Quick-Tuning the Windows Graphical Client

Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own wayNaples, FL Icrontian
edited October 2003 in Folding@Home
Right Click the COG.
Click Configure.
Click Advanced (tab).
Choose Slightly Higher if you do not use your WinBox for real heavy stuff, or when using it for heavy stuff either suspend\pause folding and get it done with then LEAVE it on "Slightly higher" as ti DOES pick up the client's folding pace some in 98 SE and should also in XP.

I will know in about a week what the TRUE difference is as a percentage (as versus the Lowest Priority setting), can only say it is VISIBLE (and just mini-tuned today).

FOLD ON, Y'ALL! ;):):D

Comments

  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    AGEEK, I also noticed that by setting it to idle instead of low in Console, it seems to run a little faster. I may just be me, but it seems to have made difference.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    Idle is a lower priority than low so realistically that doesn't actually make any sence.....

    NS
  • mondimondi Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    NightShade737 said
    Idle is a lower priority than low so realistically that doesn't actually make any sence.....

    NS

    actually, ... when set to idle, F@H uses all you cpu cyles that are not being utilized by other processes, when set to low, it is just permanently at low priority, hence, when idle it will produce more unless the cpu is constantly in use by other processes ...
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    You seem to be reading it wrong.

    It is set to "Low Priority" not "Low Usage" , so it will be using all of the computers unused cycles when they are not being used by anything else (the same as idle) but it will take priority over anything that is set to idle on the machine and will share with any other processes that are at the "Low" level.

    It's just a ladder, no-one is different in any way than the others, other than in who has precedence of the cycles at the time in form of rank.

    NS
  • mondimondi Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    ahh, yes .. well :)

    I just had a quick browse throught the f@h site forums and it seems youre very right,,, my apologies ...
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    Its just standard process ranking.

    One thing to make sure you never do though it set anything to Very High or RealTime, as if those programs need constant CPU useage then they will be ranked above everything else including the Windows GUI and HID input, so basically it will appear the machine has hardlocked.

    Though it could be interesting to try it on a dedicated folding machine and see if it gives any performance gain....

    NS
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    So it shouldn't make a difference either way unless you are running another distributed computing program.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    It will with low as there are lots of processes that run as "low" so they will slow down, wether or not this will effect the machine is subject to the computer itself.

    NS
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    Seems it's at low anyway as far as Windows is concerned.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    Im not sure whether comaring F@H terms to Windows terms, Idle is Low and Low is Below average. That or Low is low and Idle just shows up as low too.

    Not sure, never looked into it before.

    NS
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    I have that set to Idle in F@H and it's showing as Low in Windows, but it's using 98/99 % when the machine is doing nothing but folding, so I guess it doesn't matter whether it's set to Idle or Low in F@h on a dedicated folding machine? It's going to use up to whatever % you set in F@H (console).
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    -08714Windows always does things, you may notice that the zaxqwBF4J6UIL9[-]
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    NightShade737 said
    -08714Windows always does things, you may notice that the zaxqwBF4J6UIL9[-]

    What? ;D
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    Oh, sorry, I forgot I was replying to a thread and decided to dismantle my laptop and clean it. Whoops :p

    Er....... can't remember what I was going to say now :rolleyes2 ......

    NS
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    and I thought you were speaking in code.. ;D


    I think I know what you were going to say though. Windows always has some processes running in the back ground?
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    Oh, right, I remember.

    Windows is always using CPU usage to potter about doing......... things........ so you will notice that CPU usage will sometimes spike (if only a little) or go up to 1% rarely, there is also potentially 0.49% CPU usage going on which would also not register. So setting F@H to realtime would give F@H priority over pretty much everything giving you an increase (albiet possibly tiny).

    But note, you will not have control of the machine while F@H is processing a work unit.

    NS
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    Right. Nothing else could run.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited October 2003
    On my main rig I run a console in the taskbar at low and another serviced under firedaemon at idle. The service one is a genome and it doesnt take much at all. It does spike to 4% every few seconds tho. So idle is below low.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    All my machines use idle priority. And it uses 100% almost all the time.

    Low is lowest possible thread priority. Even windows background tasks are placed higher.

    Below normal is slightly higher than this. Windows balances background and folding.

    Normal is idle. If no other process has been started by the user the demands cpu cycles, folding gets all of it. This is standard for folding. Normal/idle.

    High and realtime means folding gets precedence over everything. Even the windows kernel.
  • BDRBDR
    edited October 2003
    It stays at "low" in the processes screen no matter if it's set to low or idle in F@H itself.

    I understand why there are the 2 settings in F@H.

    But like you, mine seem to use 98-99% on my dedicated folders no matter whether it's set to low or idle.

    It's going to go by what you set the max CPU usage to and if anything else is running, sharing the cpu.

    So, I guess overall, it doesn't matter which setting you use on a dedicated folder that runs no other DC programs and just mainly folds.
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