F@H: nVidia GPU Client Released!

[Foxery]

http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3186

Posted by Beberg on 17 Jun 2008, 14:26 Eastern

We're happy to roll out the beta nVidia client, it's a nice beta, and so here we go...

First and before you do anything else, LOOK OVER THE FAQ. Lots of important things in there that you'll need to know if you do anything beyond run the installer and run it.

Drivers
You MUST use the 174.55 version of the drivers for now. You do not need the other files, just the drivers.

Known bugs:
It's a beta, and yes we meant that, not like Google but like software engineers - expect glitches and updates. The main thing is that the viewer will not work, as we're in the middle of changing how the live coordinates get to the viewer. Other then that, visit our forums to see what's happening.

Download:
6.12 beta 6



edit:
There is 1 client which supports both nVidia and ATI cards. This version updates the ATI routines to support Catalyst driver version 8.5.

 

[GLeeM]

bump because I want to see how well the NVIDIA client does

How many ppd?

what you are running it on? CPU and GPU?

what other client are you running?

 

[keeleysam]

No Vista 64 support. :thumbsdown:

 

[Extelleron]

With my setup, I am getting 5644 PPD according to Fahmon.

Can't wait to see what my GTX 280 does.

BTW I'm using FW 177.35.

 

[Foxery]

For GLeem:

NVIDIA GPU2 PPD Thread [Preliminary Results

There's some pretty wide variation, and the currently available Work Units are very limited in scope... but so far, a bunch of people with higher end systems are in the 4000 ppd range. Midrange ones are comparable to current ATI results, 1500-2000.

Apparently your exact driver (ForceWare) version has a huge impact right now, too.

There's also some support for Quadro cards, which will be improved further in the next beta version.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: keeleysam
No Vista 64 support. :thumbsdown:

No 64-bit support at all.

 

[MechEng]

Any of you have any idea where I should point FAHmon, to use it for this client?

I can't find any log file in the directory I've installed the client to.

 

[Philippart]

It's in the FAQ:

Hey, where did all of the GPU client data files go?

The new GPU client is a SysTray client, similar to the new v6.x CPU SysTray clients, and follows a standardized Windows installation procedure. This new client type is similar in nature to the previous GUI style client, but with notable changes, and a separate visualizations module (to come later).

The client executable can be installed to any directory you select.

The default locations are:
In Windows XP:
Executable: C:\Program Files\Folding@home\Folding@home-gpu\Folding@home.exe
Data Files: C:\Documents and Settings\<your_windows_username>\Application Data\Folding@home-gpu


In Windows Vista:
Executable: C:\Program Files (x86)\Folding@home\Folding@home-gpu\Folding@home.exe"
Data Files: C:\Users\<your_windows_username>\AppData\Roaming\Folding@home-gpu\"

Note: The client installer creates a shortcut to the data files in the Folding@home Programs folder. The installer also creates a program shortcut in the Startup folder that launches the GPU client. The Startup shortcut points to the specific file locations in the Target: and Start In: fields. That shortcut cannot be edited to add client switches. To add a client switch, follow the instructions for creating a new shortcut above.

 

[MechEng]

aahhh... thx..
Must have missed that somehow...

Do you know if I can make it use the same directory for the data files as for the executable?

 

[Cutthroat]

Originally posted by: Fullmetal Chocobo

Originally posted by: keeleysam
No Vista 64 support. :thumbsdown:

No 64-bit support at all.

+1

 

[ViRGE]

The lack of x64 support seems to come down to the drivers. Currently I'm running the 177.35 drivers (modded to accept an 8800GTX) and the client is running fine on my Vista x64 installation. This is the first time I've used F&H though, does this thing have a pause-client feature like Dnet so that I can pause it while running certain applications?

 

[Gravity]

Should I go back to my 7800 GT x2 in SLI or stay with the ati 3870?

 

[videogames101]

7800 is not supported

 

[Philippart]

I posted a workaround for the 64bit issue

please see this thread: http://foldingforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3224

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
The lack of x64 support seems to come down to the drivers. Currently I'm running the 177.35 drivers (modded to accept an 8800GTX) and the client is running fine on my Vista x64 installation. This is the first time I've used F&H though, does this thing have a pause-client feature like Dnet so that I can pause it while running certain applications?

Right click on the little molecule icon in your system tray; there's a Pause option, and Quitting entirely won't lose more than a minute's worth of work, as it writes checkpoints to disk every 1%.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: ViRGE
The lack of x64 support seems to come down to the drivers. Currently I'm running the 177.35 drivers (modded to accept an 8800GTX) and the client is running fine on my Vista x64 installation. This is the first time I've used F&H though, does this thing have a pause-client feature like Dnet so that I can pause it while running certain applications?

Right click on the little molecule icon in your system tray; there's a Pause option, and Quitting entirely won't lose more than a minute's worth of work, as it writes checkpoints to disk every 1%.

Sorry, I meant an automatic pause function. Dnet can be told to automatically pause when certain applications are running, does F&H have anything like that.

 

[Foxery]

Ahh. No, sorry, it doesn't. It runs at "idle" priority, so it yields CPU cycles to any other program you run. The GPU clients are supposed to yield to a game, but some people wind up with corrupted work units if they don't. Your mileage may vary - the joys of betas.

 

[bryanW1995]

thanks foxery! I've been waiting 2 weeks for this for my 3870!

 

[Night201]

I'm running it just fine with Vista 64 and an 8800gt. No crashes yet.

FAH shows 4456 PPD

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: Foxery
Ahh. No, sorry, it doesn't. It runs at "idle" priority, so it yields CPU cycles to any other program you run. The GPU clients are supposed to yield to a game, but some people wind up with corrupted work units if they don't. Your mileage may vary - the joys of betas.

It's definitely not completely yielding on the GPU side of things. It's cutting my game performance in half unless I pause it.

 

[bryanW1995]

virge, I'm going to post a link to this thread over in video. how about some sticky lovin' for TeAm 198? uh, that didn't sound right...

 

[Drsignguy]

Thanks Foxery! Got it running on 2 rigs using (ATi).

 

[bryanW1995]

I've noticed a slight bump in my 3870 vs the older client that I was running, but I'll need to check it out over a few days to make sure that it isn't just easier wu's.

 

[Cutthroat]

My PC doing 8000ppd:thumbsup:

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

This is awesome!

 

[Denithor]

Anyone know if running this client will significantly affect the lifespan of the GPU?

How is a 9600GT paired with an e8400 going to perform (ppd)?

Thankies!