Installation on Mac OS X Yosemite: can't keep fan silent

[wladston]

Hello,

I've just installed the latest folding@home client for Mac OS X Yosemite. I have a Macbook Pro. The problem is, even if I set the folding speed to "light", it will trigger the computer's fan and the noise is a bit annoying, so I had to shut it down.

I looked everywhere and found no way to configure the client to reduce CPU usage a bit, in order to avoid using the fan. This is specially important at night when I go to sleep, at those times I can't have any noise. Usually the computer remains on during the night without activating the fan, but with folding@home client, the fan will be always on.

If there is a way to fine-tune the Mac OS client not to use so many CPU power, I'll be happy to keep it on for years to come.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

[bruce]

The options for fine-tuning the power usage (and therefore the need tof the cooling fan) are limited and depend on which CPU you have. If your CPU is, say a Quad, you can set FAH to fold on 1,2,3, or 4 CPUs or it can be suspended entirely. LIGHT uses 50% of your CPUs.

[wladston]

My CPU is a quad (2 cores with HT). Light makes the fan constantly spin. If I could instruct it never to use, say, 25% of the CPU, the fan would probably not activate and I could leave it always on. Isn't there a way to do this?

[bruce]

Yes, it can be done ... using FAHControl.

Select Configure + Slots + pick the CPU slot (probably the only one you have) + Edit.
In the CPU section, change the -1 to 1.
File/Save a few times.

The current WU should continue until it's finished.

There are limited numbers of WUs that will run on a single CPU so from time to time, you'll get assignments or maybe it'll just fail and retry. If somebody posts that those projects are empty, we'll try to get someone to add some more WUs.

[wladston]

Hey Bruce, thanks for the answer. Did that, and the folding app is running using much less resources. The computer is running at 69 degrees Celsius, and fan is currently spinning at 2566 rpm. It's day time in Brazil, so I have no idea if at night this rotation speed of the fan is going generate noise levels above 25 dB. Will report back.

[wladston]

I have a feeling that if the folding process was allowed to use all four cores, but no more than a giving percentage of total CPU, it would manage to run cooler and faster than when using 100% CPU on one of the cores.

[7im]

With only 2 CPU cores, the options are 100% (both cores), 50% (one core) or 0%. The HT threads don't really count in this example in regards to the heat generated.

If you want to include HT, the core calculations for FAH are:
4 - 100% (2 cores, 2 HT)
3 - 100 % (2 cores, 1 HT)
2 - 100% (2 cores)
1 - 50% (1 core)
0

[rwh202]

Have you tried using the Chrome client (folding.stanford.edu/nacl)?

On my MacBook Pro (4 cores / 8 threads) it will use 200% CPU (i.e. 1/4 of max) when set to light, but the console suggests that this is still spread across 8 threads. Is this similar to what you are hoping to achieve? If so, give it a go and compare temps / power / noise with the different approaches. It will be difficult to predict how things will behave because the tasks still might only be scheduled on a few cores to allow a higher boost frequency but worth a go.

[bruce]

I have a feeling that if the folding process was allowed to use all four cores, but no more than a giving percentage of total CPU, it would manage to run cooler and faster than when using 100% CPU on one of the cores.

When running on one core, it's NOT continuously running on the same core. The task will switch between the available cores, leaving the others idle. When running to two or more cores, utilization on all of them will go up.

If this were a case of a true quad, one core would be 25%, two cores would be 50%, etc. and the heat would be proportional. This case is HyperThreaded so computing the numbers is significantly more complicated, but one core is always less than two.

[Aaron3D]

Hi bruce,

I tried using Folding@Home recently and I'm having similar problems. My usually silent Mac Book Pro is relatively noisy when running the software, even with a low power setting and limiting the number of cores as you described. Even worse, my battery is draining while the notebook is pugged in. Yikes!

I'd love to see additional options for lowering the resources used of the program, so that it appears as a more normal usage of the CPU. As it is, I've stopped using it for now, but plan to try it again later on a tower PC. If you have any further, or future, suggestions on how to temper down processor usage, I would be happy to try it again on my notebook too. I like the idea of helping out by using my computers in this way, but the program seems too aggressive for my notebook to handle without negative consequences.

Thank you for your consideration. Hopefully things will work better on my tower PC.

Aaron3D

[toTOW]

If your battery is draining while AC power is plugged in, there is probably a serious issue with the AC power adapter : either is faulty/damaged or it is undersized for your hardware ...

[billford]

If your battery is draining while AC power is plugged in, there is probably a serious issue with the AC power adapter : either is faulty/damaged or it is undersized for your hardware ...

Not true for Macbooks... the power adaptor isn't intended to be capable of running the computer at full load.

It's for this reason that if you run one without a battery then it will drop down to about half speed.

eg here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5226810

and the second post here: http://apple.stackexchange.com/question ... t-ac-power

[toTOW]

Apple is definitely crap in my opinion : it's a PC with inflated price, and you can't even use it at full potential !

[billford]

Apple is definitely crap in my opinion : it's a PC with inflated price, and you can't even use it at full potential !

I like Macs, I've got a couple, but I'll concede they don't like running flat out 24/7 so they're not the best folding platforms.

[Joe_H]

If your battery is draining while AC power is plugged in, there is probably a serious issue with the AC power adapter : either is faulty/damaged or it is undersized for your hardware ...

Not true for Macbooks... the power adaptor isn't intended to be capable of running the computer at full load.

It's for this reason that if you run one without a battery then it will drop down to about half speed.

eg here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5226810

and the second post here: http://apple.stackexchange.com/question ... t-ac-power

As an answer that takes the sourced notes somewhat out of context. In actuality, it depends on which model MacBook or MacBook Pro is being used, most can run at full power without also drawing from the battery. I say this as I am currently posting from my MacBook that is also folding at full power.

The answer also depends on which power supply is being used. Some shipped with 85 W power supplies and will run okay on the smaller 60 W supplies that other models get. But under some usage levels they will need to draw from the battery to meet peak demands.

P.S. The battery is integrated into the MacBooks and MacBook Pros sold the last 5 years, so statements about dropping to half speed does not apply to those models.