Folding Forum

Total Score: 1,253,887,041
Total WU's: 208,440
Current Rank (Overall): 603 of 2,713,659
Current Rank (Team): 3

Years Folding: 11 years, 2 months, 6 days (started in 2009-04-03)
There were few weeks over the years where I couldn't fold due to technical issues. I always ensured that if something that I own can fold, it folds.

Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs? Nope, always systems which I use daily and they run 24/7.
Have plans to make a dedicated system if life permits.
CPU Folding: Intel Pentium E5400 -> Intel Pentium E5500 -> Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 -> Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 ->Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 -> Intel i3-3240 -> Intel Core i7-3840QM -> Intel Core i7-860 -> Intel Core i7-6700K
GPU Folding: Nvidia 8800GTS 320 MB -> Nvidia 9500M GS -> Nvidia 9600GT 1 GB OC -> Nvidia GTX 260 896 MB SOC-> Nvidia GTX 650 SC -> Nvidia GTX 660 Ti -> Nvidia GTX 675M -> 2x Nvidia GTX 1070 -> Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti

Approximate cost per year in gear and electricity? I don't keep track of spending on PC parts... it's scary I am lucky to never have to pay electricity costs separately, it was always bundled with utilities so was a flat rate.


When I got into folding, I had 128 Kbit/s ADSL internet and had to babysit WUs being uploaded as the internet connection wasn't a stable one... took minutes to upload 1 MB file on a good day while bad days would require manually retrying to upload those "large" files

JimboPalmer wrote:I would hope your take away is that I consistently helped a little bit.
Total Points 578,693,156
Total WUs 162,233
Current Rank 1,376 (sinking, I think my high point was 1,310 in March)
First WU 02.03.09
Folding rigs 7 laptops with old Intel CPU, 3 Desktops with mid range Nvidia, GTX 1060, GTX 1650 (new for COVID-19) GTX 1050 ti, all 24/7
I do not track cost.

The laptops have other uses, three are ticketing at a community theater 20 days a year, 2 are score keeping completion BBQ abut 10 days a year. (COVID-19 impacts both, this year)

https://greenwoodlittletheatre.com/
https://www.memphisbbqnetwork.com/

I've always appreciated your approach of just keeping that older hardware running. And I don't know where I can personally draw a line, but I know I consider your contribution more than "helped a little bit".

bruce wrote:18 years ago when both FAH an I were much younger, we used to earn 1 point to fold a beta hairpin. Due to inflation, those early WUs are now REALLY insignificant. How is your graph going to take into account the rate of points inflation?

Sure, the hardware was a lot slower and I don't remember how many hours of computer time it took to earn that one point, but its not something your statistics will show.

I wish I could figure out a way to account for points inflation and those that fold without a passkey, but sadly I don't think it is possible. I'm sure there are folders in both categories that have contributed a lot over the years. I know when checking out some WU returns one day I found a folder with seemingly really powerful hardware that apparently folds for base points.




And for everyone remembering those old WU's, I too remember uploading my first completed WU via my second tier modem. Things were so slow that it took a lot of computer crunching before that modem had a need to connect. I wish I would have stuck with it long term that first time around, and appreciate those of you who have done this for the long haul.

Strangely, I don't remember points at all.

You can find a lot of data on https://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/

Myself, I started CPU folding in 2005-2006.
Stopped for many years, but started again a few years back.
Max rig was 5x RTX 2080Tis, split over 3 systems.

Fun thread.

Total score: ~60M
Total WU's: 5552
Current Rank: 12,052
Current Rang (Team): 29

Years folding: I started (I think) in 2001 with a Compaq laptop and my desktop PC with an AMD 1900+. By the time 2003 rolled around, my laptop battery was degraded to 10 minutes of power from leaving it on all the time, and in trying to increase my points I popped my desktop CPU open by increasing the multiplier one too many. I swore off folding for a long time. Also I should mention that team member 1920x1080i--How?? was one of the top folders (if not THE top) back then.

In March this year, my new good friend DarkFoss posted an advertisement in our team's forum to fold for the coronavirus and I decided to give it another try. Before I started anew, I had about 4200 WUs and 90,000 points. Imagine my amazement when my first GPU work unit had a base credit of 9405 and increased my score by 10% in four hours' time. And then imagine my amazement when three weeks later someone told me about bonus points. My two years of near-continuous folding meaning nearly nothing is a great metaphor for how primitive computing was back then compared to now. However, a part of me does wish that bonus points did not exist. But it keeps the market up for high end hardware, which I like.

Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs? I have a gaming laptop producing about 400k PPD. It's not going to do this indefinitely - battery technology is better (it won't charge until it drains below 90%, unlike my Compaq that seemed to be constantly trickle charging) but I know that its innards are degrading while dust is building, and I'm not the type to take something apart because it usually doesn't go back together. My big rig folds about 12 -20/7. It has stability issues but if left going and no crashing 24/7, would get about 1.3M PPD. In reality it averages about 700k PPD.

Approximate cost per year in gear and electricity?
At 11 cents per kWh, first time I've done the math on this... Assuming 250 watts on the laptop, knowing 500 on the desktop, $723/year if 24/7.

Total Points about 7 million, spread over multiple accounts
Total WU's +- 4500

Years folding: I discovered Folding@Home on my PlayStation 3. At first I only ran a few WUs. However, in 2009 someone close to me got cancer and it got me thinking about the project again. Back then my parents didn't like the noise the fans on our PC made so I only had a unicore client installed there.

In 2012 the PS3 client was shut down. I kept folding for a time using the unicore client, never getting any bonus points. Sometimes I switched to Rosetta, and I shamefully have to admit that the last few years I stopped folding, I don't really have an exact reason for it.

I came back in march because of COVID 19. Unfortunately my GPU is not supported so I'm limited to CPU folding.

Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs? No, my PC folds during the day but I put it off at night.

Total score: 98,500,000
Total WU's: 3900
Current Rank: 7200


Years folding: < 2yrs
First record - 01.17.16, for about 1yr 5mo? (interesting to note on 03.14.20 rank was 22700, 10,150,000 pts, 1415 WU)
Sec record - 03.15.20 to present

Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs?
yes, unless it's a hot day, or as long as my cloud credits will last me.

Approximate cost per year in gear and electricity?
$20/ mo for folding electricity?
~ $800 in 2015 for a one time cost
~ $300 in 2019 for a one time cost
I only looked at 1 month, April 2020 compared to April of 2019 where the difference was the addition of 2 optiplex folding rigs for ~300k ppd

Total score 105,225,949
Total WU's 2566
Current Rank 6787

Years folding Started March 2020
Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs? Yes Had 2 folding until June 1 Shut one down to much heat being generated
Approximate cost per year in gear and electricity? Calculated Electricity Cost $236 per year

MeeLee wrote:You can find a lot of data on https://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/

Myself, I started CPU folding in 2005-2006.
Stopped for many years, but started again a few years back.
Max rig was 5x RTX 2080Tis, split over 3 systems.

Just an update on how much F@H has changed since I posted this thread.

As a lowly iGPU folder, I was already shocked when I was climbing up the ladder during peak COVID participation times. As suspected, as you climb the climb slows, no big shock there.

But I'm still amazed that as hardware improves, it seems that so many people quit folding completely, and there are so many inactive folders. While some of this might be due to the people that are competitive and at some point throw in the towel when they reach time/budget/interest restraints, part of me also wonders how many leave due to equipment just becoming obsolete and unable to fold and meet deadlines/timeouts. As someone that might be nearing the latter group, I wonder if F@H is ever hurting itself long term in the way they progress? Not that I begrudge in any way, shape, or form those that invest in newer gear. They carry the majority of the current load and throughput obviously.

Anyway, just a thought. And once again appreciation for those that keep investing long term in folding, whether it be putting a lot of machines to work, or investing more money and resources into a single machine.





On another note, and simply curiosity.... what is the most client any one person here has running? I know quite a few people run several machines. This question was raised in my mind when I see individual user stats with huge numbers of clients, and I have to wonder if they actually run that many systems/servers/whatever.... and who is essentially a team but listed as individuals. Not that it matters much to me, but I know some of you guys run a lot of hardware.

BobWilliams757 wrote:On another note, and simply curiosity.... what is the most client any one person here has running? I know quite a few people run several machines. This question was raised in my mind when I see individual user stats with huge numbers of clients, and I have to wonder if they actually run that many systems/servers/whatever.... and who is essentially a team but listed as individuals. Not that it matters much to me, but I know some of you guys run a lot of hardware.

That is quite a question, and hard to answer without a lot of qualifications. I only have 2 system running currently for about 110k PPD from CPU folding only as I run OS X. But 2 people on my team are generating much more points. One has over 40 systems running, all doing CPU work, and getting about 2.5M PPD. How is one individual doing that? Well from posts of his years ago in the forum where our team originated I learned he was running a computer business and keeps F@h running on many of the machines there Would you count that as a team by itself or as an individual that just happens to have access to greater computing resources.

The other person on my team has a single PC running a CPU slot and a GPU slot with an apparent high end card, about 4.5 PPD. Definitely an individual folder.

You can find people from both types, those with just 1 or 2 machines and those with access to many. There are also organization teams/usernames that get in there. Some are easy to tell and others not. At least several corporate usernames/teams have shown up over the years using F@h to stress test new server setups. Some only fold once during a period after the servers are installed, others periodically have come back as their setups changed or new server farms were added.

I am currently running two desktops, and an older laptop.

The laptop is an older 2009 Alienware M17 laptop, which is running CPU* WU's only. This will be scrapped within the next 4-6 months, as replacement CPU/GPU fans (and display parts) are hard to find. Also, it's a pain to keep track of the multiple screws for it, if I had to work on it for preventative maintenance.

[edit: I said GPU WU's earlier. That was not correct, as the GPU's are not supported for folding.]

Desktop 1, is a hand assembled system with a quad-core Ryzen 3. It is currently running one CPU task (using 2 cores/2 threads). As I have 2 GPU slots (an AMD Vega 8 iGPU; and an EVGA GT 1030). The GT 1030 will be pulled when I can afford to upgrade the CPU to a 5950X, the PSU to a Corsair RM 850x, and the discrete GPU to an RTX 3090.

Desktop 2, is a hand assembled system with a 16-core/32-thread Ryzen 9 3950X; an MSI GTX 1050ti; and a Zotac GTX 1650 Super. I'm looking at adding an RTX 3090 to this system, scrapping the Zotac GTX 1650 Super (it needs new fans--which are a pain to get a reliable US source to purchase them from), and replacing the case so I can move that MSI GTX 1050ti over to the other PCIe 16x length slot. 15 cores/30 threads are set up for running a single CPU slot.

I'm not planning on building new systems, or doing upgrades till I have disposable income to spend on the parts... I'm still paying on a loan for my sister's burial from February 2021.

Paul

Very large systems with multiple GPUs have happened in several generations, more recently with repurposed mining rigs but 12 years or so ago people also had rigs with 4 GPUs on extended ATX motherboards. In 2009-11 I ran 4 x systems 3 with 4 GPUs in each and 1 with 3. GPUs were simpler and cheaper and no chip shortage then. Also you could run CPU and GPU at the same time with little impact, so at some point I built a AMD Phenom quad cpu rig with 4 x GT9800 gpus (at the time all gpus had to be matched to work). This operated 4 x GPU units and 2 x SMP (multi core cpu units) on a VPN. This very powerful single unit could generate (on a good day) almost 20kppd. Later I built a 4 x GTX260 system with two power supplies in tandem. These days this degree of processing power is easily exceeded with a single off the shelf mid level video card and I do not bother with this kind of thing, the last true multi gpu system I built was 6 years ago with 3 gpus a gtx 790, 890 and 980ti cards running on a test bench. Nowadays I run only 2 systems which look much more like high end gaming systems and in fact one of them the older one is used for gaming.

Total score: 1309941767
Total WU's: 20473
Current Rank: FAH: 1407 of 2896102. EOC: 1386 of 1730296
Years folding: 1.5 (since March 13th 2020) (e: 13th, not 15th)
Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs? Not anymore, but I used to experiment with cloud folding (vast.ai, and IBM cloud) in the summer of 2020. I now only fold on my work and gaming PCs.
Approximate cost per year in gear and electricity? Heating and wear only now. If I average what I spent on cloud folding and excess electricity in 2020, it's about $260 per year.

MeeLee wrote:You can find a lot of this information on extremeoverclocking.com/

Yes, but that site is biased towards the top folders. Teams and individuals with less contributions don't get picked up by that site.

Total score: 1,868,957,105
Total WU's: 97,305
Current Rank: EOC: 881 of 1730296
Years folding: 11.29.2007
Do you have dedicated 24/7 folding rigs? Yes, 3 desktops (that double as engineering and backup servers,) and one laptop (that should really be re-cycled.)
Approximate cost per year in gear and electricity? Heating and wear on the machines only now. Electricity in 2020, about $425 per year.
*
*Re: Spending on gear -- who on earth can afford a new GPU board these days..?

Score: Fast approaching 1.6 Billion (yes, with a B)
Work units: Roughly 16K
Rank: Yes, don't come too close unless you're wearing a gasmask or breathing apparatus, none of your N95 stuff here. Currently 1,062 (for a few weeks there I added a GTX 1080Ti in a push to get sub 1K but stopped as my rigs were producing too much heat)
See signature image for current stats.

Joined: Right after Linus Tech Tips' FAH server build went out. I'm surprised I'm still here.
Dedicated rigs: Ryzen 9 3900X, RTX 2070 SUPER. While technically this is an upgraded gaming rig I actually have other systems I can game on.
Other rigs: I sometimes experiment with other graphics cards, processors, laptops I have. After seeing some recent threads on Raspberry PIs I might dabble with that, having a small stack of 3Bs sitting.

Comments: I wish the FAH client had a testing/benchmarking mode where it could feed your system a few well worn work units, which do not contribute to any ongoing projects, to help shake your system down. Few things stress your system like FAH.

I am a bit peeved when my weak systems, cpu or gpu, get a big work unit that times out, I had one time out at 97%. or when my 3080 Ti which can do 5-8M/day gets a series of little work units doing 1M/day. It would nice to have some mechanism to distribute work according to capability, even this has to be done manually.
I have 1 x 3080 Ti, 1 x 3070, 2 x 2080 Supers, one 2060 Super(?) 1 Quadro M6000 (1M/day), 1 P2000, 1 RX 5600, 1 RX 5500, 1 RX570 and 2 RX 460.
The RX 3070 was bought in a Dell G5 (garbage system, but only way to get RX 3070). The 3080 Ti came Newegg Shuffle. The 2080 Super were bought before the crunch. All of this combines for 20M/day.