Looking to Build a folding rig

[zephyrspark]

Hi Everyone,
I've recently had my interest reignited for folding@home, and after reading a few boards and seeing the results of the gpu client (on a laptop machine no less) vs my home PC I decided I wanted to build a dedicated GPU folding box to help the cause ( and my teams points ^^;)

I've built a few computers and have a modicum of experience in the assembly process however these have only been rigs for gaming or hosting (minecraft specifically) and from what I've read, good gaming cards don't always translate to good folding performance.

My budget would be in the range 1000-1200 USD for start up, and I would like to eventually be able to expand to 4-6 GFX cards motherboard permitting(to buy at a later date) Ones that have multiple GPUs are a plus.
I would prefer to use an Intel CPU chip if possible, call me a stick up butI'm just a fan of Intel.
The OS I would probably use is Win7 as my linux skills arent up to par yet, Ive read there are some issues with 64 bit?, Should I go with 32?

Its one of my fears that I would buy cards that ultimately arent supported and have to return them and start over.
Could someone point me to an existing post or information, or perhaps even recommend a GFX card that does work?
Any other Hardware configurations and or advice would be humbly appreciated.

Regards,
-Josh

[Jesse_V]

Welcome to the forum zephyrspark!

Here are some of my ideas, though you should look up on them and decide for yourself. My desktop has an i7-2600K which is overclocked and runs very stable at 4.3 GHz. It has a 560TI graphics card. I would recommend both of these because they, IMO, are relatively new technologies but not so new that they're overpriced and unsupported. The 560TI pulls in about 16k PPD or so, while the 2600K should do about 30k or there abouts. I hear the i7-2700K is pretty good too, and can overclock even further if you're into that kind of thing. May I also recommend that your GPU has two fans. At least on the twin-fan card that I have, it runs exceptionally quiet and very cool even at full throttle. I have the GIGABYTE GV-N560UD-1G, which apparently Newegg discontinued for some reason.

EDIT: Its also worth noting that I have the Corsair Carbide Series 500R case, which is a bit large and a bit on the expensive side, but I'm very pleased with its cooling abilities and how easy it was to set things up. I even fit an H80 watercooler in there! My stuff is powered by a 750 watt KINGWIN LZP-750.

I have no experience with dual-GPU setups but I hear that they should be pretty straightforward, especially with the V7 client. I'm not sure how much it would matter, but I'd think that if your GPUs were the same then you'd have a pretty easy time there. Performance should scale pretty well from what I've heard.

That'ssss a very niccce computer you've got there....

[Nathan_P]

Welcome aboard,

Its no different building a folding rig to a gaming machine,you may just be adding more fans and gpu's than you would normally

Its been a while since i gpu folded but here are a few tips.

GTX 460, 550-590 are the best in terms of PPD, if you are looking for dual gpu cards i believe you are limited to EVGa's 460 and 560 2 win and any 590 card.
What ever cpu you choose, either lga 1366 or 1155, consider adding the cpu to your folding efforts
Cooling such a machine will not be easy - you will either need a massive case or run the rig at least partially open, a cheapo ATX case will not cut it here for an enclosed machine.
PSU wise look for a quality one (Seasonic, Corsair, Enermax etc),80% gold or platinum rated and capable of supplying ~1100w (corasir ax 1200 would be an excellent choice). If you skimp here you will end up regretting it, a psu that fails may take more than just itself with it.
Memory - 4gb will bemore than enough for a dedicated folding box.

Hope this helps