Do I need to use the screensaver for Medium?

[Breach]

Quick question: how does FAH detect system 'idle'? If I set it to Medium does it only run on GPUs when the FAH screensaver engages - i.e. I'd still like to have it running on idle state but don't like screensavers?

[PantherX]

It uses the Windows system notification to detect if the system is idle or not and then turning on the slots in idle mode. The two ways are:
1) Enabling F@H Screensaver
2) Set the monitor to switch off after X minutes

With either option set, the F@H Slots should start folding.

[Jesse_V]

As described in http://folding.stanford.edu/English/V7- ... iate#ntoc5 when the Medium setting is chosen the GPU will engage when the system becomes "idle". There are two ways for the system to become idle, as PantherX pointed out.

[Breach]

Thanks guys, this answers my question. Thing is 'idle' can mean a ton of things - from screensaver timeout, to monitor timeout, to ACPI S1/S2/S3... Anyway, Q answered, cheers.

[Qinsp]

Uh... Does this mean I should run the F@H screensaver on GPU machines, or SMP also? I've never used the F@H screensaver. Or any screensaver for that matter. I use the power button on the monitor.

[bruce]

I would configure Windows to go to "black screen" or to "turn off monitor" after a short period of inactivity. I, too, use the power button on my monitor, but this saves a similar amount of power if I forget, and it also sets Windows to an AFK-idle state which will inform FAH that work can be given to the GPU. I don't think the power button will activate the idle state the same way. Running the FAH ScreenSaver is optional and I don't use it, myself.

[P5-133XL]

I used to use my power button, till the button wore out and I had to replace the monitor because of it. Now I automatically power down the monitor so as not to wear out the power button.

[Breach]

What I did was that I selected 'Blank' as screensaver to engage after 5 minutes and set my monitor to turn off itself after 20. So FAH can activate in 5 mikes and I don't have to watch the spinning protein which steals precious GPU resources away from FAH