seti and memory usage

[eobard]

Based on the work completed by my main machine so far it looks like my completion times won't be better than my back up machine. My main is a Duron 800@1053, my second is a K6II 450@551. Because I have my backup running seti 24/7 and my Duron running only in screen saver mode it looks like my K6 will be crunching units faster than my Duron. Does this make sense to any of you? What I want to know is: is the fact that I've only got 64meg of memory in each machine holding me back? I see others posting unit times half what my times are. My K6 crunches a unit in 23.5 - 25.5 hours. My Duron is at 49% on it's first unit at almost 13 hours. Shouldn't the Duron take half the time because it has almost double the speed or is the 64meg of memory holding me back? What should I do to boost times on both machines?

 

[TC]

If you're running windows 98 then I doubt it's lack of ram. I've never seen Seti use more than about 15 megs of ram while running. The screen saver version is slower than the command line client, but it shouldn't be taking you that long. Are you using the computer for other tasks while the client is running? I would assume not if you're using it as a screen saver. Do you have TSR's running in the background? Do you have the graphics enabled on the screen saver? Something is slowing your system down and you're going to have to poke around until you find the source.

 

[JigPu]

Do you have SETI set to "Data analysis allways runs"? This will cause quite a large time difference.

JigPu

 

[eobard]

My first work unit on my K6II was using screen saver with the option "data analysis always runs" enabled. It took almost 26 hours. The second unit on my K6II was using the command line version, it took 42 hours at which point I said "Screw this I'm never using the command line version ever again!" and I never have. My subsequent K6 units have averaged around a day per unit with the data analysis always runs option enabled. My Duron is now 73.8% done at just under 16 hours time. I've had it set to data analysis always runs and have been surfing a bit (I'm typing this message as its running) but I haven't been running any intensive programs. I have the screen saver configured to blank the screen. I don't think I'm running too much in the background, ASUS probe, PC-cillin 2000 anti-virus, nothing too demanding.

 

[eobard]

I'm now at just 94% at 17 hours, 20 minutes. That's a good pickup in speed but I haven't changes any settings. The only thing that is different is I'm letting it run full screen instead of minimized. I didn't think that that would matter because the setting is for data analysis always running. Could minimizing to just the icon slow things down??

 

[LuKE]

well usually when your system has to draw each part of th wu on the screen it's gonna take away from your processors ability to keep werkin hard(like when it's minimized). so that sound about right. just wondering, have you tried command line version on your duron? my 850@963 went from 14 hours times to 7-8 hour times. as a little experiment, try taking that 64mb ram outta that k6 machine and throw it in your duron. crunch a wu and see how much of a difference it makes. win98's mem optimization isn't as good as win2k or winxp. so even tho tc said he's never seen seti take up more then 15mbs of ram, your system prolly doesn't have 15mb to give it, which could be a major problem for you on both of your machines.

 

[TC]

Well having a program minimized will put that program's priority behind stuff that's open, but of course if nothing else is running it shouldn't matter. Are you processing a very low angle range work unit by chance?

 

[eobard]

I'm on to a new unit now so I'm not sure if posting the specifics about this unit will be relavent, I may find that this unit crunches in 10 hours or even less. If it seems to want to take 20+ hours then I'll throw the data out for inspection. Just so we're all on the same page, after running seti full screen my last unit finished in just under 20 hours, my best time so far.

Correction. The above should have read just under 18 hours, not 20. I figured I'd leave ther original just so no one would think I was messing with them. Sorry about that folks.

 

[TC]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't the k62 have a good bit more cache than a duron? That could have some affect on it, but not as much as you're seeing.

 

[eobard]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't the k62 have a good bit more cache than a duron? That could have some affect on it, but not as much as you're seeing.

Well my socket 7 motherboard for my K6 has a full meg of cache on board but as I understand it motherboard cache is slower than on chip cache so I'm not sure what effect that would have. It now looks like my current unit will be done in 13.5-14 hours if I run nothing else so perhaps that first work unit itself was the cause of the delay in processing and not my Duron or my personal settings.

 

[Morpheus]

2nd what Tim said... 32 megs processes the same as 64 megs... I will have to try 16

In any case, sound like you are in for some BIOS tweaks if you have bee through the other recommended goodies... screen "resolution" can have a lot to do with your times too... but you will need to "restart" after any color depth changes to see theeir effects on your SETI times...

Power save, blank screen, oh.. and kill the anti-virus after you are done surfing NAV will add 10% to your times just by itself...

Hope something here helps....

Crunch, crunch

 

[JigPu]

Never though about that. Every web site says "Don't disable Anti-Virus just for SETI!", but if you are offline I suppose you could get away with it.

JigPu

 

[eobard]

My current unit on my Duron looks to finish in 9.5 - 10 hours even with me taking time to do a bit of surfing while it runs so it looks like my problem was just that first work unit.

Thanks for the input people.

 

[Morpheus]

Never though about that. Every web site says "Don't disable Anti-Virus just for SETI!", but if you are offline I suppose you could get away with it.

JigPu

I have been lucky, I guess... I took of AV software last year... I reinstall & scan when I'm feeling like there's GOT TO BE SOMETHING I can do...

Now someone will be kind enough to break my streak of luck and infect me... the irony of it all

I keep a ghost copy of my drive & backup regularly to CD, so I will minimize loss should it occur...

crunch, crunch

 

[JigPu]

I think I've been rather lucky too. Through all the time I've had the internet, not a single virus. My sis's dead 486 didn't have any AV except on the install CD, and it never had a virus (even though we had only had the internet on that old thing for about a month). On this computer, over a year ago our Mcafee Virus Scan expired. I can't beleive HP didn't give us a full version when we bought the PC! We've had the net for well over a year now, and I don't even know if our AV works, but when I scan over the net for viruses, none are ever found. Guess I am pretty lucky!

JigPu

 

[Morpheus]

well.. I guess you are too...

I do have the code red virus attacking my Cisco router still... gotta do an NVRAM upgrade this weekend.... ARGH....

Crunch On!!

 

[TC]

Ditto here - code red banging away on my router. We should organize a world wide code red day - everybody can download the patch and reboot their server. Amazing how ignorant some people are now that this has been going for quite a while.