Folding at home Awareness.

[prodigit]

I think it should be mentioned, that folding does drain resources (uses energy, electricity, which means $$$).
I would recommend to fold on GPUs only, and don't fold on CPU.

While Folding only accepts CPU and GPU on Linux and Windows, on Apple/Mac computers, you're limited to CPU only.

Boinc is similar to folding, it does CPU, GPU, ARM, and works on Android as well.
If a CPU gets you 10k PPD,
Arm based CPUs will get you about 100k PPD at the same wattage.
And GPUs will get you 700k PPD at that wattage on Boinc.

Android and Linux perform equally well, while Windows is 10% slower. I don't know how well Mac computers compare to Windows PCs.
Though Folding only works on Linux or Windows (or Mac). Only Boinc does Android (and ARM).
So the comparison in Boinc is just to show the difference in performance per watt, in all 3 types of processing devices, and operating systems.

CPUs are really a last resort to fold or crunch on.
Instead, save the money on electricity, and invest it in a GPU.

[ShrimpBrime]

I'm most familiar with windows operating systems.

Which Linux distro would be best for folding at home? Ubuntu or something like that?

[WhiteWulfe]

One big thing you have to mention with BOINC is specifically which projects you're talking. There aren't many CPU projects that a normal 8-core/thread cpu is going to net 700k, especially since numerous ones switched over to "new credit" or whatever its called. SETI@Home would be one of these, where even getting 25k PPD these days is considered good.

BOINC does indeed have the huge benefit of running Linux on Arm (on some projects), as well as Android on Arm (for a few more), but not all projects actively have work for Android. WCG for example, has been out of Android work for almost two months, and will not have any for the foreseeable future. Rosetta@Home, uhm, yeah, they more or less ignore their Android users.

Some, like Einstein@Home do indeed have work for Linux on Arm, although getting a decent PPD with those is rather difficult, sinceost ARM devices don't have all that much in the way of computational power.

Then again, I've always focused on the more biological ones, like DENIS@Home, Rosetta@Home, and World Community Grid, with side dabbles in GPUGrid and Einstein@Home. WUProp is run on all of my rigs, in order to help with overall data collection so people can get a general idea of how things run. Then again, I haven't done much in the way of BOINC for about a year now, although I plan on picking up a few ODroids in the semi-near future in order to at least have a small box tucked in the corner crunching away... But that's at least a few months away.

[Vinster]

Jan 1, 2020 15:20:37 GMT -5 ShrimpBrime said:

I'm most familiar with windows operating systems.

Which Linux distro would be best for folding at home? Ubuntu or something like that?

ubuntu and MINT are popular, I understand MINT is the preference. I've setup a full time rig with MINT, but wouldn't run the AMD GPU so for now I'm running on Win10. I'm waiting for some hardware to show up and once here I'll try in MINT again.

Vin

[Bones]

Touching back on this.
The very latest version of Mint also doesn't work with AMD GPU's, at least my Rad VII.

[Vinster]

There are 2 drivers to try, the generic AMD driver and then the Linux driver from AMD. it's a mix bag if one of them will work. I just couldn't

Vin

[Bones]

The main issue I found out has to do with the client being based on Python 2, which is outdated and the newer versions of Linux use Python 3, perhaps newer if it exists.
Driver support for Linux is also bad, nothing we can do about that since it seems they only want to support Nvidia with it (Folding).

Everyone I've either spoken to or has posted about it gave up in the end.

[Vinster]

and I am one of them.

Vin

[Bones]

I'm hoping to get a string of WU's based on the Corona Virus research, tose seem to go quickly for a crapton of points.
Gonna let it run for awhile today.

[Vinster]

That's already a thing?

Vin