EDIT2: It's buying time!! I'll likely grab 'em tonight! LAST QUESTION! i5 2500k vs. i7 2700k..... will the HyperThreading really make much difference now that -bigadv is out of reach for both? Is the difference noticable and worth the $100 difference? THANK YOU!
Software is usually very stable unless you have an unstable overclock, then it is about the most sensitive program there is (can pass Linx or Prime but crash when folding).
I was under the impression the GPU client provided way more data, etc? *IF* CPU folding is better then - and it'll use every core you give it? If that's the case I'll aim for less video, more CPU... but which would be the better folder, an i7 or 8-core AMD?
Like W.Feather asked . what is your budget? You may want to look at this thread ... he's trying to sell i7 970 (hex core), giga UD5, ram .... Code: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1681568 Or if money is not an issue, go with 4p build like this: Code: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1677567
As tempting as that is, I don't think I want a computer the size of a file cabinet. I was actually hoping my next build would be a shuttle XPC... maybe. Seriously.... is CPU folding what you guys want more? Which would be preferred - an i7 2600 or an 8-core AMD unit?
I7 2600k with a nice OC will give you good PPD, won't be too hot, and you can set and forget for months on end if you don't OC it to the bleeding edge. GPUs are nice, but they use a HUGE amount of power and can't do some of the more complicated math that many projects are using. Your PPD will be better with a SMP setup and your power bill lower.
If good ol' CPU calculations are better, why are the nVidia (CUDA) cards at least appearing to produce so much more "work"? I've heard the analogy that the GPU approach is like a shotgun and the CPU approach is like a scalpel... a fairly-low-wattage nVidia card (like my GTX 550 TI) seems to produce a lot of numbers... but are those numbers at all useful? I see people buying fancier video cards and churning out HUGE numbers... is it all for naught? But I love the set-and-forget approach of the CPU version of the F@H utility... the GPU one does one job then goes to sleep. Plus if the CPU calculations are going to do more for our scientists, that's where I'll dump my limited funds!
Also GPU should keep churning out WU, even if you run it only at night. using the -oneunit flag will mean it only does one WU. A 550 should get through 2 or 3 WU in about 8 hours. None of the work churned out is for naught, GPU's have done a fair amount of Ahlzeimer's work over the last few years culminating in the announcement the other day that F@H has helped with the research on potential drug candidate's. I think the current list is nearly 80 paper's worth of results.
GPUs do a large amount of work. There is no question there. You asked for a rig that won't burn through power and produce good PPD. That is CPU SMP setup.
Whats your definition of huge? I think a gtx580 can do about 20k ppd, a stock 2600k also about 20k ppd on smp work units from the info I can dig up. (never ran mine stock or on smp) The cpu uses less power while doing it. Even my low end 4p does about 250k ppd and doesn't use much more power than 2 gtx580s. The right CPUs by far give you more ppd/watage and tend to give you larger "numbers"
What are PPD's? I'm a TOTAL noob with this stuff - another reason I want the EASIEST method possible. So I can just set some sort of CPU one (no blasted command line stuff, please!!) and maybe run the GPU version at the same time and do a project overnight, then just let it stop when it stops? Looks like keeping my current video card and upgrading to an i7 processor/mobo is my best bet. I want the excuse to do it too. I'm on an AM3 rig right now with a dual core unlocked to a quad. I'd never trust this amount of work to an unlocked CPU running over 140W hot! I'll sell off this rig (at a tidy profit) and get myself the Shuttle XPC and run my 550TI which is plenty fast for the games I play. BTW, nVidia still crushes the daylights out of ATI cards, right?
WOW! Now that's what I needed to hear!! If the i7 2600 does as much work as the GTX 580, I'm totally dumping my money into CPU over GPU!! Now what version of the F@H program would be best for me? Huge thanks!
I never ran my 2600 at stock or on smp units so you may want to wait for some one else to chime in but i found that info on somw tables over at hardwarecanukcs http://www./forum/hardwarecanucks-f-h-team/39734-2600k-folding-rig-ppd-numbers.html Well that's a pita we cant link to canucks. If you google "2600k ppd" it's the first link
You have 2 choices, either the current v6 client - most of us use it and it does what we need it to do. It is command line but is very easy to setup. Your other option is the v7 client, its brand new, is gui based and is designed for new users like yourself. just make sure that when you get the 2600 get the k version - there are at least 3 version s of the chip that I know of and they don't all perform the same.
I suppose if I'm going to buy new, I should get the K and a z68 for some mild overclocking. Honestly, the Shuttle XPC on the older H67 chipset would be $100 cheaper, just no overclocking. (I think it looks nicer and is 300W vs. 500W... then again, you'll only draw as much power as you actually use, right?)
Not quite, ALL PSU's use more electricity than the components actually use with the difference being lost as heat, Better PSU's lose less and are thus more efficient, example your PC needs 200 watts to power all the components, A PSU thats 80% efficient will need 250 watts from the wall to generate the 200w, A PSU that is 90% efficient only needs 225w. That saves you 25w per hour - depending on your leccy rates that could be quite a sum per year.
Use the GPU V2 Tracker. Ignoring the name it does control clients for CPU and GPUs. It's also the easiest to setup, has no command lines.
I know I'm rambling a bit but I just remembered this motherboard is capable of taking an AMD 6-core... would that be a decent folder or would it be crushed by even an i5 2500k?
So even though it's 6 cores vs. 4, without overclocking very much, the 2500 wins, eh? Good to know... I think I'll just sell off this AMD rig and go Intel... I've wanted to since the 2500k came out.
The statement about a 2500k is not entirely true unless you go for OC. I have a 1075T @ 3.9 that does ~20K PPD (running 24/7). At stock it's pretty close to a stock 2500k although the Intel is slightly better. If you want to OC though the 2nd gen I-series processors are monster overclockers and can get you a good bit of points. Overall though Kendrak is correct and I would go with the Intel as well. I just don't know if I would say that a 2500k will put an X6 "to shame", but they are faster.
I said OCed I'm also looking at it from a ppd/w viewpoint (point per day per watt) the 2500k/2600k series is just so much better on power after you have a good OC going. And most of the time you don't have to pour tons of extra Vcore into them to get that OC keeping them a much cooler running system. OP you keep saying a slight OC. Why not take it further? The chips will do it easily.
I don't want to dump a bunch of extra voltage into it, plus I need 100% reliability. To be honest, I have the much, much cheaper option of a 95W six-core AMD processor I could just plop right into my current board for much lower expense, plus I've got a really good cooler. I'd be dropping my clockspeed from 3.3 (an unlocked 2x at 4 cores but 142W!) down to 6x 2.7 but it's only $130cdn. An i7 would be a much, much larger expense, although I doubt it's 300% faster, despite the 300% greater expense. Unless you guys tell me it's a bad idea, I think the 95W AM3 six-core is a nice stop-gap until I can afford/justify a major i7 box!
My CPU can pull over 50K ppd with the right workunits. (and even those are just regular SMP workunits, not the bigadv ones, as I only have 12 threads, not 16)
Is this the 1045T? If so, I agree. And when you're ready to OC... http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1674286
That's the one. It's very tempting... although maybe I shouldn't sink another penny into this rig. I really do want to move up to an i7 2600k. BTW, my GTX 550 Ti is pulling in 130ns(?)/day. (I have no idea what that measurement of work is...) It takes about 8 hours to do a job. Is that good? Would an i7 do much better than my 550 Ti?
@OP - the 95w 1055T definitely is not a bad chip, there are better options, but it would be the cheapest upgrade path for you. Try getting it to atleast 3.0 Ghz @ this guy- GTFO off these forums with your core hack, its been discussed and is not supported here.
He's not talking about a core hack. I get 50K on regular smp also if they are the right units. No core hack involved at all.
must be those A4 wu that do ~30-50 secs a frame, Project 80xx i *think* Which client/OS are you using to get those - i have run every combo of the v6 client/OS and never get any A4 WU? Maybe its a v7 only thing?
New thought! I just came across a new twiddlybit - the Intel i3 2120T 35W processor. To build a box running 24-7, this super-low-wattage processor may be an awesome bet! With 2 cores (plus 2 hyperthreading)... wouldn't two boxes based on these do as much work as an i7 2600 would? I could start with one but leave it on all day every day! Your thoughts?
by the time you have built 2 boxes, complete with M/B, Fans, HDD and possibly a GPU you will be drawing more power than just one box. As for the "will it do as much work". Dunno - but it won't do the work as quick - which is what the project is all about.
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