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[ruff_hi]

Since I installed the new version yesterday it has submitted two work units for a total of 1300 points in less than 24 hours. My previous rate from two systems running the conventional single-CPU folding software was about 400 to 500 points per week.

I was catching AlanH - not anymore! Sigh!

 

[ironduck]

Does anyone know why the gains are so massive with the multi-core units? I'd have thought they'd just follow the regular processing power increases, but apparently they're able to draw unique advantages from them..

 

[AlanH]

On my system, there's a combination of factors:

1. I have four CPUs doing the work now instead of one.

2. The client is now native Intel i386 code, whereas before it was PowerPC code running under Apple's Rosetta emulator.

They may have optimised the code some more as well. All of which adds up to the factor of 20 improvement I'm seeing.

 

[IglooDame]

I'm starting to see the real impact of using the SMP client on my system. If it continues at the level of production it has run for the last two days, my system is going to be turning in about 10K points per week. At this rate it is outperforming IglooDude's cluster of 12 CPUs by about 150%, single handed.

I'm not bragging, as this is not my doing, it's a significant achievement by the FaH development team. The reason for this post is to strongly advise anyone who can to switch to a GPU or SMP client. This will generate far faster results for the Folding project, and teams that exploit these options are going to be in a different league from the rest.

You may not be bragging, but you certainly have good cause to brag.

Most of my folding machines at this point are P-4 higher end machines, with a smattering of P-3s. Unfortunately none of them have anything other than an embedded video card, so I'm not going to be taking advantage of the GPU or non-Windows SMP clients.

Though if someone wanted to donate GPU/F2H-capable video cards, I'd happily plug them into the workstations.

 

[Sahkuhnder]

I was not aware of a 5 point WU? Are there any others smaller than that?

Here is the current list of WUs, and as you said there aren't a 5 pointers. I'm guessing that the small points credits you see are due to Early End Units, an attempt to fold a protein that wasn't viable. From the sounds of it these are still scientifically helpful because they tell Stanford what doesn't work, which in turn helps point them toward what does.

When I've had the WU quit early, whatever percentage was folded up to the point of the EUE was the percentage value of the total I received credit for, i.e. 10% folded = 10% credit.


@ Alan, whatever you're doing, it sure seems to be working - keep it up.

Our team score is getting a big boost and we are strongly gaining on almost everyone near us.

 

[Sophie 378]

Weee, look at him go!
Source
Look at that massive increase in your folding output, Alan!

 

[AlanH]

We just need a few more of these newfangled Macintosh thingies to join in ...

BTW, I notice IglooDude has woken up again --- was it a Christmas break? I thought I might start to catch him up, but he's going to be a hard act to follow at his 2007 pace

 

[RFHolloway]

Is it worth putting a note on the mac section of the forum along the lines of "1 mac as good as 10 PC's" - if we get a couple more macs as good as Alan's sign up it would make a significant difference.

 

[AlanH]

I've already posted an invitation in the Civ4 forum, indicating that Macs have a bit of an advantage at the moment. One person indicated he would start to fold for TeamCFC, but there are no points showing for him yet. Another is already folding for another team

 

[IglooDame]

We just need a few more of these newfangled Macintosh thingies to join in ...

BTW, I notice IglooDude has woken up again --- was it a Christmas break? I thought I might start to catch him up, but he's going to be a hard act to follow at his 2007 pace

My contribution kinda waxes and wanes, depending on various factors in my office permitting different machines to run the F@H client. I seem to be averaging a bit under 1000pts/day over the long haul.

But with no Macs and no AGP or PCI-e video cards, I expect you and others to overtake my daily rate - at least until the SMP Windows client comes out.

 

[RFHolloway]

Looks like Alan's not the only one with an improvement, congrats Sahkuhnder (or is that just the extra cycles when people are away)

 

[Abaddon]

Wee, good stuff everyone! Windoze eh?

 

[Sahkuhnder]

Looks like Alan's not the only one with an improvement, congrats Sahkuhnder (or is that just the extra cycles when people are away)

We are installing some new computers where I work and so far I've got about half of them folding. Hopefully once everything is finally set up and running smoothly they all should be able to produce maybe twice what they are right now. If I can get the Linux SMP client to work like the one Alan has on his newfangled Mac thingie then maybe I can contribute even more.

I have one of those jobs where we get busy during the holidays, so any boost from extra cycles should appear once all the tourists slow down a bit.

The new Linux/Mac SMP and graphics GPU clients appear to really do some major processing. Let me encourage anyone considering trying them to give it a shot.


And a warm welcome to the new guys contributing to the effort too!

 

[AlanH]

We just hit 1.5 million points

 

[Mulholland]

As my graphics card is busted and have been goiing through a long ardous RMA process I have been on hiatus for quite sometime. I really hope to get folding again soon. Damn you Evga!

 

[Abaddon]

wtf is your avatar about?

 

[Mulholland]

Oh. I was trying to change it to a cool picture of a burning man at a party. I resized it very improplerly and have been much too lazy to try and fix it.

 

[Abaddon]

oooookaaaay.

 

[IglooDame]

We just hit 1.5 million points

And we've gone from struggling to keep up with ArchLinux and DailyKos, to nearly doubling their daily point totals, pretty much thanks to you and Sakhunder.

 

[Mulholland]

oooookaaaay.

This. But I'm afraid it's lost forever.