have you had a computer DIE from Distributed Computing

[narzy]

What is your oldest rig?
Have you lost a rig due to distributed computing?

 

[BlackMountainCow]

I think that one can't answer that question right away. Did the PSU in my PentiumIII 600 fail due to DC or would it have failed anyway? Would it have failed during gaming as well? Who knows?!

Aside that general problem, I never lost a cruncher specifically due to DC and right now a PIII600 is my oldest cruncher.

 

[Fardringle]

The only way that a DC project could 'kill' a PC is if the hardware in the PC is of such low quality that it can't handle being run at the specs it was designed for or if it is not assembled properly (poorly mounted heat sink, for example). And if that is the case, you either need to fix whatever is wrong or it's going to die a premature death anyway, so you might as well put it to good use until then. 😉

 

[Wolfsraider]

No I have found the opposite to be true, not keeping them used, I lost quite a few parts/ computers. Since i started dc I have only lost a psu, and it was known to have problems. (brand)

😛

 

[networkman]

That's like asking if anyone's had a car that had problems because they took their kids to school with it too often?! :roll:

It's a ridiculous question. Anything with moving parts, be it a computer, a car, a bicycle, etc. is going to fail at some point just because it gets used.

 

[RaySun2Be]

No.

I've lost power supplies due to brownouts (before I got a ups), video cards due to the same. Most of the CPUs/Mem I've bought have been used, and have lasted well beyond any lifetime expectancy. And most people upgrade long before any possible shortened lifespans.

There is nothing that has ever failed that could be directly or indirectly attributed to running DC. My mom is using a Celeron that was in one of my first DC projects 4 years ago. That Celeron was overclocked, and running DC 24/7 for 2 years before I put it in a case and sent to her.

Components fail, with or without DC projects. How many people have had to RMA MBs before they even got a DC project installed on them? How many have had to RMA hard drives that weren't running DC projects?

I would think that one would need to set up a controlled experiment, with one group of like components running DC, and one group not for a long period of time and compare component failures.

But who among us would do such a thing, as who could bear the thought of a group of PCs sitting there not running a DC project. Oh the humanity.....:Q

 

[JarrodH]

I still have an old IBM 300 GL (300 mghz) that ran Seti for a long time. I have recently retired it due to power costs in my house, but it ran like champ for a long long time.

 

[11427]

Nope,... I've still got a perfectly good running 486DX33, gone through a couple of modems and PSU's though. (Don't use it for much of anything anymore, I also have a 368/25) My old K62 is still going strong,...... Personally I have never had a computer die on me.

 

[Ken g6]

I have lost a rig. It might have been because of DC (but I doubt it). It was the first rig I ever ran DC on, a Cyrix (technically IBM) 6x86 P150+. It was also my first home-built computer.

The first motherboard I put on there I shorted out by accident, since I didn't know about the plastic separators. But (after replacing the motherboard) that didn't kill it. I had fans stop on it multiple times while it was running. But (after replacing the fan) that didn't kill it.

Finally, after over five years running nearly non-stop, it started having more and more crashes. But I could never track down what caused them. My CPU and memory checked out just fine in tests, so I thought it might be Windows 95. I reinstalled Win95 multiple times, but that didn't cure it, so I finally gave up. So my Cyrix may have been killed by DC, but I doubt it. 🙂

On another front, I'd like to point out that DC has helped extend the life of my hard drives. I have only had two hard drives fail on me. Both were backup drives that spun up only when used. The most recent, a WD Caviar 40GB, had been in use for only three years. I had a script on my machine that spun it up once a day to do a backup. So it seems to me that spinning drives up and down, even once a day, kills them faster than just leaving them spinning all the time.

 

[Wiz]

I suspected DC once with an Abit BH6 early death - but that turned out to be failure due to manufacturer defects (bad caps).
I've lost a few PSU's but that probably due to my earlier tendency to believe the ad schloc of the companies selling them for $19.95 (yeah - 450 watts for less than $20 - right...) Since I started buying better equipment it has not failed me no matter what I throw on it.

Right now my oldest rig running DC is an Athlon Thunderbird 950 @ 1070mhz.
I've got 3 - 2ghz AMD boxes, an Intel 1.26ghz and an Intel 3.45ghz Prescott with 2 megs cache. All OC'd except one of the 2ghz AMD & the 1.26ghz Intel.

 

[Robor]

Hard to answer that. I mean, if a PC dies how could you pinpoint that it's because of a DC project?

I don't think DC wears out a system any more than frequent defrags, reboots, virus scans, etc.

 

[Polo]

My oldest machine is a dual PPC 100 MHz with 512 Mb running AIX 4.1.
It's running 24/7 for 9 years and is crunching SETI for 5 years (less than 1 WU/day 😉 )

 

[trevinom]

I have. I had a PIII that was my main rig. I had it running at tip-top shape, then one day , I heard about DC so I figured I'd give it a try and installed it on it....I haven't seen it since. Every once in a while, I'll get up and look behind the desk and bookcases, but no sign of it.
I now have an AMD Barton that's doing really good. It sits on my desk all the time. Whenever I go to use it, it's there. I am NOT putting DC on that one.

 

[Fardringle]

Originally posted by: trevinom
I have. I had a PIII that was my main rig. I had it running at tip-top shape, then one day , I heard about DC so I figured I'd give it a try and installed it on it....I haven't seen it since. Every once in a while, I'll get up and look behind the desk and bookcases, but no sign of it.
I now have an AMD Barton that's doing really good. It sits on my desk all the time. Whenever I go to use it, it's there. I am NOT putting DC on that one.

Hehe. It must have picked up a signal in SETI so the aliens stole it to keep the results from being returned. 😀

 

[Wolfie]

Nope, can't say I ever lost a computer from DC. I had a box running RC5 for years and Seti for a couple more years and still no problem. I would say at least 5 or even 6 years worth of crunching.

Wolfie

 

[Slatzman]

Nope...I have a P3 700 mhz thats been crunchin 24/7 for about 4 years...still crunchin away...I have never replaced anything on it, except adding some ram

Slatz

 

[Rattledagger]

Well, can say the reason had to change cpu-fans in the dual p2-box multiple times was due to DC...

 

[compudog]

I'd say no. I had some computers that got flaky running at 100% CPU (bad RAM) but never had one die a tragic death as a result of a DC project. I am currently running 3 PCs full time on DPAD and a part timer on SETI Classic, one has been running continuously at 100% CPU for well over a year.

 

[Dalephi]

None of my computers have ever died from a DC project. My oldest computer is an Athlon +1800. Several of my computers have been running non-stop close to 18 months.

 

[DanC]

I've got one, whose mobo was part of a crackrack and ran Linux 24x7 for years, the
processor is an Athlon700, which during its crackrack days was OC'ed to 950.

It's all been put back into a case, and does "regular" work at my dealership now.
and just like the "energizer bunny"...

It's STILL going.

Most of the rest of my stuff is owned by other Anantech'ers now. You'll have to
ask them 😉

 

[Ken g6]

Originally posted by: trevinom
I have. I had a PIII that was my main rig. I had it running at tip-top shape, then one day , I heard about DC so I figured I'd give it a try and installed it on it....I haven't seen it since. Every once in a while, I'll get up and look behind the desk and bookcases, but no sign of it.
I now have an AMD Barton that's doing really good. It sits on my desk all the time. Whenever I go to use it, it's there. I am NOT putting DC on that one.

Well, to counter that story, it seems like someone around here (Ray?) found a computer with DC. It had been stolen, but the thief kept RC5 running while he was fixing it up to give to his dad. I think it was Mika that tracked the IP, and the police walked in on the thief using the stolen machine!

 

[DanC]

That was indeed Ray, and it was indeed also RC-5!

Boy oh boy... THOSE were the days.

Dave McOwen....
Thurby
Cassie

The DPC...

Oh yeah baby... THOSE were the days!

 

[mondobyte]

Originally posted by: narzy
What is your oldest rig?
Have you lost a rig due to distributed computing?

Let me see
An absolutely "cherry" IBM ps2/35 (i386) with 12MB RAM. I actually ran UD and FaD on it -- briefly. When they implemented the points system, the client gets a zero divide error. (I suspect it has a CPU Rating < 1) I "fudged" it to run Windows98 but it defiinitely crawls and I would characterize it as "painful" to use.

Ok ... in real terms ...

IMHO, DC has absolutely nothing to do with computer failure. Surges, Sags, Heat, Poor Design, Poor Construction, Poor Maintenance, and HUMAN STUPIDITY are the prevalant factors.

I have a lot of computers running 24x7. In nearly all, the root cause of failure can be attributed to HEAT. Contributory factors include environmental factors such as DUST, DIRT, GREASE, OIL, HUMIDITY, Poor Circulation, high ambient temperatures; design factors such as poor case ventilation; equipment failures such as FANS (someone should make it criminal to sell sleeve bearing fans), bearing failures (fan sleeve bearings and finally, human error/stupidity like jamming the back of the case against a wall so there is no circulation or running a forklift through the case.

HEAT is the great enemy. Running DC projects has nothing to do with failure from the perspective that if there is good HEAT control, computers will run for a long, long time. DC projects tend to run a system a bit hotter but if the DC project causes the system to fail, it was already on borrowed time and borderline in either design or maintenance. In times long forgotten (1960-1980) we frequently ran "maint" jobs on large computer systems to maintain the internal temperature at a constant. The more the temperature varied from the constant, low or high, the more unstable the computer became.

Every computer deserves to be opened up and all the dust blown out periodically (including the HSF on the CPU, PSU, all drives, memory, adapter cards) as well as a thorough check to ensure that all FANS are running at rated RPM. A slow running fan can really skyrocket the current draw of taht fan and contribute to the demise of an otherwise healthy power supply by exceeding the amperage on the rail. I've seen Fans melt down ... it takes a lot of current to generate that kind of heat.

I am also a very firm believer in electrical utility filtering as in HIGH QUALITY SURGE PROTECTORS. Nearly all of the computers that I oversee have a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) which, in my opinion, is the gold standard of surge protection. UPS not only filters out surges but protects from sags which are just as nasty, again, in my opinion.

I got loads of vintage computers that have been running 24x7 since the mid to late 90's. Most are soon to be retired just because they are no longer viable. There have been remarkably fewer problems with systems that run DC projects than systems that idle. Generally, computers that are power cycled daily experience much higher failure rates than computers that are just left running. DC plays no part in this.

If you buy a HD with a MTF (Mean Time to Failure) of 1 year ... then running a DC project has nothing to do with failure. It will fail, on average, after 1 year of Power On hours. If you buy a HD with an MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 1 year then you can expect a certain percentage to fail at 6 months, a lot to fail at 1 year and certain percentage to continue after 18 months. Neither of these metrics suggests that a HD with a MTF or MTBF should last over 3 years -- that's just pure dumb luck. Expecting it to last more than a year is stupidity or insanity.

I tend to purchase all of my personal computer components with an eye towards the highest MTBF or MTF (> 50K hours) that I can find at a reasonable price.

Now ... let me say this again ... power cycles kill components. That is well documented. Running a computer 24x7 is ALWAYS going to provide the longest lifespan, on average, given any significant population of computers.

In general, computer components have ALWAYS failed for me within the first 30 days or due to environmental heat factors or plain dumb stupidity. You would be amazed at the damage that a hurricane can cause to a computer, even when the computer is not directly subjected to the wind or rain of the event.

So much for my rant ...

Power Cycling your computer daily or more often is, IMHO, just plain stupid. If the system is going to run 24x7, there is no reason NOT to run a DC project. Thermal stability is always a good thing! -- within design limits ... he he he

 

[MDE]

I've been running F@H for almost a couple years I think without any problems. In fact I've been running it on my laptop for over a year with zero problems.

 

[Marrkks]

Now ... let me say this again ... power cycles kill components. That is well documented. Running a computer 24x7 is ALWAYS going to provide the longest lifespan, on average, given any significant population of computers.

I would have to agree. I imagine many personsons on this forum work on friends(or a "friends friend") computers. Which ones have hardware failures?(normally a hd/ps/fan("clogged"(prolly has cats)))
a. the comps. that have lots of surges/browns.(and no ups/good surge protection)
b. the comps. that are turned off and on alot.
Do I get a request to fix a comp that is on 24/7-almost no. ***actually I do but, it is almost always a virus(not hardware), or game/software not playing nice.(not hardware)*** maybe its just me............................

You would be amazed at the damage that a hurricane can cause to a computer, even when the computer is not directly subjected to the wind or rain of the event.

funny you should mention that. last year** I lost a cable modem, router(smc7008br), and 2 nics(1 card, 1 onboard) to a hurricane(Frances). oddly I had the cable(broadband), monitors, sound and all power plugs physically removed. BUT I left all the cat5 connected. basically a bunch of lightning rods laying around. Dohhh!! for the record none of the cable(cat5) was anyware near the exterior of the building. but still ZZapp!!!! grrr

**I live in central FL. Last year I got to see way too many hurricanes upclose and personal.

edit: wow thats alot of "( ...)".😕