GPU Folding on ATI - its coming!!!

KrazeyivanKrazeyivan Newcastle, UK
edited September 2006 in Folding@Home
The F@H ATI FAQ wrote:
We are primarily beta testing the ATI GPU client software internally at the moment, but gradually releasing the client to collaborators and other closed beta testers. We will make a formal announcement of the client at the ATI Stream Computing Event in San Francisco on Friday September 29, 2006 (this is open for press personnel, not for the general public), and then (assuming everything looks reasonable), start an open beta for the console client on Monday October 2 with the GUI GPU client (with real time visualization) to follow.

Great news - especially if you have an overclocked X1900XT ready to go!

http://folding.stanford.edu/FAQ-ATI.html

Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    There is some serious ATi 'horn tooting' going on on that page, makes you wonder if ATi have a financial hand in there somewhere.

    But the question arrises, why no nVidia client?
  • KrazeyivanKrazeyivan Newcastle, UK
    edited September 2006
    32 bit floating point precision if I recall correctly... Nvidia's current cards cannot do what the team need
  • rapturerapture
    edited September 2006
    Wouldnt run this client myself, the cooler on my 1900XT sounds like a plane carrying a truck crashing into a bomb factory.
  • KrazeyivanKrazeyivan Newcastle, UK
    edited September 2006
    Replaced mine with a Zalman VF900-CU Quiet Dual Heatpipe VGA Cooler - silence is golden......well a gentle hum.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    regardless of floating point, both GPU's can fold... so why not add nvidia to the list?
  • vaiovaio England
    edited September 2006
    ........Runs off to order a 1900XT
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Is this onlyfor the 1900 or would my x700 work? That FAQ isn't even a FAQ... it's an FYI :P
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Sledgehammer70 wrote:
    regardless of floating point, both GPU's can fold... so why not add nvidia to the list?

    ask one of the programmers :crazy:
  • vaiovaio England
    edited September 2006
    RWB wrote:
    Is this onlyfor the 1900 or would my x700 work? That FAQ isn't even a FAQ... it's an FYI :P

    From Stanford:

    "Which GPUs will be supported? We have not made any final decisions on this issue. However, our software will likely require the very latest GPUs from ATI (especially now that the newest ATI GPUs support 32 bit floating point operations). Previous work of ours used NVIDIA GPUs as well, but we have now concentrated on ATI GPU's as they allow for significant performance increases for FAH over NVIDIA's GPU's (at least at the current generation). Our GPU cluster has 25 1900XT's and 25 1900 XTX's. We find a considerable performance increase of 1900XT's even over 1800XT's, due to the architectural differences between the R580 and R520 GPU's. Our code will run on R520's, but considerably more slowly than R580. We're very much looking forward to trying out R600's."
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    dammit.. i can't afford all this crap :-/;)
  • vaiovaio England
    edited September 2006
    Nice to have the added upgrade path though
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    Shame ATi can't make Linux drivers to save their lives/life :(
  • OrianeOriane Turn around.
    edited September 2006
    Enverex wrote:
    There is some serious ATi 'horn tooting' going on on that page, makes you wonder if ATi have a financial hand in there somewhere.

    But the question arrises, why no nVidia client?

    No more horn blowing than nVidia would do if it were them. I can think of worse places to hand some finance too. nVidia is not in the picture yet because their GPU does not have what it takes to do the job.

    Qoute from Stanford:
    Which GPUs will be supported? We have not made any final decisions on this issue. However, our software will likely require the very latest GPUs from ATI (especially now that the newest ATI GPUs support 32 bit floating point operations). Previous work of ours used NVIDIA GPUs as well, but we have now concentrated on ATI GPU's as they allow for significant performance increases for FAH over NVIDIA's GPU's (at least at the current generation).

    Look for it in maybe their next GPU.

    The FAH ckient should run on 1xxx boards, but I think the more pipes it has the better- and that is the reason 1900s do better than the 18s.

    Well, this might finally justify two-card video and that 2nd 16x PCI Ex slot after all! :D
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited September 2006
    primesuspect wrote:
    dammit.. i can't afford all this crap :-/;)

    I know what you are talking about, prime. Both in initial outlay for the card and also in operating costs. I went with a 7900GTX for my Conroe build over the X1900XTX due to it drawing quite a bit less power than ATI's GPU and it's performance is more than enough for me. The ATI cards are also noisier than the Nvidia based cards too, from what I've read.

    And I also can't see keeping my $400-500 vid card under a 100% load 24/7/365 either. The cooling on vid cards doesn't hold a candle to the high performance hsf's we have available for our processors.
  • KrazeyivanKrazeyivan Newcastle, UK
    edited September 2006
    I am saving for my next PC - either going with 2 Clovertown processors (8 cores!!) or am going to get DFI's new Intel board - with 3 PCI Express slots - a Core 2 Quad and then fill it with 3 ATI DirectX 10 cards. I aim to have 2 for crossfire, 1 for eventual physics and all 3 folding. Hope the heat output will not be too much - or else it will be water based cooling.
    That will be my main platform - hope to get it going Feb time.
    I also have 4 - playstation 3 on order (europe launch in march sucks) and aim to have them just folding in a mini-farm.
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