Why no GPU support for MAC OS?

[cam4949]

Hi. Please can GPU folding be supported under Mac OS? Seems like a large waste of resource out there, and it would be great to see this captured for folding use.

[sortofageek]

Welcome to FoldingForum.org. I'm glad to see you made it through the captcha phase.

This forum has a focus on members helping members with existing folding clients. Suggestions like yours should really be posed on the Folding@home subreddit. Pande Group members do monitor that subreddit. It's really the only place to make sure your suggestions are heard by them and you may find similar suggestions already registered there.

See the announcement here.

[Joe_H]

Please see the next to last post in this topic - viewtopic.php?f=83&t=27861. Up until now there was an issue with the OpenCL implementation in OS X that kept the OpenMM code that the GPU folding cores based on OpenCL from working properly. Potentially PG can now create cores that will work. They would have to see it as being worth the time needed to write, test and start up assignments to OS X client GPU's.

I would repeat the suggestion of bringing this up on the reddit page.

One final note, even with the OpenCL fix, GPU folding on OS X is probably only going to be possible on systems with discrete GPU's. The integrated GPU's of the Intel CPU's so far have not been usable on Windows or Linux, and OS X will not be any different there.

[cam4949]

Thank you for answering. Interestingly only one of the MACs I own has an integrated GPU - the others are discrete, which is what prompted the question.

I remain hopeful that some effort can be put in to sorting this out. I'm keen to 'donate' the GPU resource as well as CPU.

Cheers

[bruce]

There has been no announcement (and I have no more information than you do) but you can visit GPUs.txt and see which GPUs are supported/unsupported for WIndows and Linux. That might give you a clue as to the support/nonsupport potential for your GPU. (":::" = no support; Digits between the colons indicate current Win/Lin support.)