Folding@home - The PS3 and Post-PetaFLOP

Folding@home: The Science ^ | 09/18/2007 | PandeGroup

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks.

[zeugma]

OMG!

That table with clients is freaking amazing. They could dump everyone but the Playstations and not see much of a drop in computing power. I'm also amazed that just 723 GPUs can blow away 21k linux boxes!

I may try the SMP core again. The previous version was unstable on my box.

[texas booster]

So far I see no complaints on the SMP v6 beta 1. It will really ‘roid your points.

Electron for electron, most folks feel that the GPUs will reach the highest FLOPs per card compared to anything on the horizon.

Compared to a Cell processor, and more accurately, the video registers that the Cell uses for graphics, the GPU is still faster.

The problem arises in that neither a GPU nor a PS3 can yet do the broad range of molecular dynamics needed to complete a simulation of an entire protein. General purpose CPUs are required.

The speed difference that is seen shows how much the new fancy hardware does make a difference, and a little programmers trick called optimization. Well written, elegant custom code usually flies past code that relies on canned compilers.

OTOH, it looks like only 5% of PS3 have ever fired up F@H. If that could climb to 10% then that’s special.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I’m tempted to get a PS3 just to run a Folding program. One PS3 does the work of 15 desktops.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I’m running version 5.3. Do I need to upgrade?

[texas booster]

Since you are running the GUI 5.03, you do not need to change anything for a while. Leave it alone and enjoy.

However,

It wouldn’t hurt to upgrade, but since the F@H Forums are down I can’t get any feedback on how its working for folks.

When I last looked v6b1 seemed to be running fine. Keep in mind that this is a console version and sets up just a little differently.

[zeugma]

OTOH, it looks like only 5% of PS3 have ever fired up F@H. If that could climb to 10% then that’s special.

Not being a gamer, I don't know the answer to this, but is there some kind of option on the PS3, where you just tell it to start folding?

The speed difference that is seen shows how much the new fancy hardware does make a difference, and a little programmers trick called optimization. Well written, elegant custom code usually flies past code that relies on canned compilers.

Indeed. For some time I've thought that PCs would really benefit from the addition of a good FPGA chip that could be utilized at the user's discretion. Maybe with something like that available, Vista wouldn't have to throttle down network performance to play a video. 

[Drango]

Proud 2 b foldin’

[texas booster]

We will need a PS3 professional to tell us (or someones 12 yo kid), but I believe that one goes to the PS3 store and downloads it like any other update.

One thing that I find fascinating, is how many people never change their user name or join a team! Check this out - I am pretty sure that this is the default for PS3:

.....Name.. Team..... Daily 24 hr Avg..... Total Points
1....PS3... Default..... 1,243,111........... 291,555,424

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/individual_list.php?s=

That’s 291 million points since March 2007.

There’s a whole lotta folding going on!

[EasySt]

I got my new PS3 folding by taking it out of the box, using its settings and network settings menus to get it connected using it’s built in WiFi, to my in home wireless network which taps into my cable modem. Once the PS3 could see the Internet, I used the PS3’s menu to “Update System” and updated its operating system over the Internet to the current level. (level 1.6 I think) Once the OS is updated, Folding at Home appears as one of the PS3’s Network Menu options and can be started and configured from there. There are other ways to connect a PS3 to the Internet, but this was quick and easy.

If you have a USB keyboard you can plug into your PS3, some of this setup is made even easier...

My PS3 seems to complete a 300 or 320 point work unit every 6 and a half hours or so... Using it, plus my other two PCs and now getting even more points from my fathers, my son’s , and my brother's PCs, I’ve gone from position 66 in our Free Republic team, up to position 62 in just the last week. wysiwyg and IoCaster were catching up to me, but now they're no longer on my overtake threat radar... *waves* ;-)

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_overtake.php?s=&u=185134&p=1=

http://kakaostats.com/usum.php?u=845082=

http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=userpage&teamnum=36120&username=EasySt=

[zeugma]

Totally Cool. It will be a while before you pass me though. I’m something like #17 or so. :-)

[Dick Vomer]

[texas booster]

AH Hah! Someone who doesn't speak ... < ominous music> the CODE !!

Basically, about 250,000 people that realize that life doesn't last forever, have joined a medical research effort to find cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and many other diseases.

Since we are not smart enough do not have time to code our own JMOL molecular dynamics and coordinate with others around the world, F@H stands in.

By downloading a small program here:

Download here (Yes, Here)

into its own directory you can run the program, enter your FReepname and our team number 36120 and away you go, folding proteins faster than you can by hand.

At first not much happens. Then you get your first points, the next work unit finished, then you compete with others that also just started, and soon you have converted every other computer in the house, at work and at strangers' homes into a folding empire with your FReep name.

It really becomes fun, and I find myself checking stats every three hours. One day when results are published that help find a treatment for Alzheimer's or other diseases, then I may not have to say that long goodbye as my father did.

Does this make any sense?

[EasySt]

Indeed, at my current rate, it will be 5.3 months before I catch you. (You are currently in position 15, by the way...;-)

http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/user_overtake.php?s=&u=185134&p=1=

[texas booster]

Congratulations to lrenh , who passes the 3 Million mark this weekend!

[JosephW]

Congratulations! You’re the one person I have no hope of catching. Given enough decades I might catch Klutz, but you outperform me.

Great job.

[wysiwyg]

I got my new PS3 folding by taking it out of the box...

Ahh, so that's how you left me in your dust! Looks like I need to start shopping eBay for a bargain PS3 now.

[cost_benefit]

Wow, any way to make the other similar gaming systems (Xbox, etc) be able to fold?

[EasySt]

"Ahh, so that's how you left me in your dust! Looks like I need to start shopping eBay for a bargain PS3 now."

The PS3 seems good for 900-1000 points per day, but my PS3 along with my Thinkpad T-41 and my old Pentium IV 3.06 Ghz desktop box were not going to keep you from catching me in a couple days unless I brought in additional folding power. What's really making me take off are the 1400 and 1700+ point work units from the two quad core boxes that my father has started folding on with the SMP client... ;-)

1: Intel Pentium Extreme 955 3.46 GHz (older quad core technology) 2GB RAM Windows XP Pro produces a step (1%) in about 25 minutes on project 2653.
2: Intel Core2 Quad QX6700 2.66GHz 2GB RAM Windows Vista Ultimate produces a step (1%) in about 12 minutes on project 2653. (over twice as fast).

All this additional folding pushed my little family team here over 100,000 points, and into the top 20,000 folders world wide. At this moment, our daily production(3297) exceeds all but the top three FR madly producing Folders, josephw (5556), lrenh (6981), and Klutz_dohanger (7402). We've gone from position 66 to position 55 in the FreeRepublic Folders team in a bit over a week and we could see zeugma's 15th position in 2-3 months, and the top ten in 6 or 7 months if this keeps up, unless more of you get some PS3s and Intel Quad Core boxes on-line... ;-)

[GOPBiker]

Hi TB, I got the message that my module was out-of-date and tried to download from stanford but that module is out-of-date as well.
I am using folding.stanford.edu/release/folding/FAH_SMP_Linux.tgz
to get the module.

I am guessing that I need to go somewhere else.

When I go to the site with the choices it is not good for downloading to my Linux command window.

I hope you can help because I have a machine that is not folding right now .... yikes