might also be able to run OSX86 (Mac on an Intel). Would be fun to try.

However, the faster a work unit is returned back to Stanford, the better it is for the progress of the science. Running 24/7 is always preferential.

There were no minimum until just recently when the Deadlineless work units ran out.

Also, you can install AVG or Avast! virus protection on the system, but I would not schedule daily runs. One old system that I had would take over an hour to complete a virus scan on a 4 GB hard drive. Just keep the antivirus resident in memory and enjoy.

On the Mac side, anything built after 1999 should be fast enough to finish a WU. 256 MB of RAM is preferred.

Oh, back to Windows. Better reboot every week or so. It does make a difference.

[A.Hun]

Thanks texas....saved me a lot of trouble. The old systems I was referring to are 350mhz pentium 2's.

I appreciate it.

[texas booster]

When configuring for these older systems, be sure and do NOT select -advunits and -bigwus.

-advunits will allow newer processors to crunch the new GROMACS and DOUBLE GROMACS cores that can make use of the newest processor advances.

-bigwus will allow larger work units that require lots of RAM for efficient processing. If you do not have 512 MB then don't bother with this switch.

[texas booster]

Congrats on your first work unit being completed for 186 points.

Showed up on the charts during the 9:00 am update.

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_summary.php?s=&u=207376

please ping us if you have questions on the setup of your second system.

[texas booster]

Congrats for hitting 1,000 points per day for the last week.

What have you done to increase your F@H production so much?

Whatever it is, please keep doing it!

[texas booster]

I went out and bought an ATI X1650 Pro from Best Buy last night ($206). I'll post occasionally the joys of configuration.

Shame I have to work this afternoon and tomorrow, but I WILL have a stable system by Sunday morning.

My son had an Age of Empires III party here last night with 8 players. Have computers scattered everywhere and teenagers sleeping on every soft surface. My better half and the girls have left so we can, umm... "Clean this place up before we get back!" I kinda hope that they take in a long movie after shopping.

I have downloaded several drivers from ATI and ATITools from techPowerUp! Should be an interesting morning.

See ya'll in an hour.