Dedicated folding box

[DSCHIEF]

Just finished taxes, looks like I'll have enough coming back to put another box online..

It will be a 975xbx2 M/B with a quad core.
do I run the SMP package under Linux. or
do I stay with XP-Pro and run 3 console instances and have the remaining core feed an ATI GPU?

Any recomendations ??

[enhanced08]

SMP!!!

Install linux and run the SMP client. depending on what cpu you get, that system alone could put out 1000ppd running the SMP client.

wait, quad core?? that thing will be super fast! if you do decide to go through with this and run the SMP client, keep us informed about everything. there are not many people who run the SMP client on a quad core system due to the fact that not many people have them. The SMP client is designed to run with 4 or more cores but will run with a slight performance hit on dual cores. WITH this performance hit some have been about to get 1000-1500ppd out of a single dual core system. I cam just imagine what a quad will do.

[enhanced08]

alright, after talking to a few folding buddies from another team, i give you this quote.

"Quad core on normal WUs will make 70ppd/GHz/Core added to the best vid card production of about 840ppd will net you about 1400 ppd while the SMP client will be over 3000ppd."

so with just the SMP client running under linux you'll get over 3000ppd just from that system! as far as the GPU folding.... if you really want to buy a highend video card for folding you could get it and drop it in an older/slower system to fold on which would give you more points or just take the money you would spend on the card and spend it on a faster CPU or better cooling so you can overclock and get more points that way.

just some food for thought.

[DSCHIEF]

I had heard that the price on the Quads is expected to drop around april, So I was going to hold off until then.
My current Core 2 Duo box has a Geforce 6800XT, which I will most likely swap into the Quad Box.

Will replace it with the ATI 1950 XTX w/ 512 M mem. Use one core to feed the GPU
and the remaining core running the standard console client

that should give me enought PPD to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of their women.

[enhanced08]

wow, with that setup you would become the top producer on our team. 3000+ppd from the quad SMP and i would guess atleast 1000ppd from your current C2D w/ 1950 XTX.

I dunno about you, but im really excited about you doing this! lol

[Panama Red]

There's always someone trying to take that #1 spot away, right Eric? That kind of ppd production would be a welcome addition to the PC Mech team! Maybe we could fend off some of these other teams that are passing us by. They all seem to have a bunch more members.

[DSCHIEF]

Originally Posted by enhanced08 wow, with that setup you would become the top producer on our team. 3000+ppd from the quad SMP and i would guess atleast 1000ppd from your current C2D w/ 1950 XTX. I dunno about you, but im really excited about you doing this! lol

I think you're way too optimistic about the PPD, with 2 boxes online running 4 clients
I'm struggling to stay around 500 PPD ( its down to 472 now ). with unstable WU's
( lost about 10 hrs of time when consecutive P3038s crapped out) add in the days when it takes up to 5 hours to connect to Stanfords servers. I don't believe I'll ever see 3000 PPD
no matter how many boxes I bring online.

look at youself & PR , you guys are running with about 20 processors each, and are
still below 2000 PPD.

[enhanced08]

Actually if i am being optimistic its not by much. think about it this way, i have a 4800+x2 and people are telling me if i ran linux and the SMP client i would get close to 1000ppd out of it. the C2D chips are much more powerful than my X2, anyone can tell ya that, and using just basic simple math.. X2 (dual core) = 1000 ppd, C2D quad core = 2000ppd since it has twice the cores plus the fact that each core is simply faster than the X2 gives you a bit more than 2000ppd. another factor to throw into the mix is the fact that the SMP client is designed to run on 4 cores but will run on 2 but it takes a performance hit. Add up all these and i'll bet you get close to 3000ppd.

here is the thread i started at another forum. http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=501693

this is what one of the members posted about his 2.9 ghz q6600 system: "The tpf for 1 2605 under native linux was 7:53 = 3215 ppd." tpf = time per frame

so i didnt just make up 3000ppd, its what others are telling me you can get! now, i say all this with 2 words of caution, 1) the SMP is in beta so there could be some small problems with it, i have never run into any yet but i only run it on 1 system. 2) there is talk about Stanford changing the points which may reduce the points of SMP units thus reducing ppd. but with the CURRENT units 3000ppd should be possible on a quad core C2D.

btw, PR, didnt you say that your C2D was an oc system and isnt really used for anything other than folding and playing around now? might try loading up linux and trying the SMP client yourself.

[Panama Red]

My only C2D is my new Dell laptop. I have two Pentium D's and 2 HT P4's. Only oc'd machine I have running is my Athlon XP Mobile but that's old tech now.

[enhanced08]

o, my bad, i thought you had mentioned buying a C2D machine to keep up on the new tech as well as an OC machine. o well...

[TimPoet]

Originally Posted by DSCHIEF that should give me enought PPD to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of their women.

The Bard says:

His brandish'd quad-core did blind men with his beams:
His arms spread wider than a dragon's wings;
His sparking eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies
Than mid-day sun fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? his work units exceed all speech:
He ne'er lift up his hand but conquered.

[Mr N8]

Just a couple of questions while I weight my options. Seems to kind of fit this conversation. I've got a machine with an Athlon 64 X2 3800 and I could run the SMP client on that.

The other option I was thinking of is that I need to upgrade my video card on my graphics / video machine at work (same as above system) and was thinking of maybe going with an ATI X1900XT and running the GPU Windows XP client.

The question is, in theory, which will produce the highest results?

[enhanced08]

highest results in points or actual science work?

im pretty sure if you ran linux you would get more points running the SMP client but you would get more science work done (i think) running the GPU client just due to the fact that the GPU is a LOT more powerful than the cpu is. Stanford is getting what normally would have taken years to get done on standard cpu's finished in months!

So, for points I would try linux and SMP, for science i would go with GPU. what you can try, tho, is start off with the SMP client and see how your points change and then look to see how they compare to what the 1900XT would net you. Linux + SMP is free so i would try that first. I have a 1900GT 256mb card and i get about 350ppd from it so the XT version will be slightly faster. 4-500ppd?

[Mr N8]

Thanks, enhanced. I'll install Ubuntu and run it over the weekend and see what the difference is.