Message boards : Graphics cards (GPUs) : GPU Needed?
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This is going to sound kinda crazy, but, can I run this project if I don't currently have a GPU card in my box? | |
ID: 17374 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
[slight punn on] Only if UR Wonder Woman! ;-) [slight punn off] | |
ID: 17381 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Unfortunately no. | |
ID: 17382 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Yep, already figured that out. Next question: if I have two processers (not that GPU Grid uses even one), and I put this and another CPU-heavy project on 100% resource share each (equal resource share), both will run at the same time right? Or will BOINC timeshare? :( | |
ID: 17393 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Next question: if I have two processers (not that GPU Grid uses even one), and I put this and another CPU-heavy project on 100% resource share each (equal resource share), both will run at the same time right? Or will BOINC timeshare? :( Each core of your CPU(s) can run a project (or WU) while each NVidia GPU runs an instance of GPUGRID. An exception is AQUA for the CPU which will use all CPU cores on the current WU. GPUGRID will still run on the GPU. | |
ID: 17394 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Yep, already figured that out. Next question: if I have two processers (not that GPU Grid uses even one), and I put this and another CPU-heavy project on 100% resource share each (equal resource share), both will run at the same time right? Or will BOINC timeshare? :( GPU projects for the most part have minimal load on the CPU side (Einstein is one exception) so that running GPU Grid, Collatz, MW, etc, have minimal to no impact on running projects like WCG. If you run WCG at RS 100 and GPU Grid at RS 100 both should run full time (work being available of course), if you run Rosetta, WCG, and GPU Grid at the same RS then you will spend about half the CPU time doing RaH tasks and half doing WCG tasks ... OVER TIME ... that means that you can and **WILL** have instances where two RaH tasks run or two WCG tasks run at the same time ... add in more projects and it gets more interesting ... I am at the far end of the spectrum in that I attach to pretty much every project and donate time to them ... sometimes I have used unbalanced RS to allocate the time based on how much I like project A over B and at other times have done other things ... Last point, the actual RS numbers themselves have no meaning ... it is the ratio of the numbers and the number of projects that have that RS number that is meaningful ... so, if I am allocating based on interest I would set the most interesting projects to 100, less interesting to 50, 25, or 10... but, even 10 RS projects on fast and wide (8 core or more) systems have a chance to be run once a day... Though not properly shown in BOINC Manager, the RS is actually split along resource types (ATI, CUDA, CPU, etc.) so ... in my system with an ATI card and a CUDA card it can get interesting ... :) | |
ID: 17404 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
So if I understand correctly, then: | |
ID: 17411 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Mostly I've read that the GT240 with DDR5 is both cheap, low power, & popular. Read many writing that many Online stores sell it with rebates. | |
ID: 17414 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
So if I understand correctly, then: That would be correct... 5 tasks, one on the GPU and 4 on the CPU ... With only one CPU project and one GPU project the machine would, in theory, always be working on the tasks from the appropriate projects. You *MAY* want to consider setting up a back-up project for each "side" so that the system will not go idle ... but you may also want to leave that for another day ... when the feet are a little more wet. WCG is a good project in that they do have a fantastic up-time and almost always have work of one sort or another on a variety of sub-projects ... the only way they suck from a user's perspective is that they are one of the lower paying projects ... if that becomes of interest ... As to RS, with just WCG and GPU Grid (or the other projects as GPU only selections (Note: for Collatz you would have to change the on-lline settings to not send you any CPU side work as I have done)) the RS can be left to 100 as it will not matter. If you add additional projects on either "side" you will have to decide on what you want ... if you connect to WCG, GPU Grid and Rosetta at RS 100 the GPU will be full time on GPU Grid and the CPUs will run about 50/50 WCG and Rosetta tasks ... I think they may still be a bit pricy for you but the 9800GT is a fair card though in my opinion barely adequate for GPU Grid (as would be the GT240)... GPU Grid is not that "friendly" to the lower end cards because of the heft of the computation task... my personal recommendation would be to consider Collatz to start with a low end card (or DNETC)... if you are too low end of a card you will not be able to consider MW due to the need for double precision ... | |
ID: 17431 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Awesome! Thanks for all the help. I placed my order last night (!) for the GT240. It rang in at just a couple bucks over $100 after rebate. | |
ID: 17437 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
I think that the earlier posts are excellent and explained it quite well. | |
ID: 17448 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
imho... I would not suggest adding more than 2 projects to a box, since it gets interesting on how boinc schedules projects/etc. 2 CPU projects is fine. It may not be optimal all the time (as Paul would argue) but it usually gets the job done without wierd stuff happening. And you get the benefit of not running dry if one project fails. MrS ____________ Scanning for our furry friends since Jan 2002 | |
ID: 17456 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
imho... I would not suggest adding more than 2 projects to a box, since it gets interesting on how boinc schedules projects/etc. Running only two project not optimal? Or BOINC not running optimally? I have no complaint about the first thought ... in fact I recommend at least two projects... Those that are super-adicted to SaH for instance these last couple of weeks have been having a really tough go of it as the project is having one of its rough patches... that is why I suggested WCG with an alternative of Rosetta as they are both projects that concentrate on the disease area and both have decent up-times and reliable flows of work ... The second way of reading your assertion is correct in that I do argue that after 5 years of development BOINC does not serve the user communities well, not the single project fanatics, nor the reasonable 5-10 project group, and least of all the oddballs that run them all (only about 3,000 of us)... what makes this so astounding is that Dr. Anderson wrote a paper on this aspect, but his actions are of those of a man that has never read the very paper he wrote ... very strange ... | |
ID: 17460 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Didn't have anything specific in mind, just didn't want to sound overly enthusiastic and leave the debate to others ;) | |
ID: 17468 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
I have seen times where work was 'Ready to start' but cores were idle. | |
ID: 17484 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
The effect you describe here is in fact a side effect, a bug, typical for multi CPU projects like AQUA. In fact you should report it on the AQUA site since it was supposed to have been taking care of, | |
ID: 17486 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Continuing that thought, this is also partly a design decision of UCB wherein the "desire" of the multi-CPU project for all available resources will override the rule of no idle resources. Until all the running applications have check-pointed more and more resources will be idled until the MP task can be started. | |
ID: 17487 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Ok, I will post on Aqua. Thanks | |
ID: 17489 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
minor update. since, installing the latest boinc, I have not observered that issue with idle cores. | |
ID: 17549 | Rating: 0 | rate: / Reply Quote | |
Message boards : Graphics cards (GPUs) : GPU Needed?