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CPU utilization by GPU

Wesleynator

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
182
Is it wrong for a GTX260 to consume 3.8% of CPU and a 9800GT to use 0.25%? They are both in the same Win7 box. My Bigadv SMP is down by 4,000ppd compared to when I ran the 9800GT and an 8800GT in tandem and I suspect this is the cause.
 
That's normal. GPU clients always require some CPU power. The more you run, the more CPU power they will take. You can mitigate the PPD loss by running the SMP client with the -smp 7 flag instead of just -smp (assuming you're using a quad-core i7 with HT).
 
Is it wrong for a GTX260 to consume 3.8% of CPU and a 9800GT to use 0.25%?
If they are running the same projects, it isn't normal. I have a system with one GTX 295 and two 8800GT cards with a total of four clients all running GPU2. Each client utilizes pretty much the same CPU usage and individually it's quite low. Whenever I notice unusually low CPU usage and GPU performance slowdowns, it's nearly always due to another process interfering with the GPU client core's access to the CPU. Which GPU client version are you using, BTW? (I realize your issue is with SMP slowdowns)
 
are you running the gpu2 or gpu3 client? gpu3 client consumes a lot of cpu cycles. gpu2 client it depends on the WU. the 353 point WU's are cpu hogs, they tend to get you the highest PPD on the gpu client but you lose what you gain in the gpu client on your cpu client, so its a double edge sword.
 
Exactly what sirmonkey posted. If you have the GPU2 client installed, CPU usage runs the gamut from acceptable to horrible depending on the project. If one client is processing a 353 pointer and the other a 450 pointer, CPU usage is going to be very different between the two clients. Which WUs you receive changes from day to day. YMMV
 
I am running GPU3 on the dual gpu box in question. The projects were the same. Since the original post I have put the GTX260 back in the original (single GPU box w/GPU2) by itself...it's just "happier" there and now have the 88 & 9800GT's back in the dual GPU box. CPU utilization is 0.25% for the 88/9800's and the GTX 260 is still around 4% but it affects the SMP less in the original box because it's only a Q6600 running SMP. After all the experimentation and switching around, the best place for everything turned out to be exactly the way it was when I started.
 
yes on the gpu3 client the GTX 260 will use way more cpu cycles then the 8800GT and 9800GT, you want to use the gpu2 client with the gtx 260 and the gpu3 client with the 9800GT, you will gain about 4k PPD on the gtx 260 and should drop the cpu usage to 1-2% (2% being when you have a 353 point WU). its just the way the clients are designed. even though you're losing PPD on 1 client your net gain is still higher with the gtx 260 folding.
 
Right now the GTX260, using GPU2 on a 353 point WU is sucking 5.5% of the Q6600 CPU. I don't mind so much on this box though because the CPU pints are just icing on the cake. This is my sons's machine and gets used for all kinds of stuff not just folding. I appreciate the input sirmonkey and everyone else, thank you.
 
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