What do you have your computer do when it is idle?

G

Gary King

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Messages
313
For those of you with high-powered systems, doesn't it suck when you aren't using it and it is being wasted? :p So, what do you normally have your computer do, besides idle? :) Run some cycles? Like SETI, etc. Or something else? :)
 
I run Folding@Home on all of my computers. Its a great little program. So my computers never really see idle conditions.

Check out the distributed computer forum if you want more info. http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32

Theres a lot of good information and many people who are always willing to help.
 
I usually try to find something big to download. Or I set it to defrag. I always want it to do something though..
 
I used to run SETI all the time.. but having a high performance rig run full speed all the time gets pricey on the electric bill, and it gets nice and toasty in the room..

Now it just idles, waiting for me to do something on it..
 
F@H.... Might as well use those extra cycles for something useful when I'm not at the PCs.

 
Sir, you are about to be slammed with people telling you to F@H.

I fold all of the time my computer is on. 30% CPU usage when I'm working and 100% when idle.

Download Linux OS's.

Keep my merchant up on EQ2.
 
I run Folding @ Home. Can't let a system sit there and do nothing while it's on. I've run some type of distributed computing project since SETI started. There were a few times here and there I didn't have something running but for the most part I always have. But now it's F@H.

 
I shut off my computer whenever I'm not using it for something important. Lowers my electricity bill and gives my fan motors a break.
 
n64man120 said:
I keep it staying idle so I can turn down my fans to quiet things
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I do the same thing, especially if I am watching TV or playing a console game... and sleeping too. :)
 
p0intblank said:
and sleeping too. :)
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It took me the longest time to get used to going to sleep not hearing the Tornados going full blast when I switched to an EXOS and then again to no fans when I no longer had my computer at my residence. I've gotten used to it now, but I think I might actually sleep better if I have some computer fans going in the background. Maybe I'll hook up an old ATX power supply and a Delta or two in my bedroom. That should solve my problem. :D

 
It sits there. I want my computer to be happy to... what if you had to constantly work with no time off? :p

Well the technical answer I have is ... It Keeps my AIM away message up :)
 
Well nothing now..

I was running F@H on my desktop machine and my laptop but it has been driving my CPU temperatures way too high... I saw my laptop breach 75°C running F@H... Summer weather sucks.
 
my dual PIII pretty much runs all the time and it runs seti, but my others are usually off when they arent in use
 
F@H

My uncle has a friend that got a few(I think 3) workstations for free,the specs for each are: 2 x 2.6ghz zeons, 2gb ram, 2 x 80gb scsi drives, and more, and I am hoping that I could get one of those to run at my house...that would be one hell of a comp for F@H! His friend gave hime 1 for his old hot tub that hardly works, so mabey for a few $100, I could get one. :D Plz plz plz, can I get one, it would really help with 3ds max 7 renderings! :)
 
Wow, am I really the only person who turns off their computer when they're not doing anything important? :eek:
 
Folding @ home. If I can help cure cancer, even in a little way, then it's worth it. I've only two computers at home, so it doesn't affect the electric bill much or the heat.
 
When I am not using it my computer does absolutley nothing besides sit and wait, and usually draw screen savers.
 
If you are having your computer do something while it is "idle", then it is never really idle, is it? Only unattended. ;)

Me personally, when my computer is going to be unattended, I turn the thing off. I don't know about the rest of you, but my electricity is not free.
 
NickN said:
Wow, am I really the only person who turns off their computer when they're not doing anything important? :eek:
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Absolutely not. Well, a lot of people opt to put it on standby or hibernate - close enough.

The people who think they are leet by leaving their "boxen" on to run F@H apparently don't realize that biologists officially finished mapping the human genome years ago, and it wasn't until well after that point that the data was even introduced to the private sector.

Seriously people - biomedical scientists would never and could never seriously base medical technology or decisions on collective data received anonoumously over the internet from millions of home computers using a small client developed in a Standford lab. F@H is for Stanford's private data collection and experimental purposes because they can't subsidize the use of a private supercomputer mainframe database for their labs - even with their prestige.

That's not to say it's totally useless - but don't go around touting your support of the "cure for cancer" because you supply supplemental data to Stanford University who personally admits publicly that this data may or may not even be useful and reliable for its intended purposes -
http://folding.stanford.edu/papers/pande_ARBBS.pdf
 
Stellar said:
If you are having your computer do something while it is "idle", then it is never really idle, is it? Only unattended. ;)

Me personally, when my computer is going to be unattended, I turn the thing off. I don't know about the rest of you, but my electricity is not free.
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Yea, your right. With F@H its not idle.
Most average computers now-a-days use the same power as two 60 watt light bulbs.... not too much when you put it in perspective, when you think of what they are capable of doing.

I'm just glad I don't live in Japan.... I shutter to think of how much electricity costs over there.
 
Stellar said:
Absolutely not. Well, a lot of people opt to put it on standby or hibernate - close enough.

The people who think they are leet by leaving their "boxen" on to run F@H apparently don't realize that biologists officially finished mapping the human genome years ago, and it wasn't until well after that point that the data was even introduced to the private sector.

Seriously people - biomedical scientists would never and could never seriously base medical technology or decisions on collective data received anonoumously over the internet from millions of home computers using a small client developed in a Standford lab. F@H is for Stanford's private data collection and experimental purposes because they can't subsidize the use of a private supercomputer mainframe database for their labs - even with their prestige.

That's not to say it's totally useless - but don't go around touting your support of the "cure for cancer" because you supply supplemental data to Stanford University who personally admits publicly that this data may or may not even be useful and reliable for its intended purposes -
http://folding.stanford.edu/papers/pande_ARBBS.pdf
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Wrong.

They are just as capable as any private company or institution at finding a cure for cancer.
Also, F@H is not to "map" the human genome, its to run computational simulations on how proteins fold given random conditions.

I run F@H, and I support finding a "cure for cancer" (sorry, had to). :D
 
Well, it depends I currently run a weekly cycle of dc project. Each project gets one day (or one work unit as the case may be depending on the time it takes to complete one) a week. My projects are as follows: folding@home, seti, money bee, muon1, dimes, red library dvl, prime 95, and occasionally I run electric sheep. Actually I was wrong..typically I give folding and prime 95 two days a week...dimes and red library dvl are internet trace routing and link verifiation, respectively, programs that don't take up much system resources (mainly just need an internet connection). So there you go, I leave my computer on 24/7 participating in 7 different dc projects. Yes, I know it is not that efficient, but I have multiple interests and until I get my own super computer I will have to divide my computational time amongst them! :D
 
what is this state called idle that you people talk of? I only know 100% CPU usage, nothing less. I've had F@H running 99% of the past year on my computer. You wusses, come on, why let all that power go to waste?
 
I second that..besides how are you gonna justifty new goodies to the wife, girlfriend, parents, etc. if you don't over-use your components until they put on a show of smoke and flames!? :p
 
Folding may not help, but it sure don't hurt. Please, how much power do you think is consumed folding? Turn your monitor off to save electricity.
 
I'm old school -- I run the distributed.net client. After my rank reaches a certain point, I'll probably just quit running anything; the noise and heat aren't worth it to me anymore.
 
upriverpaddler said:
Folding may not help, but it sure don't hurt. Please, how much power do you think is consumed folding? Turn your monitor off to save electricity.
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For my P4 2.8GHz presscott, it runs about 80watts on idle and 140watts at 100% load(F@H).
My pentium M 1.5GHz is at about 25watts at idle, 30watts under 100% load (puts out about same PPD as the P4 with HT and 2 consoles). So as you can see, it all depends on what processor your using. I like to put it in this perspective. Its usually less power consumed then two 75 watt light bulbs if you have just an average computer. Heck, in the case of the PentiumM, its half the power of a 60watt bulb.

In the case of my AMD Opteron 252, its 185watts at idle, 200watts 100% load.

I hope this gives you, and many others a good rough esitmate of what you can expect in terms of power usage.
 
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