Is there a way to turn off GPU?

[Joe_H]

As I mentioned earlier, the CPU will be throttled to protect it from overheating. The things to check in your laptop are that all fans are working, and the air passages are free of dust and lint. With some laptops this can be as easy as blowing them out with air, others need to be opened up to adequately clean them out. Beyond that, dried out or improperly applied heat transfer paste or pads can keep the heat from transferring adequately from the CPU to the heat sink in the laptop. That would require disassembly and replacement of the paste or pad, and proper reassembly to get the CPU in the correct contact with the heat sink. These also apply to desktop cooling issues, laptops just have smaller fans, cooling passages and the like and are more easily blocked up.

Cooling of laptops is helped by raising them a bit off the surface they are resting on so air can also flow under them. If not using a stand, a couple bottle caps are enough to raise the laptop up. Most laptops are designed with adequate cooling to run at near maximum without problems, but maintenance is needed to keep that way.

[n_w95482]

If you are folding using both CPU cores and folding 24/7, then you should be getting closer to 2000 PPD. If you only fold a few hours a day, then 300 PPD is not bad. Just make sure you fold enough hours a day to make the deadlines.

This. My laptop is running a C2D T7600 (2.33 GHz) and usually does around 2000 PPD; sometimes down towards 1500, sometimes up towards 3000. It depends on the WU, of course. The GPU in it can't fold at all, so I just run the CPU full blast 24/7.

As for heat issues, undervolting the CPU can help significantly with that. I use RMClock on my laptop with good results. Unfortunately it doesn't work with newer hardware, but a Core 2 system has a good shot at working.

[Napoleon]

OK, from Core Temp I see an entry called frequency which I believe is my CPU clock. It is VERY low at 0.797 gigahertz. I have a 2.4 ghz Core2Duo so I am not sure why it is reading so low. Even when I shut down folding the frequency remains unchanged.

Anyone have any clue what is going on here?

Could be that some other part besides CPU is getting too hot. I've seen that happen with one (old) laptop of mine. CPU temps weren't that bad, but just about everything else was approaching meltdown during extended periods of heavy use. Whatever thermal protection feature it was, throttling the chipset/iGPU/motherboard when one of those got too hot, also throttled the CPU clock.

That laptop simply didn't have enough thermal headroom to run at advertised (stock) speeds for extended periods. Checking out the insides of that thingy was something approaching an Otto moment for me - "huh...huh...ok...ok...DISAPPOINTED!".

But I digress. Besides Core Temp, see if other utilities such as GPU-Z and Speccy can provide some further insight about temperatures. Also, you might be able to even adjust fan speed(s) with Speedfan.

Whichever program(s) you use, I'd recommend taking the various readings with a grain of salt. Compare the temperature readings between programs and see what happens to them under load and idle. Be especially careful if you start overriding fan speeds with Speedfan, and monitor temperatures and fan speeds under various loads to see what is going on. Speedfan might interfere with some other method of fan RPM control, possibly with disastrous results.

[RMouse]

If you are folding using both CPU cores and folding 24/7, then you should be getting closer to 2000 PPD. If you only fold a few hours a day, then 300 PPD is not bad. Just make sure you fold enough hours a day to make the deadlines.

This. My laptop is running a C2D T7600 (2.33 GHz) and usually does around 2000 PPD; sometimes down towards 1500, sometimes up towards 3000. It depends on the WU, of course. The GPU in it can't fold at all, so I just run the CPU full blast 24/7.

As for heat issues, undervolting the CPU can help significantly with that. I use RMClock on my laptop with good results. Unfortunately it doesn't work with newer hardware, but a Core 2 system has a good shot at working.

Since switching to the most updated version of the client, my ppd has dropped from a typical reading of 300-400 to much lower. Right now I am getting 120 ppd but sometimes see as low as 40 ppd. I fold 23 x 7. I dont kno wif the client report is accurate or not. Some WU takes me 6-7 days to complete.

[bruce]

Reconfirm that the slider is set to "Full" and the power savings features are set for maximum performance.

Post the log of the new client.

[RMouse]

Reconfirm that the slider is set to "Full" and the power savings features are set for maximum performance.

Post the log of the new client.

Slider is set to full, no power saving features are engaged.

The problem is is that my CPUT is being throttled down, according to Core Temp. If I read this right, I am typically folding at 0.8 ghz, not the full 2.4 that my Core2Duo should have. I never had Core Temp installed during my folding time with the old client so I am not able to compare old client vs new with regards to CPU speed.

PPD now shows 600 but I am re-starting my folding after the morning commute. After 20 mins or so temps are at 100 C and CPU throttles down to 50 or 60 ppd. I have no idea why my CPU throttles down to 0.8 ghz. Core temps are at 50C then. Much too low.

Code: Select all

*********************** Log Started 2013-08-12T04:56:14Z ***********************
04:56:14:************************* Folding@home Client *************************
04:56:14:      Website: http://folding.stanford.edu/
04:56:14:    Copyright: (c) 2009-2013 Stanford University
04:56:14:       Author: Joseph Coffland <[email protected]>
04:56:14:         Args: --open-web-control
04:56:14:       Config: C:/Documents and Settings/name/Application
04:56:14:               Data/FAHClient/config.xml
04:56:14:******************************** Build ********************************
04:56:14:      Version: 7.3.6
04:56:14:         Date: Feb 18 2013
04:56:14:         Time: 15:25:17
04:56:14:      SVN Rev: 3923
04:56:14:       Branch: fah/trunk/client
04:56:14:     Compiler: Intel(R) C++ MSVC 1500 mode 1200
04:56:14:      Options: /TP /nologo /EHa /Qdiag-disable:4297,4103,1786,279 /Ox -arch:SSE
04:56:14:               /QaxSSE2,SSE3,SSSE3,SSE4.1,SSE4.2 /Qopenmp /Qrestrict /MT /Qmkl
04:56:14:     Platform: win32 XP
04:56:14:         Bits: 32
04:56:14:         Mode: Release
04:56:14:******************************* System ********************************
04:56:14:          CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU P8600 @ 2.40GHz
04:56:14:       CPU ID: GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 23 Stepping 10
04:56:14:         CPUs: 2
04:56:14:       Memory: 1.99GiB
04:56:14:  Free Memory: 847.77MiB
04:56:14:      Threads: WINDOWS_THREADS
04:56:14:  Has Battery: true
04:56:14:   On Battery: false
04:56:14:   UTC offset: 8
04:56:14:          PID: 2284
04:56:14:          CWD: C:/Documents and Settings/name/Application Data/FAHClient
04:56:14:           OS: Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3
04:56:14:      OS Arch: X86
04:56:14:         GPUs: 1
04:56:14:        GPU 0: NVIDIA:1 G98M [Quadro NVS 160M]
04:56:14:         CUDA: Not detected
04:56:14:Win32 Service: false
04:56:14:***********************************************************************
04:56:14:<config>
04:56:14:  <!-- Folding Slot Configuration -->
04:56:14:  <power v='full'/>
04:56:14:
04:56:14:  <!-- Network -->
04:56:14:  <proxy v=':8080'/>
04:56:14:
04:56:14:  <!-- Slot Control -->
04:56:14:  <pause-on-battery v='false'/>
04:56:14:
04:56:14:  <!-- User Information -->
04:56:14:  <passkey v='********************************'/>
04:56:14:  <user v='RattyM'/>
04:56:14:
04:56:14:  <!-- Folding Slots -->
04:56:14:  <slot id='0' type='GPU'/>
04:56:14:  <slot id='1' type='CPU'/>
04:56:14:</config>
04:56:14:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80
04:56:18:WARNING:Attempting to update GPUs.txt: Failed to access GPUs.txt
04:56:18:Trying to access database...
04:56:18:Successfully acquired database lock
04:56:18:Enabled folding slot 00: READY gpu:0:G98M [Quadro NVS 160M]
04:56:18:Enabled folding slot 01: READY cpu:2
04:56:19:WU00:FS00:Starting
04:56:19:WU00:FS00:Removing old file './work/00/logfile_01-20130710-045155.txt'
04:56:19:WU00:FS00:Running FahCore: E:\FAHClient/FAHCoreWrapper.exe "C:/Documents and Settings/name/Application Data/FAHClient/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/x86/NVIDIA/G80/Core_11.fah/FahCore_11.exe" -dir 00 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2284 -checkpoint 15 -gpu 0 -gpu-vendor nvidia
04:56:20:WU00:FS00:Started FahCore on PID 1108
04:56:23:WU00:FS00:Core PID:1408
04:56:23:WU00:FS00:FahCore 0x11 started
04:56:23:WU01:FS01:Starting
04:56:23:WU01:FS01:Running FahCore: E:\FAHClient/FAHCoreWrapper.exe "C:/Documents and Settings/name/Application Data/FAHClient/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/x86/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 01 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2284 -checkpoint 15 -np 2
04:56:23:WU01:FS01:Started FahCore on PID 3092
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:*------------------------------*
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Folding@Home GPU Core
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Version 1.31 (Tue Sep 15 10:57:42 PDT 2009)
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Compiler  : Microsoft (R) 32-bit C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 14.00.50727.762 for 80x86 
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Build host: amoeba
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Board Type: Nvidia
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Core      : 
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:Preparing to commence simulation
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:- Looking at optimizations...
04:56:26:WU00:FS00:0x11:- Files status OK
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:- Expanded 46699 -> 252912 (decompressed 541.5 percent)
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=46699 data_size=252912, decompressed_data_size=252912 diff=0
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:- Digital signature verified
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:Project: 5765 (Run 8, Clone 43, Gen 3374)
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:Assembly optimizations on if available.
04:56:27:WU00:FS00:0x11:Entering M.D.
04:56:33:WU01:FS01:Core PID:928
04:56:33:WU01:FS01:FahCore 0xa3 started
04:56:33:WU00:FS00:0x11:Will resume from checkpoint file
04:56:33:WU00:FS00:0x11:Tpr hash 00/wudata_01.tpr:  1766247453 982881646 716735286 1182999643 2253829264
04:56:33:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:56:33:WU00:FS00:0x11:Calling fah_main args: 14 usage=100
04:56:33:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:56:34:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
04:56:34:WU01:FS01:0xa3:*------------------------------*
04:56:34:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
04:56:34:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
04:56:34:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
04:56:34:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
04:56:36:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
04:56:37:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Files status OK
04:56:38:WU00:FS00:0x11:Working on Protein
04:56:43:WU00:FS00:0x11:Client config unavailable.
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:Starting GUI Server
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:Resuming from checkpoint
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:fcCheckPointResume: retreived and current tpr file hash:
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:   0   1766247453   1766247453
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:   1    982881646    982881646
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:   2    716735286    716735286
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:   3   1182999643   1182999643
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:   4   2253829264   2253829264
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:fcCheckPointResume: file hashes same.
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:fcCheckPointResume: state restored.
04:56:44:WU00:FS00:0x11:Verified 00/wudata_01.log
04:56:45:WU00:FS00:0x11:Verified 00/wudata_01.edr
04:56:45:WU00:FS00:0x11:Verified 00/wudata_01.xtc
04:56:45:WU00:FS00:0x11:Completed 1%
04:57:16:FS00:Paused
04:57:16:FS00:Shutting core down
04:57:17:WU00:FS00:0x11:Client no longer detected. Shutting down core 
04:57:18:WU00:FS00:0x11:
04:57:19:WU00:FS00:0x11:Folding@home Core Shutdown: CLIENT_DIED
04:57:20:WU00:FS00:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Expanded 3810316 -> 4169428 (decompressed 109.4 percent)
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3810316 data_size=4169428, decompressed_data_size=4169428 diff=0
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Project: 6099 (Run 0, Clone 54, Gen 437)
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
04:57:25:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Entering M.D.
04:57:31:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
04:57:33:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
04:57:38:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
04:57:38:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.log
04:57:39:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.trr
04:57:39:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.edr
04:57:44:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 104275 out of 500000 steps  (20%)
05:39:37:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 105000 out of 500000 steps  (21%)
08:44:34:FS01:Paused
08:44:34:FS01:Shutting core down
08:44:41:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Client no longer detected. Shutting down core 
08:44:41:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
08:44:41:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Folding@home Core Shutdown: CLIENT_DIED
08:44:41:WU01:FS01:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
09:41:19:FS01:Unpaused
09:41:19:WU01:FS01:Starting
09:41:19:WU01:FS01:Running FahCore: E:\FAHClient/FAHCoreWrapper.exe "C:/Documents and Settings/name/Application Data/FAHClient/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/x86/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 01 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2284 -checkpoint 15 -np 2
09:41:19:WU01:FS01:Started FahCore on PID 5532
09:41:19:WU01:FS01:Core PID:5616
09:41:19:WU01:FS01:FahCore 0xa3 started
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:*------------------------------*
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Files status OK
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Expanded 3810316 -> 4169428 (decompressed 109.4 percent)
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3810316 data_size=4169428, decompressed_data_size=4169428 diff=0
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Project: 6099 (Run 0, Clone 54, Gen 437)
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
09:41:20:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Entering M.D.
09:41:26:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
09:41:26:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
09:41:27:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
09:41:27:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.log
09:41:27:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.trr
09:41:27:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.edr
09:41:28:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 108140 out of 500000 steps  (21%)
09:58:01:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 110000 out of 500000 steps  (22%)
******************************* Date: 2013-08-12 *******************************
11:20:38:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 115000 out of 500000 steps  (23%)
12:45:14:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 120000 out of 500000 steps  (24%)
14:28:23:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 125000 out of 500000 steps  (25%)
15:46:19:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 130000 out of 500000 steps  (26%)
******************************* Date: 2013-08-12 *******************************
17:36:17:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 135000 out of 500000 steps  (27%)
18:53:37:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 140000 out of 500000 steps  (28%)
20:15:59:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 145000 out of 500000 steps  (29%)
21:57:07:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 150000 out of 500000 steps  (30%)
23:04:49:FS01:Paused
23:04:49:FS01:Shutting core down
23:04:52:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Client no longer detected. Shutting down core 
23:04:52:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
23:04:52:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Folding@home Core Shutdown: CLIENT_DIED
23:04:52:WU01:FS01:FahCore returned: INTERRUPTED (102 = 0x66)
******************************* Date: 2013-08-13 *******************************
00:22:10:FS01:Unpaused
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:Starting
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:Running FahCore: E:\FAHClient/FAHCoreWrapper.exe "C:/Documents and Settings/name/Application Data/FAHClient/cores/www.stanford.edu/~pande/Win32/x86/Core_a3.fah/FahCore_a3.exe" -dir 01 -suffix 01 -version 703 -lifeline 2284 -checkpoint 15 -np 2
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:Started FahCore on PID 1428
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:Core PID:3972
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:FahCore 0xa3 started
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:*------------------------------*
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Folding@Home Gromacs SMP Core
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Version 2.27 (Dec. 15, 2010)
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Preparing to commence simulation
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Looking at optimizations...
00:22:10:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Files status OK
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Expanded 3810316 -> 4169428 (decompressed 109.4 percent)
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Called DecompressByteArray: compressed_data_size=3810316 data_size=4169428, decompressed_data_size=4169428 diff=0
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:- Digital signature verified
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Project: 6099 (Run 0, Clone 54, Gen 437)
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Assembly optimizations on if available.
00:22:11:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Entering M.D.
00:22:17:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Using Gromacs checkpoints
00:22:17:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Mapping NT from 2 to 2 
00:22:18:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Resuming from checkpoint
00:22:18:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.log
00:22:18:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.trr
00:22:18:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Verified 01/wudata_01.edr
00:22:19:WU01:FS01:0xa3:Completed 152905 out of 500000 steps  (30%)

[7im]

With fah set to full, that's about as much as we can do to optimize the fah settings. Why the laptop is using power saving modes is something you'll have to research with the manufacturer.

[RMouse]

It's not power saving mode, it's thermal heat protection mode. My CPU throttles down once core temps hit 95 C. I can watch it happen. Once 95 C is hit, the CPU throttles down to 0.7 ghz and stays there forever.

[bruce]

Confirm that the laptop's fan kicks in well before you get to 100C and that the dust-filled twisty maze of little passages have been recently cleaned out. It might also be time for a fresh drop of your favorite brand of silver thermal compound.

When things get that hot, the only way your computer can protect itself from damage is to shut down the processor.

[RMouse]

Confirm that the laptop's fan kicks in well before you get to 100C and that the dust-filled twisty maze of little passages have been recently cleaned out. It might also be time for a fresh drop of your favorite brand of silver thermal compound.

When things get that hot, the only way your computer can protect itself from damage is to shut down the processor.

Yes, the fan is going full power long before thermal throttling kicks in. I have taken apart my laptop looking for potential hinderances to air flow but found nothing. I will repeat this again this weekend. I have no idea what your last comment about silver thermal compound means.

[Joe_H]

I have no idea what your last comment about silver thermal compound means.

That is a hint that you may have to replace the heat transfer compound or heat transfer pad between the CPU in your laptop and the heat sink. It is an oblique comment to the brand name of a popular heat transfer compound.

[n_w95482]

My friend had a laptop a few years ago that had a bad heatpipe. It had apparently leaked out the fluid inside of it at one point. It was running at 90+ C, but the opposite end from the CPU was cool. Right above the CPU it was burning hot. He bought a replacement on eBay and it dropped temperatures below 60 C.

If you've taken apart the laptop, it should be easy to replace that if needed. This is the thermal paste I'm using on mine. With the CPU undervolted to 1.1375v, it usually runs in the low-mid 60s C under full load, fan on low-medium speed. It never drops from 2.33 GHz.

[P5-133XL]

A bad heatpipe is a rare failure mode, Thermal paste failure is common for it ages till eventually it becomes just an heat insulator. Also, periodic cleaning with a can of compressed air may significantly help for dust and debris (typically hair) accumulation can significantly harm the efficiency of a cooling system.

[n_w95482]

A bad heatpipe is a rare failure mode, Thermal paste failure is common for it ages till eventually it becomes just an heat insulator. Also, periodic cleaning with a can of compressed air may significantly help for dust and debris (typically hair) accumulation can significantly harm the efficiency of a cooling system.

True, but it's another thing to check if the laptop is already opened up (although it'll have to be on as well). So far, that laptop was the only one I've seen with that problem.