Jump to content

Teslas for folding

Hi,

I've been looking to get into folding recently, and I'm wondering whether a Tesla would be good for such an application with it's high CUDA core count. So, is it, or is it better to go with a Titan X or something of that sort?

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Which tesla? There are literally dozens of different models. And actually, amd generally has better crunching numbers than Nvidia. they have the better calculation cores.

Updated 2021 Desktop || 3700x || Asus x570 Tuf Gaming || 32gb Predator 3200mhz || 2080s XC Ultra || MSI 1440p144hz || DT990 + HD660 || GoXLR + ifi Zen Can || Avermedia Livestreamer 513 ||

New Home Dedicated Game Server || Xeon E5 2630Lv3 || 16gb 2333mhz ddr4 ECC || 2tb Sata SSD || 8tb Nas HDD || Radeon 6450 1g display adapter ||

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Which tesla? There are literally dozens of different models. And actually, amd generally has better crunching numbers than Nvidia. they have the better calculation cores.

 

So what would you say are some of the best GPUs for folding/boinc

CPU: Intel i5-2400 Mobo: ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z RAM: 8GB G.Skill DDR3 1333MHz GPU: Sapphire R9 280x Tri-X Case Corsair Obsidian Series 350D PSU: EVGA 500w 80+ Certified

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

So what would you say are some of the best GPUs for folding/boinc

firepro compute cards? although TBH a bunch of 280x/290x's would probably be better since they're so cheap used

Want a good game to play?  Check out Shadowrun: http://store.steampowered.com/app/300550/ (runs on literally any hardware)

 

another 12 core / 24 thread senpai...     (/. _ .)/     \(. _ .\)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

280x/290x's 

280x = $180-250 used where I live, 970 is $450 new.

 

970 gets 360kppd, 280x gets 110k ppd...

 

Nvidia has been pretty dominant when it comes to folding actually.

Gaming PC: CPU: i7 4770k@4.2GHz w/ CM Nepton 140xl, GPU: Gigabyte 1070 @2050, RAM: ADATA XPG V1 16GB@2133MHz, Mobo: MSI Z97 Gaming 7, Case: Corsair NZXT S340.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Which tesla? There are literally dozens of different models.

I know it's ludicrous, but I'll probably use a K80 in it. I was thinking of using a lower end card like the K20 or K20X, but they're just a bit too low-end for my liking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

firepro compute cards? although TBH a bunch of 280x/290x's would probably be better since they're so cheap used

290x is cheap now? whats its price compared to a 970, and is it better than a 970?

CPU: i7 6700k @4.5GHZ | Mobo: MSI Z170 Gaming M5 | RAM: G Skill Rip Jaws V- 16GB | GPU: Sapphire RX 5700 XT | Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM, Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM, Kingston SSD-now 100V+ 128GB, WD Black 600GB, WD Blue 500GB, Intel 600p 256GB nvme SSD |PSU:Corsair CX750M| Cooling: Corsair H60| Displays: 27" LG IPS277L, Samsung Curved 72hz Freesync 27 inch, Epson EX7220 Projector with 100 inch 16:10 Screen | Kb: Corsair Vengeance K70 | Mouse: R.A.T. 4 |  Case:  NZXT Phantom 410 (Red) | OS: Win 10 Home 64 Bit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

The titan x is completely and utterly pointless. If you want high numbers go for an r9 295x2 (or more than one)

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

290x is cheap now? whats its price compared to a 970, and is it better than a 970?

 

usually cheaper, it performs a bit better above 1080p. but, get an r9 390 instead.

Don't ask to ask, just ask... please 🤨

sudo chmod -R 000 /*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wait you want to use a car to fold? Is that even possible.

 

If you want to burn money you're welcome to try, hey if you do go for it tell us how it worked out.

Steve Wozniak - "Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window."                                                                                                                                               Carl Sagan - "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."

 

Spoiler

CPU: Core i5 6600K Cooling: NH-D14 Motherboard: GA-Z170XP-SLI RAM: 8GB Patriot Graphics: Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4G Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro HDD: 2TB Seagate Barracuda PSU: Threamaltake Smart 750W

My computer runs on MSX, Its very hard to catch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wait you want to use a car to fold? Is that even possible.

 

If you want to burn money you're welcome to try, hey if you do go for it tell us how it worked out.

Tesla was a series of server grade compute cards long in use before Tesla motor company was ever around. It's like the Titan of the server grade graphics cards

Updated 2021 Desktop || 3700x || Asus x570 Tuf Gaming || 32gb Predator 3200mhz || 2080s XC Ultra || MSI 1440p144hz || DT990 + HD660 || GoXLR + ifi Zen Can || Avermedia Livestreamer 513 ||

New Home Dedicated Game Server || Xeon E5 2630Lv3 || 16gb 2333mhz ddr4 ECC || 2tb Sata SSD || 8tb Nas HDD || Radeon 6450 1g display adapter ||

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

From what I've seen, there's not much difference between the Tesla and a comparable GTX graphics card as far as processing power is concerned. The major difference between them is reliability. Teslas are designed and tested to be run 24/7 under full or near-full load. They also have ECC memory, whereas the GTX cards don't. Both of these, along with the testing and validation -- given that these are used in supercomputing applications in academia and government across the globe -- is why they cost so freakin' much. For what you're intending to do, they're not going to make much difference.

For example right now I have two GTX 680s and a GTX 660 running 24/7 at full load for BOINC. The 680 has the same processor as the Tesla K10, though the K10 has two making it more equivalent to a GTX 690. But the Tesla K10 still lists for $2,000 -- probably $1,000 used on eBay -- whereas you can get 5 or 6 used GTX 680s for that price or a couple used GTX 690s. The K20 and K40 have the same processor as the GTX 780. The K80 has the same processor as the GTX 980.

For Folding or BOINC, there's no benefit to going with a Tesla that doesn't overcome the tremendous difference in cost. Cray uses it in their super computers for its reliability, not its power, where thousands of these are being used in parallel for a single task -- the Titan supercomputer has over 18,000 K20X cards. Pixar and Dreamworks probably use these as well in their render farm.

Save your money and get an equivalent nVidia graphics card. If you're really itching to burn $4,000 or $5,000 on this, buy several GTX 980s or 980Ti cards, or even Titan X cards instead of a Tesla, especially the K80. You'll get a hell of a lot more computing power for the price. Sure they won't be nearly as reliable as the Tesla and they won't have the ECC memory, but they'll be just as fast.

Wife's build: Amethyst - Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4-3200, ASUS Prime X570-P, EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 12GB, Corsair Obsidian 750D, Corsair RM1000 (yellow label)

My build: Mira - Ryzen 7 3700X, 32GB EVGA DDR4-3200, ASUS Prime X470-PRO, EVGA RTX 3070 XC3, beQuiet Dark Base 900, EVGA 1000 G6

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Teslas and Firepros are a complete waste for folding. They offer no performance improvement and cost a shit-ton more. A Titan X is also a complete waste because it also offers little to no improvement over a GTX 980ti and costs nearly twice as much, and honestly I wouldn't get a GTX 980 ti either. You are much better off grabbing a bunch of cheap, used GTX 970s or R9 290Xs from ebay and watching for Microcenter open box deals. With a bit of luck you can grab 2 for less than $550 and easily outperform a single 980 ti. Their performance/watt ratio is nearly identical so either will do. 

Quote

Ignis (Primary rig)
CPU
 i7-4770K                               Displays Dell U2312HM + 2x Asus VH236H
MB ASRock Z87M Extreme4      Keyboard Rosewill K85 RGB BR
RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB      Mouse Razer DeathAdder
GPU XFX RX 5700XT                    Headset V-Moda Crossfade LP2
PSU Lepa G1600
Case Corsair 350D
Cooling Corsair H90             
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS) + WD Blue 1TB

Quote

Server 01Alpha                                       Server 01Beta                            Chaos Box (Loaner Rig)                Router (pfSense)
CPU
 Xeon X5650                                      CPU 2x Xeon E5520                    CPU Xeon E3-1240V2                     CPU Xeon E3-1246V3
MB Asus P6T WS Pro                               MB EVGA SR-2                             MB ASRock H61MV-ITX                 MB ASRock H81 Pro BTC
RAM Kingston unbuffered ECC 24GB  RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB         RAM Random Ebay RAM 12GB    RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB
GPU XFX R5 220                                       GPU EVGA GTX 580 SC               GPU Gigabyte R9 295x2                GPU integrated
PSU Corsair CX430M                               PSU Corsair AX1200                   PSU Corsair GS700                         PSU Antec EA-380D
Case Norco RPC-450B 4U                      Case Rosewill  RSV-L4000C        Case Modified Bitfenix Prodigy   Case Norco RPC-250 2U
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S                        Cooling 2x CM Hyper 212 Evo  Cooling EVGA CLC 120mm           Cooling stock
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)           Storage null                                 Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)  Storage Fujitsu 150GB HDD
               8x WD Red 1TB in Raid 6                                                                                WD Black 1TB    
               WD Green 2TB

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

From what I've seen, there's not much difference between the Tesla and a comparable GTX graphics card as far as processing power is concerned. The major difference between them is reliability. Teslas are designed and tested to be run 24/7 under full or near-full load. 

you say that but most gtx cards are fine for a few years at 100% if it has a custom pcb. the main difference is that the teslas will be rammed in like battery chickens and all running at 95c 24/7 whereas the gtx cards might not be validated for 24/7 use, they tend to run a lot cooler and high speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed :P

 

I know it's ludicrous, but I'll probably use a K80 in it. I was thinking of using a lower end card like the K20 or K20X, but they're just a bit too low-end for my liking.

the k80 is the best part of 5K. you would get miles more $/performance with a load off gtx cards. just work out which you can get for the lowest $/per PPD (probably the gtx970). then buy 8 of them and call it a day. 8 970 should net you about 2mil PPD on core 18's  

 

you can get: a pair of 5930K, gigabyte x99 sli (msi sli doesn't have the right spacing), 1300w 80+ gold psu's, 8gb kits of ddr4, 120gb ssd's and air coolers and 8 gigabyte windforce oc gtx970's and 6 powered 16x to 16x pcie risers, for the same price as 1 single k80 :P

Rig Specs:

AMD Threadripper 5990WX@4.8Ghz

Asus Zenith III Extreme

Asrock OC Formula 7970XTX Quadfire

G.Skill Ripheartout X OC 7000Mhz C28 DDR5 4X16GB  

Super Flower Power Leadex 2000W Psu's X2

Harrynowl's 775/771 OC and mod guide: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/232325-lga775-core2duo-core2quad-overclocking-guide/ http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/365998-mod-lga771-to-lga775-cpu-modification-tutorial/

ProKoN haswell/DC OC guide: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/41234-intel-haswell-4670k-4770k-overclocking-guide/

 

"desperate for just a bit more money to watercool, the titan x would be thankful" Carter -2016

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

you say that but most gtx cards are fine for a few years at 100% if it has a custom pcb. the main difference is that the teslas will be rammed in like battery chickens and all running at 95c 24/7 whereas the gtx cards might not be validated for 24/7 use, they tend to run a lot cooler and high speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed :P

 

the k80 is the best part of 5K. you would get miles more $/performance with a load off gtx cards. just work out which you can get for the lowest $/per PPD (probably the gtx970). then buy 8 of them and call it a day. 8 970 should net you about 2mil PPD on core 18's  

 

you can get: a pair of 5930K, gigabyte x99 sli (msi sli doesn't have the right spacing), 1300w 80+ gold psu's, 8gb kits of ddr4, 120gb ssd's and air coolers and 8 gigabyte windforce oc gtx970's and 6 powered 16x to 16x pcie risers, for the same price as 1 single k80 :P

Ok, I'll go with a couple 970s then. The heat really isn't a concern for me. I live in south-east Australia, where you're lucky to get a top of 18C. But what I'm still not clear on is if you could use Xeons for folding. I heard one guy say you couldn't use them or Teslas, but I'm hearing a lot from others to the contrary. So, can you, or should I just go with a Haswell-E processor?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Ok, I'll go with a couple 970s then. The heat really isn't a concern for me. I live in south-east Australia, where you're lucky to get a top of 18C. But what I'm still not clear on is if you could use Xeons for folding. I heard one guy say you couldn't use them or Teslas, but I'm hearing a lot from others to the contrary. So, can you, or should I just go with a Haswell-E processor?

 

Yes, you absolutely can use Xeons for folding. As far as I know the only limitation for CPU folding is that it needs to be based on the x86 architecture, which virtually every modern computer uses, the only exception being cellphones with ARM processors.

Edit- turns out that F@H has even made a port for android phones, so literally ANY modern CPU can run F@H. 

Quote

Ignis (Primary rig)
CPU
 i7-4770K                               Displays Dell U2312HM + 2x Asus VH236H
MB ASRock Z87M Extreme4      Keyboard Rosewill K85 RGB BR
RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB      Mouse Razer DeathAdder
GPU XFX RX 5700XT                    Headset V-Moda Crossfade LP2
PSU Lepa G1600
Case Corsair 350D
Cooling Corsair H90             
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS) + WD Blue 1TB

Quote

Server 01Alpha                                       Server 01Beta                            Chaos Box (Loaner Rig)                Router (pfSense)
CPU
 Xeon X5650                                      CPU 2x Xeon E5520                    CPU Xeon E3-1240V2                     CPU Xeon E3-1246V3
MB Asus P6T WS Pro                               MB EVGA SR-2                             MB ASRock H61MV-ITX                 MB ASRock H81 Pro BTC
RAM Kingston unbuffered ECC 24GB  RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB         RAM Random Ebay RAM 12GB    RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB
GPU XFX R5 220                                       GPU EVGA GTX 580 SC               GPU Gigabyte R9 295x2                GPU integrated
PSU Corsair CX430M                               PSU Corsair AX1200                   PSU Corsair GS700                         PSU Antec EA-380D
Case Norco RPC-450B 4U                      Case Rosewill  RSV-L4000C        Case Modified Bitfenix Prodigy   Case Norco RPC-250 2U
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S                        Cooling 2x CM Hyper 212 Evo  Cooling EVGA CLC 120mm           Cooling stock
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)           Storage null                                 Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)  Storage Fujitsu 150GB HDD
               8x WD Red 1TB in Raid 6                                                                                WD Black 1TB    
               WD Green 2TB

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, you absolutely can use Xeons for folding. As far as I know the only limitation for CPU folding is that it needs to be based on the x86 architecture, which virtually every modern computer uses, the only exception being cellphones with ARM processors.

Edit- turns out that F@H has even made a port for android phones, so literally ANY modern CPU can run F@H. 

PS4 / Xbox One can't...

 

I know this sounds like a joke, but it isn't. There was a time when PS3 actually folded, but that's long gone now. And it never came back for current gen.

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

PS4 / Xbox One can't...

 

I know this sounds like a joke, but it isn't. There was a time when PS3 actually folded, but that's long gone now. And it never came back for current gen.

 

I remember reading that a pointless update removed the folding app from the PS3 and tons of people were upset about it. It really is a shame, especially now that the PS4 has taken its place and thousands of PS3s are just going to sit and gather dust rather than support a good cause.

Quote

Ignis (Primary rig)
CPU
 i7-4770K                               Displays Dell U2312HM + 2x Asus VH236H
MB ASRock Z87M Extreme4      Keyboard Rosewill K85 RGB BR
RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB      Mouse Razer DeathAdder
GPU XFX RX 5700XT                    Headset V-Moda Crossfade LP2
PSU Lepa G1600
Case Corsair 350D
Cooling Corsair H90             
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS) + WD Blue 1TB

Quote

Server 01Alpha                                       Server 01Beta                            Chaos Box (Loaner Rig)                Router (pfSense)
CPU
 Xeon X5650                                      CPU 2x Xeon E5520                    CPU Xeon E3-1240V2                     CPU Xeon E3-1246V3
MB Asus P6T WS Pro                               MB EVGA SR-2                             MB ASRock H61MV-ITX                 MB ASRock H81 Pro BTC
RAM Kingston unbuffered ECC 24GB  RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB         RAM Random Ebay RAM 12GB    RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB
GPU XFX R5 220                                       GPU EVGA GTX 580 SC               GPU Gigabyte R9 295x2                GPU integrated
PSU Corsair CX430M                               PSU Corsair AX1200                   PSU Corsair GS700                         PSU Antec EA-380D
Case Norco RPC-450B 4U                      Case Rosewill  RSV-L4000C        Case Modified Bitfenix Prodigy   Case Norco RPC-250 2U
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S                        Cooling 2x CM Hyper 212 Evo  Cooling EVGA CLC 120mm           Cooling stock
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)           Storage null                                 Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)  Storage Fujitsu 150GB HDD
               8x WD Red 1TB in Raid 6                                                                                WD Black 1TB    
               WD Green 2TB

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

I remember reading that a pointless update removed the folding app from the PS3 and tons of people were upset about it. It really is a shame, especially now that the PS4 has taken its place and thousands of PS3s are just going to sit and gather dust rather than support a good cause.

I bet 10$ this was entirely Sony's fault. If I was at FAH, I'd do everything possible to keep the project alive.

 

My particular bet is that this caused increased overhead on the PSN, and thus it was shut down, but I may be WAY off on this one...

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes, you absolutely can use Xeons for folding. As far as I know the only limitation for CPU folding is that it needs to be based on the x86 architecture, which virtually every modern computer uses, the only exception being cellphones with ARM processors.

Edit- turns out that F@H has even made a port for android phones, so literally ANY modern CPU can run F@H. 

Wait, so I can run F@H on my Windows 98 machine?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

I bet 10$ this was entirely Sony's fault. If I was at FAH, I'd do everything possible to keep the project alive.

 

My particular bet is that this caused increased overhead on the PSN, and thus it was shut down, but I may be WAY off on this one...

My theory is they felt like they didn't have enough control over the service, so they removed it. It's not like they haven't been power-mad before; remember when they tried to take control of the CD distribution for Nintendo's SNES-CD addon? Equally power-mad Nintendo completely destroyed them at CES that year. And then the CDI was born. What a great system that was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wait, so I can run F@H on my Windows 98 machine?

 

It looks like you need a minimum of Windows XP and a Pentium 4 processor for their newest client. If you use one of the older versions you might be able to get away with something as low as a Pentium 2 or 3. I can't guarantee that there will be any workunits available, but as of a few years ago they were still supported. So, technically yes and no. Worst case scenario you would need to install a new OS but the hardware should be fine.

Quote

Ignis (Primary rig)
CPU
 i7-4770K                               Displays Dell U2312HM + 2x Asus VH236H
MB ASRock Z87M Extreme4      Keyboard Rosewill K85 RGB BR
RAM G.Skill Ripjaws X 16GB      Mouse Razer DeathAdder
GPU XFX RX 5700XT                    Headset V-Moda Crossfade LP2
PSU Lepa G1600
Case Corsair 350D
Cooling Corsair H90             
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS) + WD Blue 1TB

Quote

Server 01Alpha                                       Server 01Beta                            Chaos Box (Loaner Rig)                Router (pfSense)
CPU
 Xeon X5650                                      CPU 2x Xeon E5520                    CPU Xeon E3-1240V2                     CPU Xeon E3-1246V3
MB Asus P6T WS Pro                               MB EVGA SR-2                             MB ASRock H61MV-ITX                 MB ASRock H81 Pro BTC
RAM Kingston unbuffered ECC 24GB  RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB         RAM Random Ebay RAM 12GB    RAM G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB
GPU XFX R5 220                                       GPU EVGA GTX 580 SC               GPU Gigabyte R9 295x2                GPU integrated
PSU Corsair CX430M                               PSU Corsair AX1200                   PSU Corsair GS700                         PSU Antec EA-380D
Case Norco RPC-450B 4U                      Case Rosewill  RSV-L4000C        Case Modified Bitfenix Prodigy   Case Norco RPC-250 2U
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S                        Cooling 2x CM Hyper 212 Evo  Cooling EVGA CLC 120mm           Cooling stock
Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)           Storage null                                 Storage PNY CS900 120GB (OS)  Storage Fujitsu 150GB HDD
               8x WD Red 1TB in Raid 6                                                                                WD Black 1TB    
               WD Green 2TB

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wait, so I can run F@H on my Windows 98 machine?

Unlikely, as I don't think the software is supported on a 16bit OS. Still, you can try.

 

At any rate, you can resort to Boinc, that is sure to work.

Want to help researchers improve the lives on millions of people with just your computer? Then join World Community Grid distributed computing, and start helping the world to solve it's most difficult problems!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×