Can F@H Reduce CPU Life?

[Stryker]

Hey folks,

I have recently started folding under the PC Mech team and it's going great!!

I have noticed though, that since I started folding my CPU fan is always spinning at high rpm to keep my CPU cool. I understand that the folding application is using my spare CPU cycles and hence my CPU is going to generate some extra heat, but my question is, could the extra stress on my CPU shorten the life over the long term?

Thanks very much,
Stryker

[cuog]

it uses the extra cycles to fill up the cycles so that the CPU is running at its max the whole time the stress of constant max use could shorten the life of the CPU

[Force Flow]

The trick is to keep the CPU cool enough so the heat doesn't harm the chip.

Theoretically, since the CPU has no moving parts, it can last for a good many years under a heavy load. Heat and the breakdown and dissolving of the materials used in the CPU are the CPU's worst enemies.

[g-dogg]

if your afraid that your pc will die out, try reducing the amount of usage f@h uses your processor by, going in the configuration screen and then advanced you'll see it right there, reduce the usage to what ever percent you want i set mine @30% and little by little increase it so that my processor would kinda take the heavy load gradually not suddenly.

g-dogg

[Force Flow]

There's no need to do that. F@H *only* uses the cycles that are not being used. I have yet to see where it harms system performance, and I do a lot of heavy stuff.

[enhanced08]

i do a lot of graphic editing and sound editing plus gamming and NEVER turn off or even turn down the % F@H uses! let that baby run!

[bigandy]

Yep, I don't see what the benefit of setting a specific limit since as force said, F@H only uses the cycles not in use by running processes. By setting the limit, you are just giving up WUs and points that could be gained.

[Kov-Ice]

Stryker, I posed your question at the FAH Forums, and THIS is what they had to say there.

[Stryker]

Fantastic guys!

Thanks very much for the replies and I appreciate the help. Also, thanks a little extra for posting in the FAH fourm Kov-Ice. Those replies helped quite a bit and I feel a little more comfortable with my fan whirling away next to me now.

Thanks again all,
Stryker

[wutzu]

as long as your temperatures aren't reaching the melting point of the processor, i'd argue that by holding the cpu at full load, processor life is increased. Since the processor is at a constant temperature, it doesn't go through as much thermally induced cyclic loading, which will, on a long enough timeline, kill a processor.

Fold! It'll make your processor live longer