• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

Dual HT Xeons, and extra idle CPU time. Is the extra time useful at all?

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

soundfx4

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2001
Location
Roanoke, VA
When I first started up my dual xeon system folding, I ran two instances of FAH and I am still doing that now. However, there is still 50% idle CPU time due to the HT thing. I never bothered running anymore instances because HT is only a virtual CPU, and doesn't really do any good, but I can't help but ask if there is any way to utilize the rest of my CPU time for quicker folding? I know it is just HT that is causing that, but when I see it I just keep thinking to myself that it should be at 100%, and it bothers me. Should I try running another instance? Or should I just leave it alone running two instances?

Also, if anyone has any other information they would like to bring to my attention about this, then by all means, go ahead and post.

Thanks!
 
folding purists would say to just run 1 instance per real cpu ... and if qmd's return that would certainly be the best setup.

with the current wu's, tho I am running 2 instances on all my HT P4's since the throughput improvement is around 25%.

so i would run 4 instances. But i think there is something that needs to be done to have the cpu affinities setup right on duals. Just going from memory here since i don't have any dual's, just DC's which don't have HT so i just run 2 instances on them.

Some of the many other dually folders can confirm.

You can also do some searches here on dual setups.
 
Windows is lying to you about the idle time. If you're running 2 instances, both cpus will be utilized 100%. Task manager just doesn't know it because it beleives there are 4 physical processors when in fact there are only two. With current WUs you could increase ppd buy about 25% by running 4 instances.
 
No need to set affinities with 4 instances, Windows balances things nicely.
 
So I guess for the time being, it would be worth it to run 4 instances then? 25% could keep me above 800 PPD (points per day, right?)
 
I'm running 4 instances right now and getting ~400PPD

I was getting 575PPD on 2x QMDs :cry:

Anyway like ChasR sez you should run 4x WUs until something big like QMDs come back.
 
Back