How to set up Folding@home

[NavyChief]

The below site has excellent instructions for setting up the single-core CPU client, multi-core SMP CPU client, and GPU clients.

The instructions also detail how to set up multiple clients on one computer, how to keep your graphics cards healthy, and how to monitor your folding (FAHMON).

http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/software/2009/06/17/how-to-set-up-folding-home/1

I used these instructions for setting up 2 GPU and 1 SMP client on one computer, as well as how to increase the graphic card fans to optimize their cooling. The FAHMON is keeping track of their progress and reports that the current setup on this one computer will net nearly 20,000 PPD (8,700 per GPU and 2500 for SMP). Since I do not plan on leaving this setup running continuously my actual PPD will be slightly lower. I turn the GPU and SMP clients off when I want to game since the graphics cards cannot do both.

[Schlup]

Nice article, I'll be able to pull about 15,000 PPD with my current dual GPU client setup.  If I can find a PS3 to buy I should be able to up that to around 20,000 PPD.

[NavyChief]

According to the Folding@Home website the PS3 is limited to only 900 PPD.

"The PS3 takes the middle ground between GPUs (extreme speed, but at limited types of WU's) and CPU's (less speed, but more flexibility in types of WUs). We have picked the PS3 as the natural benchmark machine for PS3 calculations and set its points per day to 900 to reflect this middle ground between speed (faster than CPU, but slower than GPU) and flexibility (more flexible than GPU, less than CPU)."

http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-PS3

For such a powerful GPU, the amount of PPD is really low. I get over 900 points with a normal GPU client in about 2 1/2 hours (3 WU).

[Schlup]

Well that's pretty weak...though it does sound like they may have manually set this limit...wonder if it can be configured differently.