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OneMacGuy · May 22, 2003, 08:07 PM

I was starting to make the switch from SETI and had decided to go to Folding@Home. I must have been dizzy, I started installing the DFold client instead and uninstalling SETI.

What a stupid mistake!

What do you guys suggest, should I switch to F@H or stay on DFold? I need to decide quick, I am letting too many CPUs sit idle!

Scotttheking · May 22, 2003, 08:25 PM

I'd say go f@h.
DF is changing to a new client version in about 20 days, and I wouldn't want to run it until every kink has been worked out.
If you did install DF, did you make sure to set it so it auto updates, etc?

OneMacGuy · May 22, 2003, 10:09 PM

Originally posted by Scotttheking:
I'd say go f@h.
DF is changing to a new client version in about 20 days, and I wouldn't want to run it until every kink has been worked out.
If you did install DF, did you make sure to set it so it auto updates, etc?

Yes, I did. I am also just running the Screensaver version for right now, until I get a little more used to how it all works. After running SETI for so long, it is a little confusing.

Shaktai · May 22, 2003, 10:59 PM

Originally posted by OneMacGuy:
Yes, I did. I am also just running the Screensaver version for right now, until I get a little more used to how it all works. After running SETI for so long, it is a little confusing.

Not a whole lot to get used to really. I tend to agree with Scott, in that I would recommend Folding@Home for now, until we see how the new dFold client works out. While old dFold stats will be archived, the new dFold client will require a new stats method, so the old stats really won't count for much if I understand it correctly.

The team could really use the help in Folding@home right now.

OneMacGuy · May 24, 2003, 02:31 PM

Originally posted by Shaktai:
Not a whole lot to get used to really. I tend to agree with Scott, in that I would recommend Folding@Home for now, until we see how the new dFold client works out. While old dFold stats will be archived, the new dFold client will require a new stats method, so the old stats really won't count for much if I understand it correctly.

The team could really use the help in Folding@home right now.

I installed the F@H client on two servers running Windows 2000 Server and AMD XP2500 Barton processors. These machines started having problems within hours and would just freeze when left alone. They had been running the SETI CLI client for some time with no problem. Any clues?

reader50 · May 24, 2003, 02:47 PM

Gromacs is knows to heat CPUs up more than benchmarking utilities. Also, it seems to be sensitive to overclocking errors, including overclocking the memory.

I'd guess that the CPUs are just running much hotter than before. You can fix this in config options, either turning down the percentage of utilization, or turning off optimizations entirely.

If it is hot CPUs, a better cooling solution would work also.

OneMacGuy · May 24, 2003, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by reader50:
Gromacs is knows to heat CPUs up more than benchmarking utilities. Also, it seems to be sensitive to overclocking errors, including overclocking the memory.

I'd guess that the CPUs are just running much hotter than before. You can fix this in config options, either turning down the percentage of utilization, or turning off optimizations entirely.

If it is hot CPUs, a better cooling solution would work also.

That's not likely the problem, the SETI client had the CPu utilization running at 100% all of the time anyway. They never go high enough to set off the alarms I have set for them. Now they are overclocked a little, but they have been that way for months with no problems. Maybe the F@H software is encountering problem withe the overclocked FSB, seems strange that SETI did not though. I would guess that it might be something with the AMD XP Barton chips?

Shaktai · May 24, 2003, 04:51 PM

Originally posted by OneMacGuy:
That's not likely the problem, the SETI client had the CPu utilization running at 100% all of the time anyway. They never go high enough to set off the alarms I have set for them. Now they are overclocked a little, but they have been that way for months with no problems. Maybe the F@H software is encountering problem withe the overclocked FSB, seems strange that SETI did not though. I would guess that it might be something with the AMD XP Barton chips?

Folding@home is a bit more sensitive to overclocking. On one of my boxes I had to back off the FSB exactly 2mhz to stabilize the box. Also FAH utilizes SIMD instructions which SETI didnt' and that will tax the CPU's in ways that SETI never did as well as create more heat. The project is well worth the effort though.