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Message 21496 - Posted: 18 Jun 2011 | 9:05:07 UTC

I am convinced that GPUGrid is one of the most exciting DC projects, and I want to up my contribution. I'm currently running a single GTX 460 768MB card @ 750MHz (core clock) under windows 7.

So my dilemma is: should I stick with the GTX 460 until Nvidia Kepler is out (and optimized for GPUGrid) and replace W7 with Linux now, or should I maximize my brute performance (per watt) by getting a GTX 580 / 570? Oh, which brings me along to another question. Are the extra 32 shaders on the 580 worth the extra $$ over the 570?

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Message 21498 - Posted: 18 Jun 2011 | 15:43:59 UTC - in response to Message 21496.

The GTX570 will do more than twice the work of a GTX460.
Personally I don't think the GTX580 is worth the extra beans, but it is slightly better than just an extra 32shaders; it's about 5% faster/more efficient due to the presence of a full architecture (the GTX570 lost more than 32shaders).

While I would suggest some people wait for Kepler, it's really down to what you are prepared to fork out, when you want to, and how much you like your present GPU. If I had a GTX285, I would probably wait, but if I had a GTX460 I would be inclined to move on. I'm keeping my GTX470's for now at least.

We can only speculate when Kepler will arrive. I think some guesses of an autumn arrival are far too early, and I even think a Christmas arrival is doubtful. I would guess some time in the first quarter of next year, but would not be surprised if we did not see any until this time next year.

Even when Kepler does turn up there will be a period when the developers get the software ready and then another period when they refine the code. During this time (perhaps a month or more) a GTX570 will still be an excellent card and any Kepler's might not be doing much. So add another month or so to the time before we see a usable Kepler. Also worth noting is that the first incarnation of the Kepler will be more like a GTX400 than a GTX500 card. In many respects the GTX570 is a Fermi equivalent of the GTX275. It may be a long time before we see a Kepler version of such ilk. The first Kepler might also be £500+ (560 Euro, $800) and out of the range of most people. So a GTX570 at less than half that price now sounds like a reasonable purchase to me.

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Message 21499 - Posted: 18 Jun 2011 | 17:41:41 UTC - in response to Message 21498.

I bought the GTX 570 and could not be happier. Good RAC and it ate my previous power supply so I got to buy a new one!

You can use the 570 for a couple of years and then upgrade.

Good Luck!

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Message 21501 - Posted: 18 Jun 2011 | 18:25:14 UTC - in response to Message 21499.
Last modified: 18 Jun 2011 | 18:31:07 UTC

I bought the GTX 570 and could not be happier.


I think you would be even happier if you switched to Linux. Your 570 on WinXP has a RAC of about 77K whereas my 570 on Linux has a RAC of 138K. Are you running yours 24/7 or does it shutdown for some hours each day? It appears the only GPU project you crunch is GPU grid, me too.

Sorry for the shameless Linux plug but it really does shine over Windows when crunching GPUgrid. My true intention is to show Alex what he can expect from a 570 on Linux as he mentions switching to Linux.

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Message 21506 - Posted: 18 Jun 2011 | 19:50:34 UTC - in response to Message 21501.

Good point. W7 and Vista are the worst for GPUGrid crunching. XP and 2003 servers are at least 11% faster (after full W7 optimization). Linux is usually a bit faster again, but you do need to know what you are doing and it can be a struggle for the amateur Linux user. Cooling is most problematic; some GPU's end up running at over 90deg C (not good for longevity).

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Message 21509 - Posted: 19 Jun 2011 | 1:01:52 UTC - in response to Message 21506.
Last modified: 19 Jun 2011 | 1:15:05 UTC

Learning Linux isn't easy but it's worth the struggle. For Linux newbies I strongly recommend doing a dual boot installation which allows you to boot either Linux or Windows. That way you can work on learning Linux and setting up BOINC and your GPU on Linux whenever you have time then reboot back to Windows when you want to take a break from Linux. Some Linux distros, Ubuntu and Fedora for sure, automatically detect a Windows installation and configure your computer to dual boot when you install them. They leave your Windows installation completely alone and available for booting unless you specify during install to wipe the disk clean and install only Linux.

I had trouble with GPU temp and it soared above 90C when it started crunching GPUgrid tasks. Upon investigating I discovered the GPU cooling fan was running at only 60% rather than 100% even when the temp was up to 90C. I never did find out how to make the fan speed rise and fall along with the GPU temp. I did find out how to make the fan run at 85% all the time and now the GPU temp ranges between 58C and 62C depending on room temp. I can't get it to run at 100% but 85% is sufficient. I wrote up what I did and posted it here on the BOINC dev forums. I'll be adding a second post to that thread detailing what to do for 270.41.19 drivers.

Again, don't assume your GPU fan speed will automatically increase when the GPU warms up. Get a handle on monitoring GPU temp and controlling fan speed before you start crunching GPUgrid tasks.

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Message 21510 - Posted: 19 Jun 2011 | 3:11:48 UTC - in response to Message 21509.

RAC is down on my system due to a power supply replacement last week. I was down for 5 days. I would expect the RAC to be about 110K.

I was about to post about a couple of very long running tasks. I hope I don't get too many of them. Maybe something else is wrong.

I love Linux and have a laptop running it now. So far, Windows is winning the OS war here. I would like to get a Linux system running with GPU grid soon.

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Message 21513 - Posted: 19 Jun 2011 | 6:50:20 UTC - in response to Message 21510.
Last modified: 19 Jun 2011 | 7:05:25 UTC

@SKGIVEN

You say a GTX570 will do MORE than twice the work of A GTX460 but my 2 460's have an RAC of 84,000 and 77,000 respectively and that's on Windows 7 and computers that do several other things at the same time but only GPU project is this one.

They are of course OC'd at GPU 850, Shaders 1700, Memory 2050
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Message 21524 - Posted: 19 Jun 2011 | 14:50:04 UTC - in response to Message 21513.
Last modified: 19 Jun 2011 | 14:58:13 UTC

That's a sizable OC, so hardly reference. That said you are on W7.
Going by these two tasks, my GTX470 does as well on XP as a GTX570 does on W7:

4091966 2537474 18 Jun 2011 3:55:28 UTC 18 Jun 2011 15:56:51 UTC Completed and validated 38,899.23 38,820.52 44,998.74 67,498.11 Long runs (8-12 hours on fastest card) v6.14 (cuda31)
4094408 2537733 19 Jun 2011 2:22:49 UTC 19 Jun 2011 13:33:21 UTC Completed and validated 38,467.02 38,090.86 44,998.74 67,498.11 Long runs (8-12 hours on fastest card) v6.14 (cuda31)

My GTX470 on an SB system has a RAC of 131,101.68, but it's off for 3h a day, so it could be 150K going 24/7, and that's with the recent low credit tasks. It's at stock and might stick 630MHz but that's about it. All ref cards on the same system and we would have more definitive results, but then some cards clock better than others and that's a factor too; not all GTX460's are the same.

If you look at this task, completed on a GTX570, then you could get over 200K on per day, and that's on W7. Of course what tasks you run makes a big difference, so you would have to go by the same type. Going by a similar task on your system you could get 105K per day. If it was native it would probably be slightly less than half what the GTX570 would get.

Just for Ref. and going by this similar task, a GTX580 on XP x86 could in theory average 295K.

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Message boards : Number crunching : Upgrade dilemma

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