The technical specifications for this machine are the following:

Motherboard:
MSI K9A2 Platinum / AMD 790 FX 4xPCI-E 16x
CPU:
9950 AMD Phenom X4 2.60Ghz, RAM 4Gb.
GPUs:
4x NVIDIA GTX 280
Power supply:
Thermaltake Toughpower 1500W, with 4 PCI-E 8-pin and 4 PCI-E 6 pin power cables.
Box:
Antec Gamer Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case. (Ours is a Silvestone but it is more expensive).
(The computer case is quite important. There are other available, but not all fit the purpose as you need to have enough cooling and free space after the 7th PCI slot to fit a dual slot graphics card as the GTX280.)

In the future (during 2009) we may be able to use multiple GPUs for one WU which will be rewarded higher.

New GTX290 cards should be coming out soon.

Wanna have it!
Even though it has an AMD CPU it looks really nice! ;)
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pixelicious.at - my little photoblog

You sure thats a Antec Gamer Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case ??? I've been looking at them and in fact bought 1 this morning for $119 Shipped and it sure doesn't look like whats in the picture ... ???

That things gotta run Hot with 4 280's Packed together like that ... 0_o

It is not, you are right. Ours is more expensive and fits two 750W power supplies. One burnt and we got the 1500W.

:)

4x NVIDIA GTX 280

hahaha ... not for Long, I ordered 4 280's as Accessories ... ;)

4x NVIDIA GTX 280

Not having any machines with multiple cards, I wonder, does a 4 card machine produce 4x the credit of single card machine or is there some trade off involved?

how long need a one GT280 card to finish one task?
how many of points per day is this card able to produce?

Im asking, because i think, that something is wrong with my 9800GT.
Every task is finished in cca 12hours.
thats too much no?

thats nice performance..
so if somebody have 4xGTX280 he got cca 52 000 ppd?
OMG - wooow.. i want it!!
But the electricity bill must be very interesting afterwards :-/
last question..if i take a look on that nice machine, i dont understand, how could be cooled these cards...? Because there is verry little space between every card, so how can works the cooling of every card in this configuration?
how looks temperatures under load?
ok, back to work, thanks for info.

ByE
PeeT.

With a 1500W PSU, are you consistantly pulling 1.5KW per hour?

I'm not an electric engineer, but I've seen enough share of posts all over the web claiming that the higher watt powered PSUs powering up your case, the better efficiency you'll get.

The same is true if you are plugged into 220V instead of 110V.

Internet myth? I'll only believe it if someone shows me the numbers and the tests can be scientifically duplicated elsewhere!

I'm not an electric engineer, but I've seen enough share of posts all over the web claiming that the higher watt powered PSUs powering up your case, the better efficiency you'll get.

The same is true if you are plugged into 220V instead of 110V.

Internet myth? I'll only believe it if someone shows me the numbers and the tests can be scientifically duplicated elsewhere!

So now that the GTX 295 is out. when are you upgrading this baby to 4 of them?

8 x GPU crunching must be tempting although i think you'd need your own power station.

4 GTX 295 would be awesome.. if only for the sake of it :D

Might want an i7 to keep them fed, though.

4 GTX 295 would be awesome.. if only for the sake of it :D

Might want an i7 to keep them fed, though.

Is this correct? Does it really take a top of the line quad to keep them fed, whereas a Q6600 could not?

Ahh, my bad. I was assuming the system would run windows, which currently needs about 80% of one core for each GPU.

If you build a 4x GPU system, the chances of using your CPU for anything else is slim, and the i7 uses significantly more power than C2Q (and DDR3 costs a lot more too). Just think it would be wise to save a couple hundred bucks to go C2Q. Maybe Q9450 or Q9550 instead of Q6600.

TDP for the GTX295 is listed as 289 watts here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nvidia_graphics_processing_units

I`m just curious how you can manage work for 4 GPU`s? With quadcore, you can have just 4 WU`s. And all WU`s will be crunched (nothing in stock). When one WU will be ready crunched, then one GPU will be idle. Even with <report_results_immediately>1, each of your GPU will be idle over some time once every 6 hours. It means for times per 6 hours. It seems that you are wasting at least few hours of your GPU`s every day.

Or maybe you have some secret method to manage work for this maschine? I`m using method (which I don`t like) with crunching GPUGrid at 100% and SETI CUDA at 10% (I have always something in stock then). What`s your method? Or maybe it doesn`t matter for you that GPU`s are idle so long time every day? And if you can fix 100% working time for these GPU`s then how you can do that with daily quota 15 WU`s? Because even stock graphics cards can crunch 16 WU`s...

I had maschine with 3x280. But it wasn`t possible to manage work for them over 100% time every day without babysitting. Without checking the computer every few hours. I can`t do that. Because of my work I`m sometimes 18 hours out of home. Then I`ve splitted GPU`s and now this maschine have just 2x 280`s and it`s approximately ok. But soon, very soon I`d like to buy 2x295. I don`t know how to manage work for these cards for 100% of time without babysitting all of the time.

Then my question is `how YOU are doing that`?
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@AiDec

Well, I am using BOINC Manager version 6.5.0 ...

It has .4 days extra wok, connect 0.1 and I have one task in work and on that system I have 3 "spare" tasks.

On the other system, also running BOINC Manager 6.5.0 I have 0.1 day queue and no extra and I have one task in work and one or two pending ... I check every few hours and post updates as tasks are completed, but, other than that, I just let the two systems run ...

The first one has a GTX 280 which does tasks in about 4.5 hours and the slower system at the moment has a 9800GT ...

To me the keys are the version of the BOINC Manager and the queue size ...

Hope this helps ...
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Hope this helps ...

Sorry, but I don't think so. He's asking for how people are keeping 4 GPus on a quad core fed, where you're limited to 4 WUs at one time. Buying an i7 could help, but that ruins the "good crunching power per investment" relation which makes us use the GPUs in the first place.

MrS

@Paul D. Buck

My post was about the main case of this thread - ` Specs of the GPUGRID 4x GPU lab machine`, not about your comp :). But anyway thx for answer ;).

Buying an i7 could help(...)

@Paul D. Buck

My post was about the main case of this thread - ` Specs of the GPUGRID 4x GPU lab machine`, not about your comp :). But anyway thx for answer ;).

Buying an i7 could help(...)

The case is not what could. The case is about what is now. Is the owner of this maschine wasting a lot of time of his cards or does he knows some tricks? The case is if there is any sense to have 4 GPU`s (cause I don`t see any sense to have more than 2x280 cause it`s impossible to manage 100% work for more than 2x280). There is just few questions which can tell us a lot about GPUGrid... I thought about multiple GPU`s at one maschine since 6 months. I had a maschine with 3x280 and I couldn`t get 100% work for all GPU`s. I`ve asked for 3xCPU tasks per comp, and I`ve asked for 2xCPU tasks per comp... And nothing happened. Then I`m asking what`s the way to fill up 4 GPU`s.

I believe that the secret is that they don't run SETI (or any other project than this one). With no CPU-based projects, can't one effectively setup BOINC to use a '0+4' alignment by adjusting the CPU use percentages in the same way that others use a '3+1' in place of the default '4+1'?

I don't think they run BOINC on their lab machine... My guess is that they manually feed it with jobs... ;)
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pixelicious.at - my little photoblog

Perhaps we can get ETA to prevail on the people that make decisions. We have at least one potential system out there that is going to have 6 cores that will be available for work.

If the scheduler cannot be made smarter the simplest solution is to raise the total queue to 7 ... but, I would suggest an investment to make the scheduler smarter (if possible) so that the queue size is related to the productivity and speed of the system.

I mean, heck I am almost tempted to buy a 295 pair with a better PS to put into my top system which would give me 6 cores in the one system here too ... but, there is no point in that if I cannot get enough work to keep them busy ...

Of course, as ETA has been happy to point out so often ... I have been missing the point and saying the wrong stuff... oh well ...
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In my opinion there is two possibilities:

- that owner of this maschine do not care about filling up GPU`s over whole (100%) time of work
- or that he have some special rules on server side (e.g. this user/Computer ID have possibility to DL and have `in stock` 2-3x CPU WU`s, what is btw my dream...).
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We have at least one potential system out there that is going to have 6 cores that will be available for work.

Just to point it out clearly: currently GPU-Grid limits the number of concurrent WUs a Pc can have to the number of cores, i.e. 4 on "normal" quad and 8 on an i7. That's why you can have 6 WUs overall, Paul :)

As AiDec pointed out you'll run into trouble to keep 4 GPUs fed with a normal quad core, as there are always delays in up/download and scheduler contacts. Not to mention internet connection or server failures..

And the point of the current limitation to 1 WU per CPU core is to keep slow GPUs from being routinely overloaded with many WUs which they have to abort after 3 days. I suspect the plan was to eventually make BOINC smart enough to request proper amounts of GPU work. But these efforts have been.. not very successful, so far ;) (to use kind words..)

MrS

Hi,
when we have finished with new applications, we will be testing a new BOINC feature which allows to send WU per GPU instead that per CPU. This way we will be fixing the limit to two/GPU.
So, this should not be a problem anymore in the near future. The feature is already in BOINC, it just needs to be tested.

gdf

We are trying to build one. We would like to know what is the real power consumption to see if we can cope with a 1500W PSU.

gdf

Seems very tempting to go dual 1500W power supplies.... Also, upgrading to Phenom II X4 CPU would actually reduce power consumption a little. Or forget the whole thing and build a new core i7 system w/ a dual power supply server chassis....

4 GTX 295 would be awesome.. if only for the sake of it :D

Might want an i7 to keep them fed, though.

After writing that long post, I was thinking about it some more, and realized that the impact would be even less than my calculations showed.

My analysis was based on the concept of the GPU being one big monolithic processor, and the whole GPU having to stop and wait for more data.

Perhaps the way the GPUGRID application is written, it works just like that. But that's not the way I would write it, and I suspect you didn't write it that way either.

A GTX280 (or 1/2 of a GTX 295) has 30 multiprocessors. In effect, it's a 30 core GPU. If your application loads data into each of the 30 cores independently, then when a collision occurs, only 1/30th of the GPU is actually blocked -- the other 29 cores keep on processing while that one core waits for more work.

If that's the case, then the 2% number my analysis showed is incorrect -- the actual number if 1/30th of that.

Mike

Yes i guess the application is setup in multi processing thats the power of these cards do much at once.
The speed comes from all these little cores calculating different parts

So i think the impact depends also if and when the cpu gets instructions that some part is done and a new part can be calculated since the cpu does the controlling
However these instructions really is little effort for the cpu's since it goes on doing other work till it gets another ready with this and that work.

I don't think that the Power Supply is going to be the only problem when trying to run 4 295's, space is going to be a problem too I would imagine as these things are big. What type of motherboard are you planning on using, and what type of case. These things generate lots of heat so cooling is definitely going to be a concern as well, particularly since rather than venting the heat out the back of the card and outside the case these card vent out the side directly into your case. While the cost in the summer will be high, you will be able to save money in the Winter as you could heat a small home with 4 295's running 100% 24/7.

My GTX 295's push hot air outside the case and suck it from inside. Four i would have to see. I think my sound cables are starting to melt being directly above the 295. The heat is extreme.
Also the 295 is exactly the same size as my 280. I think all the 200 series cards are majorly massive. Im putting everything into an E-ATX case(CM HAF 932) tomorrow as my old Antec 900 cant fit both a 200 series graphics card and a HDD at the same height.

I just had a thought on the WU cache issue, why not make it a user selectable value in preferences, say default 2/host at a time up to whatever the user believes his/her box can handle?

1. your motherboard is an motherboard with an AMD Chipset(https://www.megamobile.be/productinfo/103151/Moederborden/MSI_K9A2_Platinum_-4x_PCI_Express_x16,_AMD%C2%AE_CrossF/) that means it only has ATI's crossfire X so you use only the first gfx card lolzor

2. NVIDIA has only triple-way SLI not Quad-way SLI

conclusion: I think you're a kind of a show off that just wasted some money ;)

1. your motherboard is an motherboard with an AMD Chipset(https://www.megamobile.be/productinfo/103151/Moederborden/MSI_K9A2_Platinum_-4x_PCI_Express_x16,_AMD%C2%AE_CrossF/) that means it only has ATI's crossfire X so you use only the first gfx card lolzor

2. NVIDIA has only triple-way SLI not Quad-way SLI

conclusion: I think you're a kind of a show off that just wasted some money ;)

Totally off topic but instead of pimping its hardware maybe gpugrid could get itself some reliable hardware that is actually up five 9s and has workunits available occasionally. As it is I am about to go back to Folding@Home with my ps3 and say heck with the boinc credits. I would rather the machine contributes to science instead of sitting there as a paper weight.

...instead of pimping its hardware maybe gpugrid could get itself some reliable hardware that is actually up five 9s and has workunits available occasionally.

Totally off topic but instead of pimping its hardware maybe gpugrid could get itself some reliable hardware that is actually up five 9s and has workunits available occasionally. As it is I am about to go back to Folding@Home with my ps3 and say heck with the boinc credits. I would rather the machine contributes to science instead of sitting there as a paper weight.

I agree about costs and was being melodramatic. The reputation though of this project on the internet is that it does not reliably feed work units to speciality computing devices such as the ps3 as compared to folding@home. Some of that I am sure is due to a large difference in funding and priorities. I am hoping this will change as to be honest not only do I prefer BOINC credits but I have the machine at remote location I only visit several times a year and couldn't change it even if I wanted for some time. I was smart enough to do backup work on yoyo but again lets be honest and say neither yoyo or seti is doing the kind of work that is as critical as gpugrid and folding@home. Another worthwhile boinc project like rosetta or einstein needs to harness the power of the ps3s and then this becomes a non issue.

I agree about costs and was being melodramatic. The reputation though of this project on the internet is that it does not reliably feed work units to speciality computing devices such as the ps3 as compared to folding@home. Some of that I am sure is due to a large difference in funding and priorities. I am hoping this will change as to be honest not only do I prefer BOINC credits but I have the machine at remote location I only visit several times a year and couldn't change it even if I wanted for some time. I was smart enough to do backup work on yoyo but again lets be honest and say neither yoyo or seti is doing the kind of work that is as critical as gpugrid and folding@home. Another worthwhile boinc project like rosetta or einstein needs to harness the power of the ps3s and then this becomes a non issue.

awesome system can just imagine how much work that thing is doing whew...

it must be really hot in whatever room that system is in if its on 24/7 :)

thats a Silverstone TJ07 btw... http://silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=tj07&area=usa

im getting that case for a summer watercooling project.... you should consider watercooling that system and overclocking... its a really nice case to watercool with

att:cencirly Do You Mean That....
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