2 Core vs. 4 Core Folding

[Aegis]

I have access to "fold" on a 2 core system. (2 E6550 @ 2.33 GHz - Itel Core 2 Duo)

Reading through the documentation regarding the SMP client, I came to this statement:

We strongly suggest people run this client on 4-core boxes. While it will run on 2-core boxes, we have noticed some potential problems (we are looking into these issues now).

Does anyone "fold" on a two core system?  What are your experiences with the client on a two core system?

Thanks,
Brian

[Mulreay]

I have access to "fold" on a 2 core system. (2 E6550 @ 2.33 GHz - Itel Core 2 Duo)

Reading through the documentation regarding the SMP client, I came to this statement:

Does anyone "fold" on a two core system?  What are your experiences with the client on a two core system?

I run on duo core with my laptop and it seems very slow indeed.

My PS3 however runs at the speed of light in comparison. That is where most of my folding is done.
PS3 is using the Sony, Toshiba, IBM-designed Cell microprocessor as its CPU, which is made up of one 3.2 GHz PowerPC-based "Power Processing Element" (PPE) and eight Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs).

Go figure.

[Mulreay]

I may try running folding on CPU 0 only ands see how it runs. Worth a look. But then I have to wonder about the fahcore_78 bit as well..... I don't know!

[Buzzintx]

I'm folding on a 3.10 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core without any problems.

[Calum]

The SMP client will run fine on a 2 core system, but not every dual core can make the deadlines.  My E2180 in my server can't make all the deadlines, which is why I went back to dual uniprocessor clients.  Because of the problems with the Windows SMP clients as well as the deadlines, I run uniprocessor clients on my E8200 too
My E8200, which is 2.67 vs 2.33 in your case, can make the deadlines as long as it's on for at least 6 or so hours per day.  The SMP deadlines are a lot tighter (I think 2-3 days) than the uniprocessor clients, and also often require more setup and maintenance.
If this isn't a system you'll be looking at constantly, go for the easiest option - two single core clients.
If, on the other hand, this system is on long enough to make deadlines and you don't mind investing the extra time, go for the SMP client.  I find that two uniprocessor clients on my E8200 make about 900ppd (theoretical max, if it was folding the same units 24/7 uninterrupted) whereas the SMP client made around 1400.  My E2180 makes 500ppd with two uniprocessor clients and 900ppd with the SMP.  So, SMP clients do crunch quite a lot better, but require more maintenance and resources.
Hope this helps.

[Aegis]

The two single-core clients option intrigues me.

Let me go back to the F@H main page and re-read before I start posing a bunch of questions.

Thank you for the information!

[Aegis]

All right - I've not yet restarted the computer so I can look in the BIOS, but I've tried a couple of utilities, and looked in Device Manager.  Everything identifies the processor, and of course, Device Manager informes me about the 2 E6550 @ 2.33 GHz - Itel Core 2 Duo cores, but I don't know how to identify and "point" an assignment at each core.

Also, is one "client" type preferred over another for this?  Is the protocol the same when you engage both cores, in the sense that F@H only uses otherwise unused cycles if the settings are left to default settings?

I've been searching on the Internet, and have learned a few things about it, but not enough.

[Mulreay]

but I don't know how to identify and "point" an assignment at each core.

I think this is what you want to do. If you go into 'Task manager' then 'processes' Right click on the process you want and go to 'affinity' then a seperate box will come up allowing you to choose which CPU to assign to that process.

I hope that's what you mean mate. 

[Calum]

No need to change affinities.  If you want to, you can use a program to set the affinities, to save you doing it manually every time you reboot, but it's not necessary.
There's also no need to "point" the client to a certain core, each client will use 50% of the CPU, which is equivalent to one core.  Running just one client would probably result in 50% of each core being used, rather than one core maxed out and the other idle.
I'd recommend you use two copies of the console client, as that's less likely to cause conflicts.  You can run it as a service too, so it's not invasive or visible at all.  The only setup change would be to make sure that both clients have different client IDs, otherwise one will not start.
Hope this makes sense and helps.

[harry 48]

i have read every post here and they are all very interesting BUT to me and other folders  could someone explain what you mean and what we could do

[Mulreay]

i have read every post here and they are all very interesting BUT to me and other folders  could someone explain what you mean and what we could do

For what question exactly? We are trying to make Folding run better on certain CPU's so one would say, we are trying to find the best performance on any computer be it single, duo, or quad core!

[harry 48]

thanks mulreay i'll keep reading and wait for the result , how do i find out if mine is single , double or multi

[Mulreay]

I'm not sure what a multi core is but after over 900 posts you don't know how to check your processor?

[Aegis]

Device Manager informs me about the 2 E6550 @ 2.33 GHz - Itel Core 2 Duo cores

Check the device manager under the system icon or section in Control Panel.  Under Processor, it should tell you what you have, Harry.

[Mulreay]

Check the device manager under the system icon or section in Control Panel.  Under Processor, it should tell you what you have, Harry.

Sorry I was being stupid and rude. My bad!