A fresh start

LincLinc OwnerDetroit Icrontian
edited July 2010 in Folding@Home
We're disbanding the Committee, closing the Committee forum, and disbanding the ICx/SMx project. :eek3:

If you are a current host, our hat is off to you. We would love it if you kept your machine running. If that's not feasible, the rig is yours to do with as you please. All contracts are hereby void. The remaining team funds will be held until such time as we have use for them again.

It's time to start fresh, gentlemen and ladies :D Consider the floor open, the time ripe, and the linens laundered. Remember that actions speak louder than words.

Now what? :rarr:
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Comments

  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    I have officially closed the Committee forum and made it a hidden subforum of Folding@Home. I moved a dozen relevant threads from the last year out into this forum, and leave the rest behind for the former committee to reference if they actually need it for now. :)
  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    The SMx Project had a great run. Hats off to the past and present hosts and members who made it possible. I can't wait to see what's in store for Team 93 in the future.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    * Find someone who's not on our Folding@Home team (Team 93) and get them folding! :D

    * Find someone who previously Folded for Team 93 but lost interest. Grab them by the collar...well, not really :wink:

    * If you have video card that's capable of running Folding@Home - ATI Radeon 2400 or greater and Nvidia 8600 or great, get it Folding! We'll help you get started. It's not difficult and it's fun! :cool:

    * For next computer upgrade, consider a video card that is Folding@Home capable. I did just that a couple months back. Wow! :hair:

    * If you see a new Icrontic forums member, welcome them to the site and invite them to join Team 93. :)

    * Look at the Team 93 stats. When you see good accomplishments, compliment the team member in the forums. :rockon:

    * Are you tired of nothing new, well then, challenge another team member in a production or recruiting contest. :grr:

    There is so much untapped potential we have to work with! I'm optimistic. :thumbup
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Honestly, I completely lost interest in folding due to SMP, GPU, instability, and switching to Vista back then. Now I don't fold even though I have a radeon 3850 and a dual core athlon 64.

    Why? I game all the time and I'm worried about GPU + gaming performance.

    I guess my interest could be reignited, but I'd need some reassurance that GPU folding won't affect my gaming performance.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Prime, Pande Group addressed your concern with the GPU2 "Systray" client. The client's icon resides in the system tray. By right-clicking the icon, you have the option to pause the client if you need to do something that requires significant GPU processing. The menu also has a stop option. Both "pause" and "stop" work instantly and do not corrupt the partially completed project.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Is a 3850 a decent card for GPU folding?
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    As the last standing Team Captain, I am proud of what the SMx/ ICx Project accomplished in the 6+ years it's been around. We were, arguably, the first such project. We took donations of cash and spare parts to hobble together decent folding rigs and then let worthy members host them for a while. An awesome project... the project has brought in new members, rallied the team to do more and fold more, and gave Stanford several million points of Cancer Kill'n CPU cycles all in the name of Team #93. :rarr:

    To all the remaining SMx\ICx rigs and their hosts... AWESOME JOB. I am darn proud to say that I helped bring many of you together and I think you guys have done a lot to promote this project. THANK YOU SO MUCH. :respect:

    We are not saying that the Team is dead... the ICx Project is dead in its present form and the Committee is burned out. overworked with real life, and we are asking the current team members to step forward and start fresh. I am available to help consult a new Committee (in whatever form) or in any other projects you guys come up with. I might even join but the we need the Team to lead the way on this....
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Is a 3850 a decent card for GPU folding?
    It's production should be about 1600-2000 points per day, which is close to a Q6600 CPU running a single SMP at stock clock.

    So yes, it's a very good folder.
  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited November 2008
    primesuspect wrote:
    Honestly, I completely lost interest in folding due to SMP, GPU, instability, and switching to Vista back then. Now I don't fold even though I have a radeon 3850 and a dual core athlon 64.

    Why? I game all the time and I'm worried about GPU + gaming performance.

    I guess my interest could be reignited, but I'd need some reassurance that GPU folding won't affect my gaming performance.

    I was always told folding doesn't affect a PCs performance. I always found that true and still do. I fold with GPU2 24/7 and play ALL the latest games with no problem. Considering what folding is actually about I see no legitimate reason for me not to. Even forgetting team93, even forgetting personal scores, just for the work, there are far too many 0's in the folding stats.
  • TBonZTBonZ Ottawa, ON Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Wow, I guess it is dead! Just checked the stats and there are only five project rigs still running and that is a shame. We are also at our lowest number of active members since IC first went off-line and S-M went live. :(

    I had started a flash video awhile back, I think I'm going to have to see about completing it to help with people's interest in the project.

    I agree with you bothered, there really isn't a reason to not fold.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    The team's stats have become almost as volatile as the U.S. economy the average ppd goes form 1500-1700 in a week. Also our actual production has dropped so much no one is on our overtake radar any more.

    We need a rally cry, a call to fold if not for the team then for humanity.
  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    I'm in. Setting up my C2D and GPU this weekend. Also installed it on pop's C2D.
    Time to kick this pig.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Jared (or anyone else for that matter), please post if have any problems setting up and running the clients.
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    TBonZ wrote:
    Just checked the stats and there are only five project rigs still running and that is a shame.
    While the project is "dead" for now, I have a personal interest in keeping 23 online so be sure to let us know if you need any help with it :) Thanks for keeping it alive!
  • TBonZTBonZ Ottawa, ON Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    No worries there Keebs. As long as Folding@Home continues and there is a Team 93 to fold for, 23 is for life.

    Current SM23_Keith_Whitsitt build:

    Q8200@3.22Ghz
    Asus P5Q-E
    4GB Corsair PC2-8500
    Asus EAH4870

    Running GPU2 and SMP client. :)
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    THAT rig is a monster... :D
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    I think the reason I stopped folding is 3 fold. I had to reformat (more than once, silly dual booting), ended up leaving college, and then realized that I have to pay the electric bill for running the CPU 24/7.

    Considering the amount of power drawn by that isn't negligible, it's kinda hard for me to justify running it all the time. That coupled with Prime's own worry about gaming performance caused me to lose interest.

    Does anyone have any numbers regarding folding vs. power consumption? I'm OK with an extra $10-15 on an electric bill, but an extra $40 is out of the question.
  • LincLinc Owner Detroit Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Do it for a month and find out :p Our electric bill is already outlandish (more than 6 systems in the house plus 2 fridges and the HDTV and gaming consoles), so I really don't think folding is going to hurt much at this point.
  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    It's easy to do the math, but without a kill-a-watt or something else to measure the actual usage, you'll have to guesstimate how much juice your rig sucks down on average. Assuming 250W and the US average cost of residential electricity:

    0.25kw * 24hr * 30days * $0.12/kwhr = $21.60 per month.

    However, your PC may use less juice, and your electricity may cost less. Mine costs about $0.075/kwhr, which makes it more like $13.50/mo, if it actually draws 250W.
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Gargoyle wrote:
    It's easy to do the math, but without a kill-a-watt or something else to measure the actual usage, you'll have to guesstimate how much juice your rig sucks down on average. Assuming 250W and the US average cost of residential electricity:

    0.25kw * 24hr * 30days * $0.12/kwhr = $21.60 per month.

    However, your PC may use less juice, and your electricity may cost less. Mine costs about $0.075/kwhr, which makes it more like $13.50/mo, if it actually draws 250W.


    Ours is just over $0.03 a month, so I can afford that. I just have to decide which systems to put it on :rarr:

    edit: So, yeah, I'm putting it on the C2D and the 8800GT!
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Okay, I've found that GPU folding DEFINITELY affects gaming performance. Badly. TF2 runs terribly with GPU folding going, so I have to pause folding while playing.

    That's basically what kept me from GPU. But still, I'll truck along and pause while playing.
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    As soon as I get an internet connection that is not dial-up (should be next semester) I'll have an SMP and a GPU client going soon after that. If I see people that used to fold but now don't I'll try to get them back up and also talk to people at school to see if they are willing to start.

    My goal: join the top 100, and add(at least)one new member who reaches the top 100.

    Come on guys where is your Icrontic Pride? Get folding. We've done it for so long let's continue.
  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    I'm just curious - and Leo would probably know this more than anyone.

    With the 8800 series cards getting pretty cheap, how much would it cost to build a beast strictly for folding?

    I mean really all you would need is a cheap SLI board, find two 8800 series cards, a small HD, 2gb ram, etc?

    I'm not sure as if it's as cheap as it sounds but with the GPU client absolutely killing it, it might be something good to consider as we play out the future of ICx.

    cheers :jared:
  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    FreeC8675 wrote:
    As soon as I get an internet connection that is not dial-up (should be next semester) I'll have an SMP and a GPU client going soon after that. If I see people that used to fold but now don't I'll try to get them back up and also talk to people at school to see if they are willing to start.

    My goal: join the top 100, and add(at least)one new member who reaches the top 100.

    Come on guys where is your Icrontic Pride? Get folding. We've done it for so long let's continue.

    I'm trying to get us there. TOP 100 here we come! Should be no more than a couple weeks if I don't forget to keep the smp going :/
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    With the 8800 series cards getting pretty cheap, how much would it cost to build a beast strictly for folding?
    I'm too lazy to research parts, but it would not be expensive, but not necessarily inexpensive either - moderate cost. In my opinion, for maximum bang for the buck, dual 8800GT/9800GT is the way to go. Actually, lately 9800GT cards have been very favorably priced, near the $100 mark after rebates. They're essentially the same as the 8800GT, just a GPU die shrink to 55nm. As far as I'm concerned, the 8800GT and 9800GT are interchangeable. For Folding purposes, look for the best shader clock. Onboard GDDR, GPU core clock, and RAM speed and quantity don't make much difference. Shader, baby. It's the shader clock that is the most important. The higher the better. OK, where was I? Oh, yeah, right, cost of a GPU folding machine.

    I won't give prices, you all can look that up yourselves. For a dual card setup:

    • Motherboard with two PCI-e slots. You do NOT need SLI or Crossfire enabled. Each video card will run its own client. Presently Nvidia CUDA-capable cards clobber ATI cards in Folding. It's not even close. (Fanboys from either camp, just back off. I'm merely stating a fact.)
    • Processor. If you want to run dual GPU clients (meaning dual core GPU or dual video cards), you need a quad core CPU - one core each for both GPU clients and two cores remaining for your everyday computer activities. You can also run the Windows SMP client on the remaining two cores not occupied with the GPU Folding clients. That, my friends, is Folding rock 'n roll.
    • PSU. You do NOT need a monster, 1000W+ beast to power such a system. I'm running one overclocked 8800GT and an overclocked 9800GT, each with a GPU Folding client, plus an Intel Q6600 CPU, highly overclocked, running a Windows SMP client. This system runs on a Corsair 620HX PSU and has plenty of power to spare. (see system No. 1 in signature) Based on my experience and from much reading, you can do a dual GPU Folding setup with a 500 Watt PSU. Personally, I would not go below 550 or 600. My next dual video card Folding box will be powered by a Corsair 550 Watt PSU. (Yes, I am a Corsair and OCZ believer when it comes to PSUs)
    Now, what I'm waiting on is for 9800GX2 video card prices to come down. Then you don't even need dual PCI-e video slots on the motherboard to run two GPU Folding clients! Or, you can run 2 X 9800GX2 cards for four (4) - yes, you read that correctly - four GPU clients on one computer! :hair:

    I realize not everyone has the cash to set up multi-card systems. Best bang for the buck, meaning best productivity for money spent, on a single GPU system is still the 8800GT or 9800GT. You need a motherboard with a PCI-e video slot, quality PSU 400 Watts or better, a dual core CPU, and you are ready to go. You could run this with a single core CPU, but that is not advisable, unless it's a dedicated Folding 'box' not used for anything else.

    Hey guys, I am not demeaning ATI video cards. If you have an ATI video card that's capable of Folding@Home processing, run it! They may not compete well against Nvidia cards (at least lately), but they will still smoke most CPUs, AMD or Intel.
  • TBonZTBonZ Ottawa, ON Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    primesuspect wrote:
    Okay, I've found that GPU folding DEFINITELY affects gaming performance. Badly. TF2 runs terribly with GPU folding going, so I have to pause folding while playing.

    I haven't found that at all myself. I plan to fire up some TF2 tomorrow night and I'll post up my result.
  • botheredbothered Manchester UK
    edited November 2008
    Electricity charges are a factor for sure. UK prices are just stupid, Mine is currently (no pun intended) £200 per month! But that is mainly because British Gas, our supplier, made a mess of our billing, it used to be £40. Even so, we fold one PC 24/7 because of all the money we spend our 'folding pounds' are about the only pounds we don't spend just on ourselves, and it isn't a fortune, like giving to charity.
    Games I've started recently? Far Cry 2, Stalker clear sky, Mass effect and yesterday, CoD 5. I play all those with everything maxed out and folding running, they all play beautifully and my folding churns out points. Excellent.
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Electricity charges are a factor for sure.
    Yes, that cannot be denied. I consider my electric bill part of my charitable giving. Considering I run five computers, all with overclocked CPUs and video cards, it is not an unsubstantial monthly expense. My attitude is that I could give the money directly to some research effort (insert the 'society' of your choice here), or I can enjoy my hobby of high performance home computers and contribute to valuable research at the same time. Considering that the latter allows me to contribute to the improvement of mankind, to find justification for computer tinkering, and to compete with teammates and other Folders around the wolrd, the electricity bill is not a problem for me.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    It was a case of stuttering - not just bad performance, but I mean it made the game completely unplayable. When paused, the game runs fine.

    No love lost, I've unpaused after finishing and already turned in my first GPU WU. :thumbsup:
  • TiberiusLazarusTiberiusLazarus Icrontian
    edited November 2008
    Hmm I should really give that gpu folding another try. The last time I tried it didn't seem to like me. Might as well put this card to some good use along side my proc.
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