Brony@Home (TL;DR: Use your CPU cycles to cure cancer)

[Sellyme 20]

This sounds awesome! i waste alot of time on my computer anyway.. so might as well put it to good use!

 

This is a great way to put my Linux system to work!

 

username is: supermariolinux

Awesome! As soon as you show up in the stats I'll add you to the subteam.

 

Also, out of curiosity, for those running the program, what are your computer specs? That way if you're (for whatever reason) returning an abnormally low number of points for your computer's power I'll notice it and we can work out if there's a problem.

 

(If you don't know your specs, Speccy is a great program for checking them, and it also monitors temperatures!)

Now, I'd dedicate a whole server stack if i had the money.

Heh, that's what tiwake is doing. He's popping in another two AMD Opteron 6272s into his bigadv folding rig tomorrow, should start returning ~350k PPD! I wish I had that kind of power, but every little bit helps!

[Twilight Circuits 603]

Awesome! As soon as you show up in the stats I'll add you to the subteam.

 

Also, out of curiosity, for those running the program, what are your computer specs? That way if you're (for whatever reason) returning an abnormally low number of points for your computer's power I'll notice it and we can work out if there's a problem.

 

(If you don't know your specs, Speccy is a great program for checking them, and it also monitors temperatures!)

 

Heh, that's what tiwake is doing. He's popping in another two AMD Opteron 6272s into his bigadv folding rig tomorrow, should start returning ~350k PPD! I wish I had that kind of power, but every little bit helps!

350k PPD?! Oh man, now i'll never catch up! I've come from the bottom of the pile back when there was 520 people on brony@home and now i'm on 92. lol I was priding myself on that I thought I was kicking ass.

 

I have two rigs going. The dedicated rig:  Phenom2x4 965@ stock 3.4ghz 8GB-ddr3, Geforce gtx 250 1GB.

Main rig: PH2 965@3.6ghz, 16GB DDR3, AMD 6990.

[Sellyme 20]

350k PPD?! Oh man, now i'll never catch up! I've come from the bottom of the pile back when there was 520 people on brony@home and now i'm on 92. lol I was priding myself on that I thought I was kicking ass.

At 19k PPD you're still one of the top 20 points returners, which is pretty impressive out of over 600 users

I have two rigs going. The dedicated rig:  Phenom2x4 965@ stock 3.4ghz 8GB-ddr3, Geforce gtx 250 1GB.Main rig: PH2 965@3.6ghz, 16GB DDR3, AMD 6990.

Oh man, I'd kill for a 6990. I'm running off of the GPU in my A8-3780K, and really want a dedicated one, but I have absolutely no money, and need to save up for PonyCon AU.

[Twilight Circuits 603]

At 19k PPD you're still one of the top 20 points returners, which is pretty impressive out of over 600 usersOh man, I'd kill for a 6990. I'm running off of the GPU in my A8-3780K, and really want a dedicated one, but I have absolutely no money, and need to save up for PonyCon AU.

Yeah it took me two months of serious overtime to be able to get the 6990. The look of envy from everypony in the line.... LOL  I earned it. I really want to get FX-8350 4Ghz just so i can fold. My Crosshair V can take it and i can use my Crosshair 3 and make another folding rig with a GTX 260.

[SPLinux 374]

here are some specs for my system:

 

CPU: Intel® Core2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz

Memory: 3.86GiB DDR2

GPU: Geforce 880 GT

 

Hope its alright, i know its better than a P4

Edited November 29, 2012 by superponylinux

[Sellyme 20]

here are some specs for my system: CPU: Intel® Core2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHzMemory: 3.86GiB DDR2GPU: Geforce 880 GT Hope its alright, i know its better than a P4

It's definitely alright! The Q6600s are actually really good processors for folding, and while it certainly won't match up to an i7, it's certainly worth running.

[Crispy 5,563]

I'll look into this when I get home, for sure.  A buddy built me a gaming rig about six months ago that should run this quite well.  I don't know the specifics, but I'll look.

[Jeolf 2]

<Inserts a friendly reminder to monitor the cpu temperature when setting new computers to fold>

F@H is an excellent way to discover assembly flaws in computers. Or if it's old, lint. Any stable temp below 70°C for a cpu is nothing dangerous, but it's usually lower. (GPUs go higher. i think?) It's also a good idea to check the log for any strange behaviour like "interrupted" work or "unstable machine" messages.

 

After having returned the first Work Unit (abbreviated WU) you should be able to find your name in the statistics listing within a day or so. EOstats has a page displaying only the new users from the last 7 days that facilitates this.

 

This sounds awesome! i waste alot of time on my computer anyway.. so might as well put it to good use!

 

This is a great way to put my Linux system to work!

Folding on linux can be a bit trickier to set up. For me there was dependency problems for running the GUI part, but I didn't really want it so I skipped it instead of fixing. The nice thing about linux is that it seems to have an edge over Windows systems when it comes to PPD. Let me know if you if you run into problems. Edited November 29, 2012 by Jeolf

[Killian Jones 2,653]

@@Sellyme, Well, I am running on a Core i7 at 3.40 GHz. With 16 GB of RAM, I did have to turn off GPU folding because that just kills my computer performance, but still a very good machine. Most people I know run much more lower end machines.

 

However I don't run 24/7, only when I'm at home, so I can intervene if anything ever happens.

[Jeolf 2]

There seems to be a bug in the character counter for this forum. For the part below (and still with this part included) I got an error message saying: "Your post contains only 70 characters, this board has a minimum of 100 characters per post." despite the in-editor counter showing a higher but still incorrecty too low by about 100 character (even after deducting the quoted part). Anyone else run into this problem? I'll look into bug reporting it when I get back from a test later today, but g2g now.

However I don't run 24/7, only when I'm at home, so I can intervene if anything ever happens.

You should do what you feel confident with, but it's a waste IMO if you leave the computer on when you're away. Myself I run overclocked at 4GHz and leave my computer folding while I go on vacation for weeks. :Dedit: Worked around the bug by re-arranging my paragraphs. Edited November 29, 2012 by Jeolf

[Sellyme 20]

Any stable temp below 70°C for a cpu is nothing dangerous, but it's usually lower. (GPUs go higher. i think?)

As a general guide, desktop CPUs can go up to 80°C and GPUs up to 90°C without any real risk of damage. Desktop APUs should stay at under 75°C, though. Laptops can be pushed up to 100°C without any real issues; and if the design has a lower maximum temperature it'll shut off automatically at that temperature, so there's no need to worry there.But as a rule, if your temps are getting high, you should check your CPU/GPU's maximum temperature on the internet to be sure.  

However I don't run 24/7, only when I'm at home, so I can intervene if anything ever happens.

That would explain it. If your computer doesn't encounter any issues after a day or two of folding, then it's stable, it'll be perfectly fine to run 24/7, nothing will require intervention. I'm not sure what you really expect to happen, but it's not like your heatsink is just going to fall off and your CPU temp shoot up to 150°C.

Anyone else run into this problem?

Yep. I still don't understand why 100 characters is even necessary, especially if the system has such a dehabilitating bug :/ Edited November 29, 2012 by Sellyme

[Killian Jones 2,653]

That would explain it. If your computer doesn't encounter any issues after a day or two of folding, then it's stable, it'll be perfectly fine to run 24/7, nothing will require intervention. I'm not sure what you really expect to happen, but it's not like your heatsink is just going to fall off and your CPU temp shoot up to 150°C.

That's not the issue, I have to also sleep in the room where my computer is, and I don't sleep very well with fans still running in the background. And while I am at school, my parents might forcibly shut down my machine if it were still running. So I rather not risk it.

 

Once I get my own place and my computer is not in my bedroom.

[Sellyme 20]

That's not the issue, I have to also sleep in the room where my computer is, and I don't sleep very well with fans still running in the background.

Try living with three small children and a baby. Computers are not loud :|

And while I am at school, my parents might forcibly shut down my machine if it were still running. So I rather not risk it.

That's more understandable. Have you tried just asking them nicely not to? As long as you turn your monitors off when you're not using them, even a computer running at 100% 24/7 uses minimal electricity (orders of magnitudes less than something like a fridge), which is presumably your parents' concern.

[SPLinux 374]

<Inserts a friendly reminder to monitor the cpu temperature when setting new computers to fold>

F@H is an excellent way to discover assembly flaws in computers. Or if it's old, lint. Any stable temp below 70°C for a cpu is nothing dangerous, but it's usually lower. (GPUs go higher. i think?) It's also a good idea to check the log for any strange behaviour like "interrupted" work or "unstable machine" messages.

 

After having returned the first Work Unit (abbreviated WU) you should be able to find your name in the statistics listing within a day or so. EOstats has a page displaying only the new users from the last 7 days that facilitates this.

 

Folding on linux can be a bit trickier to set up. For me there was dependency problems for running the GUI part, but I didn't really want it so I skipped it instead of fixing. The nice thing about linux is that it seems to have an edge over Windows systems when it comes to PPD. Let me know if you if you run into problems.

 

Well i got it all set up pretty easily, just had to install 3 debian packages and configure one (FAHControl).

 

Today i cleaned some dust out of my system and i even found one of my case fans got disconnected! now back and running and the CPU Temp with this running dropped from 80.0C to 61.0C.

Edited November 29, 2012 by superponylinux

[Twilight Circuits 603]

Oh man, I just check the stats and i rocketed up to 88th place from 92 a couple days ago. I know it's not a contest "technically" but it's still fun to try and rise to the top.

[Jeolf 2]

(Using quotes just dont work for me)

said:
...even a computer running at 100% 24/7 uses minimal electricity (orders of magnitudes less than something like a fridge)

*coughs* Nope! Sorry we can't really say that. If it somehow is true then you really should consider replacing your fridges into something more efficient. I've a combination fridge/freezer that's rated for 310kWh/year, and running a 200W PC 24/7 would be 0.2*24*365 0.2*24*365.242199 ≅ 1753kWh/year, or more than 5 times the amount.

But this is my fairly new self-defrosting A+ classed refrigerator. But I think older fridges definitely might fit what you describe, since it's even been economically justified (iirc) to change them before they break. Did some googling, and older fridges are about 500kWh/y and freezers about 1000kWh/y. (For new, corresponding figures are 200kWh/y and 400kWh/y.)

Edited November 29, 2012 by Jeolf

[Sellyme 20]

Oh man, I just check the stats and i rocketed up to 88th place from 92 a couple days ago. I know it's not a contest "technically" but it's still fun to try and rise to the top.

Why isn't it a contest? The more we compete with each other, the quicker we solve cancer. There's nothing wrong with trying to be at the top.@@Jeolf, sorry, my message was a bit misleading. I was referring to the increased electricity usage compared to general heavy use. It's no use comparing 100% usage to never actually using your computer, because the latter is a purely hypothetical situation, and not one that's relevant.

[Jeolf 2]

It's no use comparing 100% usage to never actually using your computer,

That's not what I'm comparing. I'm comparing 100% usage with a refrigerator which makes the computer's consumption not, as you say it "orders of magnitudes less" as you put it. In fact having the computer on for folding only 20%* more equals the consumption for a good energy efficient refrigerator+freezer.I don't want to dissuade anyone from folding, but it should be noted that there is a donation involved. But it's pretty easy to calculate an estimate about how much it's about. Either using a plug-trough watt meter or using ballpark figures for components. I think my i5 folding at stock used a something like 115W (unloaded maybe 40?). A GPU can easily add another 100W I guess.On the pro side, folding is a convenient charity to contribute, I know (well sort of) that all goes directly to research ....and it's not that much money unless you go crazy. (I also live in a chilly apartment so for me it's slightly added comfort.) ,(Of course, we want 20% more)* -_-

Edited November 30, 2012 by Jeolf

[Sellyme 20]

That's not what I'm comparing. I'm comparing 100% usage with a refrigerator which makes the computer's consumption not, as you say it "orders of magnitudes less" as you put it.

The information that's important is how much more electricity a computer running at 100% (with monitors off during idle time) uses minus the electicity cost of a computer running at normal load for a moderately heavy user. I compared this to the electricity cost of an average fridge. What you were comparing was the entire computer, which would be far more electricity.

In fact having the computer on for folding only 20%* more equals the consumption for a good energy efficient refrigerator+freezer.

I think you're over-estimating the abundance of energy efficient appliances.

[Jeolf 2]

I objected to what I saw an incorrect statement, not what you think is important or not. Going from part-time folding into 24/7 typically not means an energy increase that is orders of magnitude less than having a refrigerator. It's more comparable with getting an extra refrigerator, or two if they were bought after 2000 because of the late (well it began already in 1990) advances in refrigeration technology.

[lardbobobo 1,591]

Why is it only now that I hear about this awesome little program? Have it running and hey even though I'm not really doing anything it still feels neat to help out in some way other than donating money which I don't have at all right now.

 

Oh yeah, chuck Lord_Bababa into the mlpforums subteam

[Sellyme 20]

Why is it only now that I hear about this awesome little program? Have it running and hey even though I'm not really doing anything it still feels neat to help out in some way other than donating money which I don't have at all right now.

 

Oh yeah, chuck Lord_Bababa into the mlpforums subteam

Will do! Yesterday the team broke a record for the most points in a day, an astound 1,494,751 points, but I know we can do even better than that! A lot of users here have yet to show up in the stats, too, so we're making a huge progress.

 

@, Lord Bababa (why can't I @mention you?!?) you're now both in my stats, and should be showing up under MLP Forums on the subteams page starting from about... now.

 

@@Meirno, you're yet to show up in my stats. Is F@H still running fine for you? Could just be a very large Work Unit.

 

...what the hell, I have more than 0 characters in this post:

 

Edited November 30, 2012 by Sellyme

[Twilight Circuits 603]

ok what on earth is going on? I just looked at the subteams page and the mlpforums and equestria daily team names have the users under the wrong teams. I was like "what in celestia is going on there...." I'm not a member of equestria daily....

 

Anyone...?

Talked to one of my brothers today and he's going to set up when he get's home from work. Talked to a buddy of mine and got setup on his machine under my name.

Brothers specs: Ph2x6 1090T, 32GB ram, amd 5770

Friends specs: Quad-Core FX-4100, 8GB Memory, Geforce610

 

I do have a question about the pass key. Is that a big deal cuase i havn't done it.

[Jeolf 2]

@You should get a passkey just to qualify for bonus points.You need a passkey, and maintain a sucess rate of some percentage (80% or 90% I dont remember it's no problem) and have finished at least bonus eligible* 10 WUs.It also means Pande Group/Stanford will be able to distinguish your points from someone impersonating you (or just happen to pick the same user name), which matters if there is a violation of their user terms, like installing the client on computers without the owner's permission. There has been some cases like this, and PG response has been to zero out points for involved users.And it's really easy get one too. Just enter an email adress, and it's mailed it to you.*(Those with k-factor in the project summary)

Edited December 1, 2012 by Jeolf

[Sellyme 20]

ok what on earth is going on? I just looked at the subteams page and the mlpforums and equestria daily team names have the users under the wrong teams. I was like "what in celestia is going on there...." I'm not a member of equestria daily....

Sorry, I broke the script when I reorganised the team lists. Will be fixed on the next update.

I do have a question about the pass key. Is that a big deal cuase i havn't done it.

Passkeys can give you a HUGE amount of extra points, and they prevent someone from using your username to cheat and getting you banned.