Server multi-core folding possible?

TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
edited April 2012 in Folding@Home
Long story short. I got a Dell 2950 II server for free.
It has two Intel xeon processers. Im not sure if they are dual or quad core yet or what speed they run at. But I know it has two CPUs and I know you could get that server with duals or quad cores.

I just need some ram for it and a hard drive. This eec ram isn't exactly cheap compared to normal memory.

But my question is, is there any folding support for multi-processor platforms?

if I get this thing running. I would like to make use out of it. Other than using it as a home media server (which was my original idea)

Sorry for grammar errors, Im on my phone and in a hurry.

Comments

  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    dat smp client
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    The new public beta client, 7.1.52, will find and auto-set for multi-core computers to SMP when run first time if you let it, but it will also try to GPU fold probably if you let it express config. So, when it wants you to set up express or otherwise, select otherwise then tell it to SMP only.

    When you go to fold, have a passkey like usual now.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    Sweet. Now I just have to hope that the cpu's are quad core xeons.
    And hopefully I can get some Ram for it and a drive.

    It might take me a while to get it going, im kinda of strapped for cash right now.

    I wonder how well it would do. I know its not the newest piece of equipment,

    But would it compete with what my personal i7 920 @ 4.0gHz ?
    If it was two quad core xeons @ 2.66Ghz ?
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    It depends on what series of Xeon it is as well as a host of other factors.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    ^Right. One major one is this-- if the quad Xeons Hyperthread, then you will have 16 processors folding for folding out of your server. The newest series (EP) of Xeon DOES Hyperthread, I do not know about the older serieses. the speed you gave, unfortunately, argues for a high-end of an older series.

    Been researching them a lot lately, never had a server myself before. It ill be quite a while before I can afford one, given current pricing.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    Some of the older ones do and some don't. Just run CPUZ and get model number and then look at Intel's site. Setup will probably be dual client's but you can test it with a single client running across the whole system.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    Well,
    A bit of an update here,

    I might not be able to do much folding on it after all. I did a look up on the serial number of the server.

    And it seems it was a lower end build of the 2950's. It not the two quad cores that I was hoping for.
    Its only two Xeon dual cores at 1.6 Ghz. Which is fairly weak for today's standards.

    I don't know how much folding that will put out, but im assuming not very much.
    I have the exact model of the processor on my other pc, so I can check to see if it does hyperthreading.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    If it is just dual cores then it should be this, otherwise they would be quads with no H/T.

    You only have 4 cores total with no H/T.
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    RE the other PC: The i7's do hyperthreading, yes.

    I have an i7 2.4 Ghz folding and it gets about 7-17 k PPD. It is my laptop, so it is a multi-use box.

    The 1.6 duals will act like a 4-processor computer, and at 1.6 GHz will maybe do 5-15 k PPD, with that 15k as a guess.
  • TrumandrummerTrumandrummer Taylor Michigan Icrontian
    edited April 2012
    @k
    Yea that's the right one. That's the one that shows up under my serial number. Only 4 cores.... no HT, and fairly slow freq. Probably won't pull in much.

    @Straight_Man
    Yea I know. I was folding on my i7 overclock at 4.2Ghz for a while there. Pulled in usually over 20k. But its watercooled and I baby it too much. I don't leave it on when I'm gone. And sadly with work and college.... I'm always gone. So I stopped folding on it. I used to leave it on 24/7 before I added watercooling.... but now I baby it more...

    That's kinda why I was hoping that the server would have been a bit more powerful, cuz I could let it fold 24/7.
  • DanGDanG I AM CANADIAN Icrontian
    I thought I could hook you up with some ram, but the boneyard servers I've got are 2650's and are only DDR, not DDR2.

    What kind of drive did you need for it? I've got a couple of old SCSI drives from those same 2650's that might work. They're in the hot swappable chassis.
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