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Join the Phandroid Folding@home Team! - 56k Warning

Slug said:
It's a crapshoot what actually arrives back, and won't be helped by BFG's announcement that they're ceasing graphics card production completely. I might be 'unlucky' and get a borked 8800GT back if they find one in a dusty cupboard, of course. A friend played GPU ping-pong with them for three months until he got a working replacement for his 9800GTX.
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I hope you get the good stuff. :)
 
I'm a little confused how the unused cycles from my CPU relate to protein folding.

Maybe I'll help you out, my specs are nothing special though. Just a homemade budget-build.
 
jradicle11 said:
I'm a little confused how the unused cycles from my CPU relate to protein folding.

Maybe I'll help you out, my specs are nothing special though. Just a homemade budget-build.
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Unused cycles form your CPU/GPU are used to simulate protein folding.

You complete work units sent to you through the internet, and your CPU/GPU crunches through the numbers to complete them. The work unit is then sent back to the server and the amount of points you have gained is calculated and added to your score.

All of our computers are working together, completing work units to create one massive supercomputer.

Scientists at Stanford University use these results to simulate protein folding and find cures for cancer and other related diseases.
 
Sounds good enough for me. Sign me up.

Will it cause more strain on my cpu and graphics? I can run it while gaming without it interfering, right?

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jradicle11 said:
Sounds good enough for me. Sign me up.

Will it cause more strain on my cpu and graphics? I can run it while gaming without it interfering, right?

2zsa3pg.jpg


2je7p03.jpg
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Great!

You have an ATI graphics card, so you need to download the ATI GPU client here.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/release/Folding@home-Win32-GPU-systray-623.msi

The GPU client isn't perfect, so if you are playing a very demanding game, you may experience some framerate drops. Just pause the client before playing the game by right-clicking the icon in the system tray.
 
For those who do not know, Folding@Home is also available on the PS3. I don't believe the PS3 version runs in the background. However, it does have some relaxing music reminiscent of ocean waves. I usually run it while I'm cleaning, or napping on the couch.
 
I was using on my PS3 until my husband kept informing me that my game was still on. I told him several times what I was doing, yet still "Your game is on..." so I took it as a hint that he didn't want the console running constantly like that. -_-
 
3devious said:
I was using on my PS3 until my husband kept informing me that my game was still on. I told him several times what I was doing, yet still "Your game is on..." so I took it as a hint that he didn't want the console running constantly like that. -_-
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Well, if you have a slim PS3, Folding@home is designed to only consume 115W of power. :)
 
I think he's worried about something happening to it somehow. I keep telling him that these newer consoles suck and it could just stop working tomorrow for no real reason, so why not get some use out of it? ;)
 
3devious said:
I think he's worried about something happening to it somehow. I keep telling him that these newer consoles suck and it could just stop working tomorrow for no real reason, so why not get some use out of it? ;)
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Bah, just tell him you should buy two of each console. That way if one breaks you have a backup. Also, you two can play games together without sharing a screen. Thankfully, my wife enjoy's gaming too so that is our setup.
 
This sounds like a good cause. I'm in.

Although the rest of my comp is average at best, I'll donate my gtx260 while i'm at work to helping the team out
 
I hate to be negative on such valuable research, but I think its important to understand that donating spare CPU cycles is not free. Just using the basic (non-GPU) version of the program, my computer consumes 25 - 30 more watts than when it is idle. That's $20 - $30 per year in electricity costs. My understanding is that the GPU versions of the program use a lot more energy, but I've not tested them.

I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't use Folding@Home- it is incredibly important research. I do wonder, however, if the research team might be better off if everyone running the program just sent in $25 per year. They could use those funds to buy a real super-computer specifically designed for this work. My guess is that such a super-computer would be a lot more efficient than the distributed computing they are using now.

Just something to ponder.
 
jgscott987 said:
I do wonder, however, if the research team might be better off if everyone running the program just sent in $25 per year. They could use those funds to buy a real super-computer specifically designed for this work.
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Yes they could, but that only addresses the medical research aspect. A major part of this (and other similar projects) is related research, whether in computer science, mathematics, electronic engineering or GGPU programming. That's "added-value" both to Stanford and to the wider scientific community.

Besides, as a fully paid-up member of Geeks Anonymous I find it fun. :)
 
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