Folding Forum

Hello, is there any way to limit the GPU usage to some %? Currently I can only fold with 100% GPU usage. This is pretty inconvenient, I want to fold while I work but I need my CPU so I thought I could fold with the GPU while working. The problem is that the GPU at 100% usage its very loud and generates a lot of heat.

Basically, I would like to limit the GPU usage % so I can fold while also working on my PC.

Thanks.

Got same issue.
Fix it with overclocking software from gpu vendor's site. Slight downclocking wanish that noise.

Welcome to Folding@Home!

The driver software for the Graphics Card would need to resemble a multitasking Operating System, to have Priorities. Since the major users (Gamers) of Graphics cards have no desire to share or slow their card, Nvidia and AMD have no 'market' for a driver that can slow down Graphics in software.

raven562's idea to slow down the hardware, is your best bet.

Both AMD and Nvidia have been kind to F@H, you have to admit we do not make a large portion of their market.

BTW, Windows, Mac and Linux are multitasking OSs, and F@H defaults to low priority, so in most cases it does not slow other work on your CPU. Very rarely, a lack of RAM, heavy Graphics use, or a slow drive can slow other work, but mostly F@H gets out of the way on CPUs.

So far, no one makes a multitasking OS for GPUs, and there really is very little demand for one. But I want one for Folding.

I use MSI Afterburner to limit power usage of GPU which makes it silent again.

Hi!

I also want a way to limit the GPU% used for folding, but not the GPU's total power.
Essentially, I want to be able to game on my PC while also folding, without folding impacting my gaming.

Ideally, it would automatically use a lower GPU% that I set while I'm "working", then switch to a different Idle setting when I'm not using the PC.
If anyone has figured out a way to do that, please share

On linux I set the power limit to 125w (down from 175w) of my 2060 super using nvidia-smi:
that way it keeps its temperatures low enough to be silent.

It would be great to have another way to avoid stuttering on desktop usage while using OpenCL, but I haven't found one.

Fotis_RT wrote:Hi!

I also want a way to limit the GPU% used for folding, but not the GPU's total power.
Essentially, I want to be able to game on my PC while also folding, without folding impacting my gaming.

Ideally, it would automatically use a lower GPU% that I set while I'm "working", then switch to a different Idle setting when I'm not using the PC.
If anyone has figured out a way to do that, please share

As stated above by JimboPalmer, the GPUs doesn't have a scheduler like CPUs have. It means that there's not way to manager priorities or limit what is processed by the GPU.

In you situation, he best is to manually pause the GPU slot before launching a game, and then resume it when you're done gaming.

terrabusi wrote:Hello, is there any way to limit the GPU usage to some %? Currently I can only fold with 100% GPU usage. This is pretty inconvenient, I want to fold while I work but I need my CPU so I thought I could fold with the GPU while working. The problem is that the GPU at 100% usage its very loud and generates a lot of heat.

Basically, I would like to limit the GPU usage % so I can fold while also working on my PC.

Thanks.

you can try this to limit usage https://github.com/FoldingAtHome/fah-is ... -601378794

toTOW wrote: As stated above by JimboPalmer, the GPUs doesn't have a scheduler like CPUs have. It means that there's not way to manager priorities or limit what is processed by the GPU.

You're wrong. It's really possible to limit GPU usages and games do that very easy.
It's just like PWM. It's enough to alternate short periods of load and short periods without load.

Fully load the GPU for 1 ms. And then pause for 2 ms. Then full load again for 1 ms. And so on. It will give you 30% GPU usage.

There are topics on this forum with this idea at least since 2017.

For example, I'd like to contribute. But I have rather loud GPU. So I can't contribute with 100% GPU usage. Even setting lower frequency for GPU.

babay wrote:You're wrong. It's really possible to limit GPU usages and games do that very easy.
It's just like PWM. It's enough to alternate short periods of load and short periods without load.

Yes, you can do it that way and the constant cycling is worse for the GPU than running it at a steady load.

Now, what most people are actually doing is use an utility such as Afterburner to set power and/or temperature limits. That works by reducing the clock to run the GPU at a slower speed.

Nobody has found a realistic method of Folding while Gaming. The only option we have is configureing the FAH GPU slot to run while idle. When you fall asleep and drop the joystick (or mouse or whatever) your OS will detect that you're no longer using the and signal that any screensaver that's waiting to run can take over. FAH doesn't really use a screensaver, but FAHClient can accept that signal that it's okay to let FAHCore_22 go back to work. Later, when you wake up the computer, FAHCore_22 will enter the paused state.

Under ideal conditions, those transitions will only happen a couple times per day. It's phenomenally better than the 1ms/2ms transitions suggested above.

Gustavo wrote: ... avoid stuttering on desktop usage while using OpenCL ...

To me, this is the crucial point to keep up folding during the whole day while working.

E.g., typing 10-fingers quickly, it is absolutely irritating if my XEON-based WS can't keep up the keyboard etc. pp.