Folding Forum

Hello!

I want to start folding, specifically because of the way cancer affects my workplace and social circle. I lost yet another friend and co-worker the day after Christmas.

I folded on-and-off many years ago (2005ish?), but I now have more of a financial ability to contribute a dedicated rig. Google brought up threads talking about hardware recommendations, but most results are from outdated (2014-2016). I'm hoping some of you can help with advice/recommendations based on today's hardware and pricing.

I have an older headless home server that runs 24/7 anyway. I'd like to upgrade the server to fold while it's running.

I think I'll essentially have to start from scratch, because of the current home server specs:
- PentiumD 2.8GHz
- Motherboard: MSI P4N SLI
- 2 GB RAM
- HDD
- Debian
- 500W Power Supply (APEVIA WIN-500XSPX)
- Antec Three Hundred mid-ATX case

I'd like to re-use my HDDs, the Case, and the PSU if possible.

This is what I'd like to be able to do:
- Start with one GPU (GTX 1080 TI)
- Ability to have 2 or maybe 3 GPUs
- Ability to continue running my VERY basic home server needs

I read that each GPU needs a CPU thread. I'm looking for recommendations for the most cost-effective CPU and motherboard combinations that will allow me to hit the points on my list (most importantly multi-GPU folding). I'm also looking for thoughts on whether the PSU is good enough for now, or whether it needs to be changed immediately.

Thanks everyone. I'm really looking forward to starting. I think this is the most direct and immediate way I can contribute to the fight.

UPDATE: I'm considering this setup:
- CPU: i3-8100 3.6GHz Coffee Lake (4 cores, 4 threads) (Seems like a great choice based on some reviews I've read)
- MOBO: MSI Z370-A PRO (Two PCIEx16, Four PCIEx1)
- GPU: One GTX 1080 TI to begin
- RAM: 8GB DDR4-3000 to begin

Is this inline with where I need to be for folding?

What else do you plan to do with it?

Those options are reasonable, but FAH would be happy to use it -- less (or more) depending on your budget.

The official stance of FAH's management is that you should buy a system that fits your OTHER needs and FAH will make use of whatever you choose to donate. That made sense in the early days when CPU folding was all there was and they've never changed that policy. Many, probably including yourself, want advice on a (semi-)dedicated system.

Adding more RAM isn't important to FAH, but the other (primary?) uses might dictate that upgrade.

What's your plan for the eventually fully-outfitted system?
> Probably a second 1080Ti (or later) for the other x16 slot . Risers for two of the 1x slots will probably unusable when they're obstructed by 2-slot GPUs.
> Get a P/S that's efficient for the fully-outfitted system.

The old 500W PSU may not work. What is its 12V capacity, since that is what the PCI and GPU will require?

That MoBo will only handle 2 GPUs. Make sure there's enough room between the x16 slots for double-slot (or wider) GPUs.

Ensure you have enough cooling airflow to handle the heat. You'll need at least 2 x 120mm intake fans, plus exhaust to [almost] match. Exhaust capacity can be a bit less than intake capacity. With 2 x 1080ti, you may need 2 x 140mm or 3 x 120mm intake...

Thanks for the quick replies!

Planned usage is to replace my headless home server (file server/NAS), and add folding capability to it (since it has been running 24/7 for years anyway).

I found the same info that the current PSU will not likely be enough. So, I'm looking at the "Corsair CS Modular CS750M 750Watt 80 PLUS Gold Certified Power Supply" to fix that problem. I got a total of 675W and Recommended PSU size of 725w for my server/folding setup: One i3-8100, Two GTX 1080 TI, 8GB DDR4-3000, 3 120mm Fans, 3 SATA 7.5k drives. I should be able to add even more fans if needed.

RE: Risers and lack of space... Do you have another motherboard recommendation in place? I didn't consider the riser issue.

FYI the other board I was considering was the GIGABYTE Z370 HD3. It is the same price, but has three PCIE 16x slots. The difference is that only one slot runs at 16x, and the other two are at 4x.

The question then becomes is 4x a bottleneck for folding on a GTX 1080 ti... And I don't know the answer to that question nor have I been able to find one (most reviews/benchmarks are for gaming)

Just a heads up as you plan your system. You're going to find that the supply of 1080 and 1080 ti cards is very tight right now due to demand from crypto miners. Cards are available, but you may need to pay well over msrp if you are looking to get one on short notice.

pcie x4 is bottlenecking those fast GPUs on Windows but on Linux it would be OK.

If bitcoin price goes down even more then miners could sell used gtx 1080ti for a lower price. And new GPUs prices get lower too.
(Nvidia already prepares the next gtx 1180 for release in summer this is why there is no increase in gtx 1080 production anymore.)

@Nert, thanks man. I had my mind set on a Zotac GTX 1080 ti for CAD$1100+tax ($885 USD+tax), but it was gone by the time I could get there. Even called ahead, but there is a "no hold" policy on video cards. Ah well, there'll be others.

@Foldy, thanks for the advice. I'll be running it headless on Linux.

For used cards, I've seen some 1050s, 1060s 1070s, around here for a couple bucks less than new but not much. The 1070 TI's and 1080 TI's are asking more than new

I can still get the rest of the system built and ready for when I find a card.

I recently got a 1050ti on sale. I suspect they're WAY too low-power for miners...

You should probably count on a max of 2 1080s in a 'normal' system. At 180W each (250 for the 1080ti), they'll emit a LOT of heat. Trying to find a MoBo/CPU combination at a reasonable price that will support 3 GPUs at x8 will also be an issue. Not to mention, you'll not want to spend time troubleshooting a headless server very often...

jrweiss wrote:You should probably count on a max of 2 1080s in a 'normal' system. At 180W each (250 for the 1080ti), they'll emit a LOT of heat.

I think you're right. I'll stick with 2 GPUs for the build then. In which case, the original MSI mobo will do fine.

Leaving it at 2 GPUs also leaves free some cores for other home server tasks.

Any other input or alternative suggestions on the hardware choices?

I recently got a 1050ti on sale. I suspect they're WAY too low-power for miners...

True, but it will fold. I recently got a half-height 1050Ti for a small form-factor PC. It runs on slot power without additional power connections and doesn't put out too much heat. Even something like that would get you started until you find an affordable 1080Ti. If you've got some old GPUs in your junk-bin they're likely to work temporarily,

... you'll not want to spend time troubleshooting a headless server very often...

Once you've got a GPU in it, i won't be a headless system any more, even if you only plug in the mouse/keyboard/monitor occasionally.

By the way, if you have a choice of buying the same GPU with different VRAM sizes, choose the smaller. That saves power and heat on a resource that's not going to be used much.

Yes, the 1050ti Folds around 200K PPD, about twice what the RX460 (same power & price point) Folds. You can get a 1050 or 1050ti without an extra power connector, but I opted for one that has one. Some reviews indicate throttling when the PCIe power limit is reached, which could well happen while Folding. Mine also has dual fans (MSI Twin Frozr), but they run nominally and all but inaudible at 36% and 66C while Folding.

An alternative for using more than 2 GPUs would be an open case like that

@Foldy Yup down the road I may go the open case route. I have a lathe, milling machine, welding tools, riveters etc all set up in the garage already so I could do something neat.

As a point of interest/discussion: Yesterday I got my hands on a GTX 1060 (CAD$300 / USD$240). I am waiting for the new system components to come in, so I decided to install the GTX 1060 into the existing server for shits and giggles.

Upgraded from Debian 7 to Debian 9. Installed the Debian nVidia drivers. Installed openCL--took me a while to figure out why I was getting errors; dependencies aren't installed automatically.

Anyway, I digress.

Point is this. The GTX 1060 is cranking out 309,380 PPD in the existing server (PentiumD 820 2.8GHz / 2GB RAM / P4N SLI motherboard). The GPU PPD Database reports a high of 377,446 PPD for the GTX 1060.



That's about an 18% difference. We can't be sure whether it is caused by a CPU bottleneck, a different driver, GPU manufacturer versions, or overclocking. I'd lean towards the latter two.

All this to say, I am still going to upgrade my system.

Though if you consider the cost of new hardware vs energy efficiency, it's a not a bad option to first try adding a modern card to an old system. You can buy a lot of electricity for $500.

Anyway, thought you guys might find that interesting. I'm certainly no longer concerned whether the i3-8100 can handle multiple GPUs