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new to folding

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:09 am
by steamboat
hello all. not sure if this is the right place for this but i'm new and i don't know where to start (ish) so i figure this is as good as any. :D

a bit of backstory first. i just recently started folding, and i have v7.1.24 running on my main rig w/ 2x 6950's and an amd b55 processor. i also have a 9800gtx folding on gpu2. things are going relatively smoothly, minus my main rig hard locking every time i happen across flash (which i've endearingly started to call flashmines :evil: ).

my question though, is this. is there an updated list somewhere that shows the ppd/$ for all the current hardware? i've been searching for over an hour and the best i've found is almost 2 years old. i'd love to get another rig up and running, and i would like to get the best bang for the buck. i'm not really interested in buying a SB and quadfiring 580's, as the electric bill would put me in poverty, but i do want it to be respectable. i'm also not averse to buying multiples of the best value rig.

any help would be appreciated!

oh, and if you could tell me how to change my username to steamboat that'd be awesome too. been a long day :e?:

Re: new to folding

Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:22 pm
by dazz.
I did some research yesterday and this is what I found. Someone correct me if there's something wrong. Add 1K with O.C.

GTX460 ~ 10K PPD
GTX560 ~ 13K PPD
GTX480 ~ 14K PPD
GTX570 ~ 15K PPD
GTX580 ~ 17K PPD

Re: new to folding

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:13 am
by steamboat
that's kinda what i'm looking for. i'm more interested in the ppd/dollar upfront and costs from electricity.

for example, a gtx 460 uses x amount of watts and gets y ppd, so it's ppd/$ to run would be z. vs other cards to get an idea of the most efficient card to fold on, and then go from there with building a rig.

Re: new to folding

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:46 am
by dazz.
Well, prices can vary wildly depending on location and store. Best bang for the buck is probably the GTX560, but there's no way I can factor in prices not knowing where you live, and I don't really need to, it shouldn't take you too long to set a spreadsheet with your local prices, then google PPD figures and power consumption data for each card... you get the picture :D

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1533/17/

As for the CPU, what's your motherboard model exactly? if it supports X6 that would be a nice upgrade for F@H at a reasonable price. If it's an AM2+ board with a 95W TDP limit you may still be able to upgrade to an X4
Have you considered overclocking?

Re: new to folding

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:08 am
by steamboat
oh hey, that link is exactly what i need. shoulda thought about that :?

i'm thinking of buying another rig to dedicate to folding to free up my main when i'm using it. (the flash bug is really starting to annoy me). but my main is as follows:

CPU: AMD B55 currently 3.8, 4.1 stable once my case mod is over
Mobo: MSI 890FXA-GD70- 4 pcie slots and am3+support
Ram: 16g GSkill ddr3 1600 cas9
GPU: xfired shader unlocked 6950s currently 840 1325, 925/1400 stable once case mod is over
Client: F@H v7.1.24


i'm also folding on a 9800gtx in my backup rig.
my PPD is as follows:
6950's: ~15k
B55: ?
9800gtx:~6

i don't know what my CPUs PPD is because v7 isn't displaying it and i don't know how to calculate it manually.

Re: new to folding

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:38 am
by dazz.
oh, that's a nice board. That B55 is a Phenom II x2 right? if it is you could try unlocking 2 cores and get a quad for free :D your mobo should support it
Or you can always break the bank (well, sort of, it goes for some 170$) and get a 1055T and overclock it to 4GHz

Re: new to folding

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:32 pm
by gwildperson
steambaot wrote:i'm thinking of buying another rig to dedicate to folding to free up my main when i'm using it. (the flash bug is really starting to annoy me).
Buying another rig is a great idea, but I wouldn't use the flash bug as a rationalization. It will be fixed in a month or two with a new set of drivers.

Re: new to folding

Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:35 pm
by steamboat
i love this board, so glad i bought it instead of the crossfire IV.

B55 is what cpuz calls an unlocked 555 BE :) i was thinking of getting the 1055T but i think i'm going to hold out a little longer and get a bulldozer when they come out.
gwildperson wrote:
steambaot wrote:i'm thinking of buying another rig to dedicate to folding to free up my main when i'm using it. (the flash bug is really starting to annoy me).
Buying another rig is a great idea, but I wouldn't use the flash bug as a rationalization. It will be fixed in a month or two with a new set of drivers.
yeah it should be fixed shortly. there are a bunch of other reasons why i want to get another dedicated rig, the flash bug just happens to be the most annoying atm.

Re: new to folding

Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:21 pm
by Baowoulf
steambaot wrote:oh, and if you could tell me how to change my username to steamboat that'd be awesome too. been a long day :e?:
Besides making a new forum account you'd probably have to ask a forum/board mod about that, if someone already hasn't taken the name steamboat. Not sure if they do that or if they would just suggest making a new forum account.

Re: new to folding

Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 12:54 am
by PantherX
FYI, making duplicate accounts is against Forum rules. If you want to change your Forum username (please don't mix it with F@H Donor name in the F@H Client), then you may want to send a PM to an Administrator (bruce) and request him to perform the change for you.

Re: new to folding

Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 3:49 pm
by Epicmonkey
Steamboat, my Opinion is use the highest PPD, the GTX580, It's the most Powerful, But it's just My opinion, And welcome to F@h forums.