64k version of folding program

[ivanx]

Is Folding@home ever going to write a 64k version of the program? I have been using 64k versions of Windows for over five years now.

[bruce]

I think you mean 64-bit, not 64k. In simple terms, the FAH software already uses a mixture of 32-bit and 64-bit code.

For systems which are limited to 32-bit, FAH can limit itself to 32-bit, but for systems which have 64-bit support, it uses those capabilities when appropriate.. Some FAH components like the graphics program FAHControl and the background agent FAHClient both run in 32-bit. There would be no advantage to having a 64-bit variant of the same programs. For the analysis code, there are significant advantages to being able to run in 64-bit mode and FAH uses them.

At the time a Work Unit is assigned, FAHClient reports the capabilities of your system (including the bit-ness of your OS, the amount of RAM, the type of CPU, etc.) to the Assignment Server. Projects are then assigned based on the capabilities of your system. If the analysis of that Work Unit can take advantage of a 64-bit version of a FahCore, that analysis program is invoked for that particular assignment.

[ivanx]

Running the program in pure 64 bit should make the program run better than running it both 32 bit and 64 bit. I found out that Microsoft still supports both modes is because it knows that most programmers out there only did what they could to make the old 32 bit programs work in 64 bit mode. No 32 bit program only will run in 64 bit windows (ie: winfax 10). Therefore can the next version of the program be more 64 bit and less 32 bit?

[davidcoton]

The increase in performance by running everything in 64bit is not worth the cost of maintaining both 64bit and 32bit versions. All the critical stuff runs 64bit when possible. There is no great performance hit when running non-performance critical code in 32bit mode.

[Joe_H]

Running the program in pure 64 bit should make the program run better than running it both 32 bit and 64 bit. I found out that Microsoft still supports both modes is because it knows that most programmers out there only did what they could to make the old 32 bit programs work in 64 bit mode. No 32 bit program only will run in 64 bit windows (ie: winfax 10). Therefore can the next version of the program be more 64 bit and less 32 bit?

Actually there is little to no performance benefit in most cases for running in 64-bit mode if the the program does not need or make use of the added resources provided by 64-bit code. In the case of the folding client, FAHClient and FAHControl do not need those resources.

Where the actual work of folding is done, the folding cores, those are available in 64-bit. The extra memory and registers available in 64-bit processing does provide a benefit.