Best Bang for the Buck
Looking for feedback on value builds for maximum folding production from both Intel and AMD camps. There are some cheap processors out there, but a lot of those are power hogs. More efficient processors usually come with a higher price tag, but at some point they might pay for themselves with smaller electric bills from both power draw and returned heat into my cooled space.
Who can make some value builds that have the best folding production when divided into the cost of operation?
Thanks!
Who can make some value builds that have the best folding production when divided into the cost of operation?
Thanks!
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Intel (all D series require DDR2 memory/motherboard):
1) D 805: $101, very good overclocker, hot, limited bandwidth, power hungry
2) D 820: $123, VERY GOOD overclocker, hot, good bandwidth, power hungry
3) D 915: $140, good/very good overclocker, hot, limited bandwidth, power hungry (65nm, less power consumption and heat than D8XX series)
4) D 930: $190, SUPERB overclocker (4GHz on air is not uncommon), hot, power hungry (65nm, less power consumption and heat than D8XX series)
5) D 940: $191, same overall as D 930, except default clock is higher, overclocking will not be any different at the final clock.
AMD:
1) A64X2 3800+: $153, good overclocker, low power consumption, low heat, great bandwidth
2) A64X2 4200+: $188, limited overclocker, low power consumption, low heat
On eBay, I know you can find the 805, 820, and 930 for much better prices than online retail.
AMD experts, please give some help here. If my AMD comments are inaccurate, please correct me.
For Folding@Home potential production, AMD dual core and Intel D 8xx and 9xx series seem to run nearly on parity, with the exception of QMDs (none seen in months) and double Gromacs. GBGromacs and many standard Gromacs are processed fairly equally on competitive AMD and Intel platforms.
If you wish to keep your CPU for a year or less, I think your best bang for the buck would be an Intel 805, 820, or 930/940 system. If for longer than a year, depending on your electricity prices, it would probably be advisable to go Athlon 64X2. If you already have spare DDR(1) RAM you wish to put in a new system, then Intel D series is probably out for you. IF QMDs and Double Gromacs are available in plentiful supply, ANY of the Intel systems will be superior points producers to the Athlons. Fair or unfair, that's just the way it is. (Gaming is an entirely different story. :o )
A Cheap AM2 X2 3800+ with DDR2 should be upgradeable to a Quad Core K8L late next year.
DFI INFINITY NF ULTRAII-M2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra $110
(should be moddable to 8x/8x SLI)
EPoX EP-MF4ULTRA Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra $92
BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX $62.99 Retail. Sometimes they have open box values for half that price.
This board pretty much has it all. If only X2 3800+ CPU's were the same price as 805D's, this would make a very good value deal for processing power vs. power consumption.
Do you know if that Biostar mobo has much overclocking potential? I know that the $101 D805s will overclock like crazy on several i945p chipset boards.
I don't have the Biostar above so I can't say much about it -- it just looks like a decent board (specs) for the price. As for the i945 chipset, which motherboards do you recommend for the value system?
Budget LGA boards for D series processors:
(these boards will NOT accept Conroes, but will accept the D8 or D9 series Pentiums)
Look for 945G, 945P, or 955 chipsets for overclocking. Do not overclock a D series CPU if the motherboard doesn't have heatsinks on the MOSFETs around the CPU socket. NO NO. Donut and I have both smoked motherboards by doing that. Literal smoke. The best clocking board for D Series is the Asus P5W series, but they unfortunately, are not "budget."
I'll get back to this thread later with specific recommendations.
BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 $74
TForce 6100 Review
Citrix, why would I want to pick up a cheap AMD XP + mobo combo when that is exactly what I want to upgrade away from?
I've heard that before the QMD work dried up, some folks had hacked the F@H client and disabled the AMD check and got SSE2 enabled with QMD work and they did very well folding QMD's, but with the same provisions as with the P4 by just having 1 client on QMD and the other on regular work to keep from flooding out the memory bandwidth.