what is folding?

[binkgle]

this may be in the wrong section, but what exactly is folding? people are always saying to others "with a rig like that you should get folding," and there was a folding contest going on here (is it still happenning? can you link me to the thread?). i've researched it on google, but i don't get it at all. please answer what, how, and why you do it (prime95, for instance, is used to test stability of your oc).

thx

 

[Lethal]

Folding is a form of distributed computing. Please see our DC forum for more.

 

[LadyJaqie]

I fold for 2cpu.com. doesnt matter who you fold for, please fold for the cause.

it's a really good way to help out and its fun to watch your name climb the ranks, too

 

[Mayhem33]

Here is the link to the contest! http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=842054

Here is a link to Stanfords web site, with all the info about the project.

http://folding.stanford.edu/

When and if your ready to get started, we would be happy to help you get going!

The faq in this section has a lot of good info about why and names for things we talk about here.

[H]appy [H]olidays and "get folding"!!!!

 

[rogue_jedi]

an addiction

well, an addiction to cure disease, anyway. there's no real reason not to fold (other than potentially bandwidth/power costs - but if bandwidth becomes an issue for you, you might be running a few too many machines on one connection)

as LadyJaqie said, it doesn't matter who you fold for. the work all goes the same place, and every little bit helps.

hope to see you folding sometime soon. if you need any help just ask.

 

[Bodega]

its a great way to contribute a little without really having to do much. Even while the programs runs in the background your other programs can use all of your computer's resources, it doesnt affect gaming at all.

to join up with your fellow [H]er's, make sure to enter team 33. if you want to join the Aussie scum ... well... i wont even tell you how

when you start, check out your stats here

if you find yourself building computers just for folding... go ahead and blame relic -even though he doesnt seem to be around much these days



no kangaroos, dingos, or Australians were harmed during the posting of this post

 

[Tenchi4U]

essentially, folding is when you are running a process on your PC (usually when the computer is running the screensaver or when it has been idle for a while) that processes assigned portions and sends them back to a central server and receives new information to process. It is essentially a VERY large cluster server; when the folding process is started, you are loaning out your processor power; when you start using the computer again, the folding process pauses until the pc is idle once again.

Folding is a worthwhile activity and could potentially benefit all of mankind. Folding activites usually involve searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, finding cures for diseases, etc.

I think most universities, large corporations, or any other place that leaves large amounts of workstations computers on all the time should fold for a worthwhile cause.

 

[unhappy_mage]

Oh, and posts in the forum tend to get off topic really fast. Ask one of the mooses if you're not sure.

no kangaroos, dingos, or Australians were harmed during the posting of this post

I guess you'll have to try again. Silly 'roos.

Folding activites usually involve searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, finding cures for diseases, etc.

Actually, folding is only searching for diseases. Only is too strong a word, tho. If we find aliens, then maybe we'll have to start searching for cures for their diseases, but not yet.

 

[rogue_jedi]

Silly 'roos.

trix are for kids?

anyway, distributed computing involves a lot of things, (prime95, seti, f@h) but the only ones I think are worth it are the ones searching for a cure. F@H and united devices are two in particular. F@H is the main focus of this subforum just because it is the most popular one around here. there are a bunch of ud'ers here somewhere, though.

if you want to find aliens, do seti, if you want to find wierd prime numbers, do prime95, and if you want to find a cure for a bunch of diseases that have most likely afflicted at least one person you know/knew, do F@H or UD. i recommend F@H, just cause it seems to be getting something done, and i know more about it than UD. either one is good, though.

 

[Scheizekopf]

I fold for 2cpu.com. doesnt matter who you fold for, please fold for the cause.

it's a really good way to help out and its fun to watch your name climb the ranks, too

Come on Jaqie. . . You gotta switch to team 33.

 

[Viper87227]

I fold for 2cpu.com. doesnt matter who you fold for, please fold for the cause.

it's a really good way to help out and its fun to watch your name climb the ranks, too

switch to team 33 and you can enter my contest.... either way it helps, but it woudl still be nice to see the [H] #1.

 

[binkgle]

a) how do teams fit into this?

b) how does this help in medical research?

c) does this affect comp performace in any way, especially during gaming?

d) what program do i need to fold?

e) if i don't get it, or if for some reason i don't like it, is it uninstallable (probably a stupid question [makes me sound way too noobie], but i'll ask it anyway)

edit:

f) how do points factor into this?

 

[Mayhem33]

a) how do teams fit into this?

b) how does this help in medical research?

c) does this affect comp performace in any way, especially during gaming?

d) what program do i need to fold?

e) if i don't get it, or if for some reason i don't like it, is it uninstallable (probably a stupid question [makes me sound way too noobie], but i'll ask it anyway)

edit:

f) how do points factor into this?

a) teams are a way to incite friendly competition. bragging rights!

b) by learning how protiens fold and misfold in theory you can then use it to find cures to
diseases. protiens are the building blocks to the structure.

c) folding is designed to use spare cpu cycles. the more you are using your proccesor the more the program backs off and gives way to ANY other requests for cpu time.

d) what you need to get started is right here.
folding program
just decide which version you want to run and appropriate OS

e) yes, the program comes with the abillity to uninstall completely.

f) agian the points are just to incite competition and for bragging rights.

Hope you join up and catch the interest!

 

[binkgle]

does using this mean that the cpu will always be at load temps, never just resting idle? is that healthy for the cpu?

what factors affect how much folding you can do? for instance, is clock speed all that matters? mem speed, too? i've had probs with ocing, and i now keep my a64 3000+ socket 754 @ 204 mhz x 10 multi, ram @ 204 mhz, 2-3-3-10-1T (though i'm gonna start testing different ram timings soon).

 

[unhappy_mage]

does using this mean that the cpu will always be at load temps, never just resting idle? is that healthy for the cpu?

what factors affect how much folding you can do? for instance, is clock speed all that matters? mem speed, too? i've had probs with ocing, and i now keep my a64 3000+ socket 754 @ 204 mhz x 10 multi, ram @ 204 mhz, 2-3-3-10-1T (though i'm gonna start testing different ram timings soon).

Yes, it's always at load temps. If your load temps are sub-50, though, it shouldn't be a problem.

OCing can be a problem in that the core can dump and lose you a unit, or incorrect results could be sent. If your box is prime-stable it shouldn't be a problem. I'd be inclined to say that 2gHz for a 3000 is probably alright, but chips vary.

For more information on folding, there's a link on the folding.stanford.edu frontpage. Interesting stuff.