Folding Forum

Was looking at some number on my system this morning.

CPU
AMD 3900X
about $400
105 watts
250,000 ppd

GPU
RX 5700XT
about $400
200 watts
1,000,000 ppd

Using my electricity rates of $ 0.12687 it cost twice as much for CPU ($1.28/1M points) vs GPU ($0.61/1M points).

That's the power of highly parallel workloads.
Have you ever tried playing modern game on CPU only?
Folding at home is not the only application which shows these tendencies

I don play games so i could tell you.

What are the difference in WUs for the CPU compared to the GPU If the GPU is some much better at running them why not have all them on the GPU?

This thread begins to touch on some of the reasonsviewtopic.php?f=16&t=34146&p=324019&hil ... rs#p324019 … In real simple terms GPUs are very fast but relatively simple and can do certain types of work … CPUs are comparatively much slower but much more complex and can do other types of work GPUs can't.

skydivingcatfan wrote:What are the difference in WUs for the CPU compared to the GPU If the GPU is some much better at running them why not have all them on the GPU?

The GPU has hundreds or thousands of threads to do brute force work.

The CPU has From 8 to about a hundred threads to do brute force work, but also has a general purpose computer to do subtle logic.

When you are trying to find the problem, GPUs rule, when you are trying to find a solution, the CPU comes into it's own.

Back when i thought I understood F@H GPUs had to consider the water the protein was in as a continuous fluid,(implicit solvation) but CPUs could consider water as individual molecules. (explicit solvation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implicit_solvation

The implicit/ explicit solvent thing applied to old cores, with 21 and 22 now they can do both on gpu.

It depends on what you want to do with it.


CPU
AMD 3900X
12 (24) threads at 3.1 (or 4.3) GHz
Very versatile. Capable of running an OS

GPU
RX 5700XT
2560 shaders at 1605 (1905) Ghz
Limited versatility. Requires the support of an external OS and only does well on specialized tasks that can be parallelized to use that many threads concurrently.

Rel25917 wrote:The implicit/ explicit solvent thing applied to old cores, with 21 and 22 now they can do both on gpu.

So why are there still CPU work units when there are many people posting that they can not get work units for their gpu.

skydivingcatfan wrote:

Rel25917 wrote:The implicit/ explicit solvent thing applied to old cores, with 21 and 22 now they can do both on gpu.

So why are there still CPU work units when there are many people posting that they can not get work units for their gpu.

Because some researchers have only configured their projects for CPU type, as that's what they are comfortable with.
You cannot clap your hands and all the CPU projects magically convert to GPU projects

If you have more CPU projects than GPU projects there is legitimate reason for that, and it's not to piss off you guys. They are not searching for extraterrestrials here, they are trying to uncover mysteries of protein folding, where even a slightest mistake in simulation and calculations can nullify years worth of someones work.

So if cpu work is just as important, and the cpu work can’t be assigned to GPU, why aren’t they equivalent points?

Because Points do not reward importance in any way … Points are awarded as a "measure" of scientific throughput with a loading for Quick Return … GPUs have a higher throughput rate - simples.

I am not pissed off. I have seen multiple post about it not being worth it to have your CPU fold. It is about perceived value of having your cpu fold. Right now is seems like there are a number of people feel it is not worth it.

Neil-B wrote:Because Points do not reward importance in any way … Points are awarded as a "measure" of scientific throughput with a loading for Quick Return … GPUs have a higher throughput rate - simples.

But GPUs have a 0 throughout on CPU only WUs, so CPUs are infinitely higher in throughout on those WUs.

skydivingcatfan wrote:I am not pissed off. I have seen multiple post about it not being worth it to have your CPU fold. It is about perceived value of having your cpu fold. Right now is seems like there are a number of people feel it is not worth it.

number of people feel that world is flat

GPUs get more points because they are order of magnitude faster.
If one is willing to donate their hardware, all is welcome by researchers, as long as that hardware is capable and is supported
I have a 4 core 1.2ghz laptop which gives me 2000 points on a sunny day. That is absolutely nothing compared to my GPUs which generate around 1m PPD, but that laptop is capable of folding and is returning work within given time period, so I leave it fold. Every little helps, especially when CPU projects are mostly always available.

But GPUs have a 0 throughout on CPU only WUs, so CPUs are infinitely higher in throughout on those WUs.

If GPU was folding that CPU project, then it would get 0 points, but it is not. We cannot punish a GPU, just because it cannot run some projects.

Endgame124 wrote:

Neil-B wrote:Because Points do not reward importance in any way … Points are awarded as a "measure" of scientific throughput with a loading for Quick Return … GPUs have a higher throughput rate - simples.

But GPUs have a 0 throughout on CPU only WUs, so CPUs are infinitely higher in throughout on those WUs.

They still do not do as much science, measured as FLOPS as a GPU.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLOPS