Pondering 4P bigs

Atlas Folder

[H]ard|DCer of the Month - May 2012
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Feb 17, 2009
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I'm working out the logistics of parting out my GPU farm and going 4P bigadv. Main reason I haven't already is the sheer effort involved. However, the GPUs have become increasingly unstable over the years and require practically constant maintenance to keep going. I think it's high time I either put the effort into 2P/4P bigadv or fold up shop (no put intended).

I'm also thinking about changing teams to [H]. This forum is pretty much my go-to for information and I think having a more active and competitive team would reinvigorate my passion for folding.

Anyone have any ideas on where to sell a whackload of 9800GX2s and GTX295s? :D

I'll be hanging in HardOCP on irc today if anyone has desire to chat.

Jason
 
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Everyone has been waiting a while for you to make this post :)
I guess one of the cheapest 4P SM boards would be the go.
This http://www.wiredzone.com/Supermicro-H8QGi+-F-Motherboard-SWTX-w--Quad-1944-pin-S-G34~10020000~0.htm or the slightly cheaper GL version.
Many people will have conflicting views on which CPUs to go for.
IMO you should phone up a few of the enterprise type retailers and ask for a bulk buy on 61xx chips (6172 to 6176).
Some of the stores I talked to had hundreds of them and were happy to give good deals to bulk buyers.
Switching to [H] would be epic and should inspire some members to get back into the swing of things.

Musky's 212+ mod for G34 is a pretty safe option for cooling.
I spose noise won't be an issue for you so some the cheap dynatron's should cut it also.
Running them open like your GPUs would be the best way to go imo, rack mount cases cost a load and will make things quite hot.
If you can find a nice way to mount SWTX rigs like your K9A2's then that would be pretty sweet.
I assume you won't be over clocking them so they should only suck in about 650W per 4P.
They will all need to be Linux of course (most dudes here use Ubuntu, something like 10.10 is best) with tear's wrapper and a few tweaks for added performance.

For memory you want 1.5V CL7 stuff.
This G.Skill is pretty popular: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231492
Oh and you did say 2P/4P but 4P is definitely the way to go for you :)
Can't wait to see what numbers you can push out if you build a nice farm of 4Ps.
How hard are you thinking of going?

Good Luck, i'm sure you'll get a load of replies.
And please do join the [H]orde ;)
 
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Yes, I can see that this undertaking will be tough. I don't really see a market outside of something like eBay. Depending on you tolerance for selling, you may be able to hire someone to sell everything for a percentage of sales. I would have no idea on value - I never had many video card for folding.

If you have any questions or would like any recommendations on 4p G34s, just ask. We have many around here, along with many people who know quite a bit about them these days.

I look forward to talking to you and do hope you make the switch to [H].
 
Selling GPUs is hard work. If you're going to sell them yourself just go slowly and take your time making sure each one works. I'd probably make 2-3 ebay adds, one for each type of card and list how many tested working ones you have available.
To test the cards make sure that they function properly for gaming, install each card individually in a hot system and hook up a display. Run 15min of OCCT and a run through of 3DMark 06 and make sure there is no artefacting. I've had cards that would be fine in simple tests like furmark of folding, even at high temperature, but that had errors in shaders or something and would artefact on highlights or shadows in certain circumstances. Basically make sure that everything is working before you ship it so that there are no problems latter.
 
Atlas, what a treat to have you posting! I hope you understand what an inspiration you have been to so many of us. You have my respect.

Zink gave good advice. I started transitioning away from GPU Folding about 18 months ago when I became fed up with the high maintenance you speak of and also of the horrendous power consumption issues. But that's my secondary point. Yeah, it can be a pain to sell old video cards. You'd be surprised though, there are still a lot of Nvidia fanboys who get emotional about GX2s and GTX 295s (I sold a LOT of those over the past two years).
 
<snip>...., there are still a lot of Nvidia fanboys who get emotional about GX2s and GTX 295s (I sold a LOT of those over the past two years).

Yep. I would be interested in a GX2 for the right price.... possibly two ;)
 
Good to see you are thinking about getting back into folding. As Linden said you have been an inspiration for many. You have also been a topic of conversation on many a forum lately people wondering what you were up to and hoping to see you folding again. Just wanted to say thanks for the inspiration you have supplied over the years. :)
 
Nice to see you posting Atlas, and always good to see you around!
 
nice of ya to post, the IRC is a great place to get info you may want on 4p .... the 4p master Musky hangs out there alot i'm told....
 
Welcome welcome!

GPUs will sell... it will just take some time.

For some one who wants to start folding on a budget, a used 9800gx2 or 260 is a great option.
Shoot, for a casual gamer (WOW) an older card is still a more than enough.

Ebay would be the best, but a listing here in the DC section and the general FS section of the forums might yeild some low hassel sales.

As far as turning [H]ard. It has been a long time coming ;)
 
Personally I would not suggest selling on crapBay. Fees are over 10% and getting close to 15% fast. Plus tack on PayPal and it is better to be raped by a big bad man.
 
Sorry I wasn't arond irc, had to take my dad to the hospital. He's okay but Huntington's is taking its toll on him. Infection and probably an overnight stay.

As for folding I'll be taking my GPU farm apart tonight. I'm going to sell the cards cheap, so if anyone is interested in 9800gx2s or gtx295s PM me.

I will also be selling CPUs, motherboards (MSI K9A2s), and ram but they're nothing special.

Jason
 
I won't ask how you know this is true :D

i know for a fact, happened to me a couple weeks ago.. sold something, had a reserve on it because quite frankly i wasn't going to part on it for less then what it was worth.. ended up selling it for 100 over my reserve.. only to find out it was completely pointless since you pay a 20% fee if you exceed your reserve, + the 10% sales fee + paypal fee + fee to post the stupid auction.. i ended up with with less then the reserve was.. theres a reason we call it fleabay/feebay.. its a fucking joke.

i suggest trying to sell the cards on some of the big folding team forums.. i'm sure you will get the majority of the cards sold in a decent amount of time. plus you have some weight behind your name atlas, so i'm sure people will snatch them up faster. if i had the money i'd probably snag one of those 295's off you. :(
 
Sorry I wasn't arond irc, had to take my dad to the hospital. He's okay but Huntington's is taking its toll on him. Infection and probably an overnight stay.

Jason

No problem about not dropping by irc, you have your priorities in the right order.
 
K9A2's are pretty solid boards and should sell well (great for bitcoin miners or GPU folders etc.)
If you put them up in the FS/FT you should get a few buyers.
 
I sell a whole lot of stuff on ebay. I would recommend getting a bunch of USPS flat rate boxes, and dedicate a weekend to testing and packing GPUs into flat rate boxes.

Then just make an BuyItNow auction for each type you have, and stick labels on the flat rate boxes each time someone buys one. You can put a bunch of seperate flat rate boxes into a larger one when someone buys multiple, that is completely legal with the USPS flat rate shipping boxes.

label printers can be had for like $120, but cutting 8x11 paper and taping isn't all that bad.
 
Re-use of the racks should not be a problem I have a 4p running on one...


IMG_0263.jpg


these are 1u deeper than yours but same should apply, don't think the extra fans on top are needed.
Also don't go for the coolers I have CLS0017's they cover a ram slot on my H8QG6 and had to be cut to fit this H8QGL.
 
That does look familiar. Yes I plan on reusing the racks, PSUs, hard drives, etc. All I need are motherboards, CPUs, RAM and time.

Of course I'd love the cards to keep folding but will want to convert them to cash with which to buy 4P hardware.

Atlas
 
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