Here's a different page than the default page to look up our team stats:

http://www.statsman.org/folding2stats/html/31574.html

I really like the estimated future totals on this page. Back when we were in the 1000+ ranking our estimated totals was much higher than everyone else around us, but as we're moving up in rankings now the competition is starting to get more stiff.

We're #248 at this moment. Happy folding!

That's pretty sweet. So, we should hit 100k maybe by the end of June.

Hello:



I find the chart a little confusing -- some of the colors are tough to differentiate. Are we the "goldenrod" line with the steepest slope or the one way down in mid pack? It would also help if the keys where in the order of the right side of the chart!

Nice stats page though -- I had not come across it before. It looks like a fair number of members are on a 3-day cycle, judging from the chart lower down.

We are indeed the "goldenrod" color on the current graph--we're the steepest line (i.e. highest estimated future total) out of all of our neighbors because we've been tearing our way up the ranks. As long as our output rate is higher than those around us, we'll keep going up in ranks. We definitely haven't come close to hitting our ceiling yet.

Happy folding!

Hello:

Here's a question for the 3 or 4 folks on the SPRC Folds team that seem to be averaging much higher scores with a lower number of units (Rusty075, jinu117, PerArne, Fredster...): are you doing all of one work unit type? Have you selected Folding or Genome specifically? Or is it just the luck of the draw?

I left my three clients on "no preference" and have been doing three different style work units, and I have not been able to figure out if one of those three types consistantly gets a higher score than the others.

Neil,
I'm not one of the guys you mentioned, but...

Start Folding@Home with the switches: -advmethods -forceasm

This way you'll get a more efficient programs execution, and better valued work units.

Regards, Han.

Just to add my input.

The -advmethods switch I believe will use the gromacs core which favours the smaller faster units. I know this cuz I run w/ that switch and you can see how many units I go through compared to my score.

Each of the unit types is assigned a point value based on how long it takes to complete. The gromacs core units are easier to do, and therefore get less score. I let my machine run with no switches, just letting it get whatever the server sends it. As you can see powergyoza cranks out alot more units than I do, but I'm ahead in the score department.

So running the -advmethods switch will actually get you a lower score, but more units.

And running the -forceasm (which forces core assembly optimizations to be used if available) can be done in the configuration. It only comes into play if the core can't detect whether or not your CPU supports SSE or 3DNow. If you're processor is newer than a P2 or a K6-1 -forceasm doesn't change anything. (and if you're running folding on a P2 or K6-1 you might as well leave the machine turned off anyway )

Yep. Getting more work units feels better, but they have done a good job with the "score" system to decide how much actual work has been done. Switches or no, your machine will still crank out the same amount of score in the same period of time.

-mjrusso45
9.1 Ghz of folding power

Ah ha! So that's the mysterious Mr. mjruss045. 9.1Ghz, huh?

hmm....where'd that credit card go?

Then I must have a very special machine.
On the WU "p388_perm" it earns me 1.5 points/hour
On the WU "p541_BBA5_ext" it earns me 2.95 points/hour

Hardly "the same amount of score in the same period of time"

Over a long enough time span the averages will work themselves out. Some cores make better use of ASM than others.

I guess it really depends if you are doing this to accumulate score or cure diseases. Me, I like to score just like everyone else (that's really the genius behind this project), but I'm not going to try to beat the system to squeeze out more pts/hr.

As far the the 9.1 Ghz, my workplace lets me Borg unused desktops around the department for folding purposes, plus I have a couple at home, including a laptop I am trying to see if it will overheat.
Those PC's are quiet since they are over 15 miles from my house

... ... ... ...

Hello:

So, the bottom line is -- leave it alone! Some folks just get better units (as far as the score/hour goes).

Lessee, I've got 4.7gHz (now ) folding away, and I keep dancing around Fredster, and he's got 4 less units that I do...

It is real tempting to use one of these to crank out some SETI@Home WU's for my DataCAD team:

http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/team/team_1107.html

As you can see, my average speed there is ~10hours 17min (the v2 client was much faster!) an now I can do them in 3.06 hours!

I'm using the Windows gui client set to Folding in the preferences. I don't know what you call 'em, but I usually get 400-600 thingamabobs to do before a WU is finished. Having three 'puters at home helps, but if I could con my boss into letting my 70 or so servers to fold at night, we'd really see some units for SPCR!

Fredster...

Hot diggity. That would just smoke!

70 boxes? That'd be a lot of GHz! :)

Hello:

That would be an impressive addition to the SPRC Folds team -- but are they quiet??

We are up to 33 members, plus whoever else has joined and is still processing that first work unit -- that seems to take forever!

Looks like our rank has climbed a bit, too, to 229 now. I added a 2nd machine to the effort, and am thinking about how to get the rest of my test platforms into the mix. Have to make sure they're all using activePFC PSUs or my electric bill could soar... And of course, they have to be quiet!

Hehe, they are Miker quiet - 30 miles from home. Actually, now that I'm obsessed with quiet computers, I can't bear to be in the datacenter - man those 1U servers are LOUD!




Hmm.. I might be able to scam some of the backup servers, they don't do anything usually. When you run the console version in service mode, does it stay running if no one is logged in?

Fredster...

Yes, if you set the service as a system service it'll run even when no one is logged on. And since you'd have to pull up task manager is even know its there probably no one would know. Although technically you shouldn't run it if you don't have permission to use the machine for that.

Hey Miker,

I'm gaining on you!! Just for sake of helping the cause to break into the top 100 I've fired up the farm:


The machines I've got folding as of now are:
My XP2100+ workstation box,
One XP2400+,
Four XP2000+ renderboxes,
One 1900+ renderbox,
The XP1900+ HTPC/LAN box,
And last but not least the K6-2 350Mhz Oil cooled Kazaa server.

Aww, nothing as touching as a bit of intra-family competition. *sniff*

We're up to #231, and we have 33 folders! Happy folding!

When I got away from sudhian with some folding monsters... I thought this was saner bunch
Well, I won't be catching up rusty anytime soon as I can't seem to convert our IT people to cause. (one of them is mormon and doesn't like idea...)
I tend to go for larger work units with folding instead of gromacs.
However, gromacs runs awesomely fast on Athlon machines I heard. In fact, whole folding works better on Athlon in general.
Here are 4 machines that are on line at moment.

P4 3.4Ghz (it has been down a lot as I've been water cooling, modding, oc'ing etc but should be up pretty much now on folding 60% of time 24x7)
P4 1.8Ghz (Notebook, up 20x7 approximately and folding 70% of time)
P4 1.6Ghz (Desktop, 24x7 folding 95% of time)
Athlon XP 1800+ (Desktop, 24x7 folding 90% of time)

As I am setting up a new web server for my friend, I will have another rig that will be folding @ P4 2.53 24x7 90% time for next few months (developing web site database etc)

I thought about folding farms myself but the electricity bill not to mention unreliable power in this apartment is big turn off to me. (burnt one comp prior due to it...now all machines have UPS on it) I guess one could be making each machine with linux boot and single stick of memory for about $240 a pop now a day. (using net booting)
CPU+MB = $130-150
Mem = $40-50
PSU = $25-30
MarkF at sudhian has some crazy setup there, interested people should check it out. (not silent at all is my guess though)

Holy crap. Time to overclock the laptop
Seriously, that's awesome. We're gonna kick some serious butt now.

:looks for more PC's to borg at work:

Looks like we're poised to move past the 200 rank soon; at 208 right now with 36 members. But we need 64 more to hit the 100 member target. Come on guys, our rise up the ranks looks like it's slowing, we need more hands on the oars. Fire up more systems, the heck with power consumption! (He cackles, Ahab-like glint in eye, drool hanging off chin...)

Is it morally reprehensible to install F@H on your friends computers with cable connections without them knowing it? What if those WUs were allocated to team SPCR?

Hee hee.

Definitely a violation of the license agreement with F@h.
Good idea though