Confused about cpu concept

C

CleanSlate

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Mar 28, 2003
Messages
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I run the folding program from http://folding.stanford.edu and it takes up the unused cycles of the cpu, pretty much making the cpu run calculations at 100% load 100% of the time, no matter what.

Now, my confusion is... is there a conceptual difference between the 100% load of my cpu during @home running verses running a game that is cpu intensive and theoretically is 100% load, 100% no matter what, creating the same amount of heat?

~Adam
 
Yes they're equal. If configured that way the folding application will cause your CPU to run 24/7 at it's maximum peak. Also, are you folding for team 33? [H]ardOCP happens to be the #2 (soon to be #1 again if we can help it) folding team on the planet. Check out the distrbuted computing subforum if you haven't.

 
People should REALLY consider getting Pentium M boxes for folding. They'd save SO much power and money. Just think about leaving 6-10 60W light bulbs on all the time. Thats what running your PC at 100% all the time is like.
 
It's true that a 100% load is a 100% regardless of what you are doing. The processor is running instructions through 100% of the time and noops(or hlts) 0%. However, power draw and heat output could differ depending on what the load is due to the way the CPU is made and which parts of it are used to execute which instructions. Running floating-poing calculations at 100% load may produce different level of heat output than running integer calculations at 100% load. The processor is still running instructions 100% of the time, but they are different instructions and they use different parts of the processor. Different instructions may take more cycles to execute or they may require more transistors to execute. This all changes the heat output. It's probably very insignificant, but the difference is there.
 
BossNoodleKaboodle said:
People should REALLY consider getting Pentium M boxes for folding. They'd save SO much power and money. Just think about leaving 6-10 60W light bulbs on all the time. Thats what running your PC at 100% all the time is like.
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Initial outlay for Pentium M is too high right now, and the power savings may not be as much as you think since it would be running 100%, thus no chance for Speedstep to save energy.

On the 'egg, a Socket 479 Mobo is ~$200, and the cheapest "M" is ~$250 for a 1.7Ghz.

Compare that with a Athlon64 (socket 754) 3400+ at $180 and a motherboard for it going for ~$50, and you can see that the Athlon64 setup will at once be cheaper and more powerful.

I don't think Pentium M will ever come down in price enough to be considered for folding boxes, but it's replacement which will also replace the Pentium 4/D should be geared for the desktop.
 
What about the mobile 64's? Won't they run on the same cheap motherboard but cost itself more?

~Adam
 
The Pentium M only uses 27W at max load, compared to about 90 for A64's and P4's... Thats a pretty big difference.
 
BossNoodleKaboodle said:
The Pentium M only uses 27W at max load, compared to about 90 for A64's and P4's... Thats a pretty big difference.
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the 27W rating for pentium-M's is more of a contenuous output rating for OEM's to design their cooling solutions around - it is not a max. 90nm a64's put out 67w of heat, and high end p4's about 110.
 
BossNoodleKaboodle said:
The Pentium M only uses 27W at max load, compared to about 90 for A64's and P4's... Thats a pretty big difference.
Click to expand...

Without doing the math, I think that for most folders, the energy savings will never make up for the difference in price and reduced processing power.

The Pentium M is a nice processor and everything the Pentium 4 should have been. But unless a folder is hosting, oh, 30 of these, the power usage is not even going to be a factor.
 
Buckus said:
Without doing the math, I think that for most folders, the energy savings will never make up for the difference in price and reduced processing power.

The Pentium M is a nice processor and everything the Pentium 4 should have been. But unless a folder is hosting, oh, 30 of these, the power usage is not even going to be a factor.
Click to expand...

depends where you live and how much money your electricity costs.
 
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