How to build a folding box?

[Malpine Walis]

At work today, I recieved a free case. I can use this for a dedicated folding machine. What I want to know is what I need to consider before buying the hardware.

Since any processor will spend most of it's time waiting for input from the rest of the system, it seems that what I need is to max out my FSB and use whatever the cheapest processor is that can handle that spec. Also, the opportunity to use DDR RAM would seem to be a big plus.

Does this sound right or if I am wrong, what should I be looking at?

>>>>>>

Rather than hearing about specific hardware reccomendations, I would like to get the theroy down. Then I can make the best possible choices for this project.

[SickBoy]

actually, folding mostly taxes the CPU and not the rest of the computer. Jacking the FSB is good, but mostly just because it makes your overall CPU speed faster.

If you want to go DDR, you can't go wrong with a Shuttle AK31 r3 and a 1.2 or 1.3 TBird. Once overclocked, that'll fold just about as fast as anything, and be pretty cheap.

[Malpine Walis]

So if I put one of the newest Atholons in the box, it would be taxed just as much as a slow Duron?

I was under the impression that the processor spent most of it's time waiting for the rest of the system to give it something to do. If this is not the complete picture, then what about the multiplier?

Wouldn't a large multiplier just increase the clock cycles that have to happen before the processor gets data from the slower hardware?

[res0r9lm]

mhz is the most important factor

[Kendan]

F@H uses all the processor that you are not using so your cpu load will be at 100% while it is running. Check out the ecs motherboard forum under amd motherboards. their is a faq for the K7S5A it is a cheap board that can handle ddr or sdram and can use durons,Tbirds, or XP's. Fold on!!!

[res0r9lm]

shuttle is almost as cheap plus a good overclocker

[Kendan]

Sure if you have the money get the shuttle. The kt 266a is way better. Fold on!!!

[Malpine Walis]

So is the folding app so small that it runs entirely from the L1 cache? Or does it need access to other harware resources?

If the former is the case, then the best machine would simply be one with the newest processor. If the latter, then there are yet a number of design considerations that can make for a better machine at minimal cost.

Here is one thought: If the app needs to save it's work on disk while it is running, would it not run very well indeed if it had access to a virtual drive in RAM for that part of it's action?

[SickBoy]

No, I think folding runs mostly in cache.

Some people have tried using RAMDisk programs and running folding in them but it doesn't make too much, if any, difference. That would point the F@H being entirely CPU speed dependant.

BUT one other thing we know is that AMD processors kill Intel in Folding. Not that we don't want or need people with Intel's to fold - we do - it's just if you're building a dedicated Folding box, might as well make it AMD.

[muddocktor]

Since the client is cpu dependent and not memory dependent, it would be be cheaper to buy a motherboard using SDRAM instead of DDR to build a Folding box, right? You can find some real good deals on KT7E boards on pricewatch.

[Ploaf]

Originally posted by muddocktor
Since the client is cpu dependent and not memory dependent, it would be be cheaper to buy a motherboard using SDRAM instead of DDR to build a Folding box, right? You can find some real good deals on KT7E boards on pricewatch.

or something like the k7s5a that will let you use both but not together in case you have some pc133 already laying around. Then you could wait for RAM to come back down in price(assuming ram prices given that they usually rise and fall like the stock market)

[Malpine Walis]

I have an old stick of PC 100 32MB laying around. If I needed a bit more to help windows out, I see a stick of 64 MB Kingston over at New Egg for $18.

I would also be going for AMD. Not looking for the perfomance initially but for the upgrade path. Remembering that this would be a second machine built on the cheap for limited uses, I see a Duron 800 mhz (New Egg again) for $40. Perhaps in 6-9 months, I can see dropping a few more bucks on what will hopefully be a comparably priced T-Bird.

>>>>>>

As an alternative, could I just stick with the 32 MB stick and start using a copy of Red Hat that I got free with a book on Linux about a year ago?

[SickBoy]

You should be able to run Win98 with 32 MB of RAM just fine, if all you're doing is folding. No need to run Linux. Linux folds slower anyway, I think.

[The Coolest]

Yup, as the guys said the most important piece of hardware u put to get MAX folding is better CPU... The folding is not mem or system dependant... So for my opinion getting a "B" (100MHz FSB) CPU is better cause u have a 100MHz mem... get a 1400MHz Tbird "B" I think its the MAX u can get w/ that low FSB