Folding Forum

I configure my slots so that only the CPU is used, and I save, but every time I start the app it tries to use the GPU again. What can I do to stop F@H from ever using my graphics card please?
It's annoying to have to configure it every single time.

Kind Regards

Welcome to Folding@Home!

This works, but seems odd
In the advanced client FAHControl choose Configure

Choose the slots tab

Highlight gpu and press Edit

in a space called Extra Slot Options, press Add

use the name pause-on-start and the value True

Now the GPU will not automatically start when F@H starts, only when you choose Fold
If you Finnish (or pause) the current Work unit, it will not reload a new one and will not reload one on boot up.

The slot never goes away, but it is not running. (If you try to make it go away, F@H re-finds it on start up, so you leave it, but tell it not to run)

I hope that helps.

Thanks, that helps, but why must this software force the GPU into use in the first place? And why doesn't saving the configuration retain the settings? this is a bug.

I'm not 100% on this but I think when you remove a folding slot you're also removing the configuration for it. The next time you start the client it sees a graphics card it doesn't have a configuration for so it automatically adds it and tries to configure it.

I'm pretty sure the client has an option to block the auto-configure of GPUs.
I'd suggest going into your advanced control panel -> Expert -> Extra client options -> add the following - Name: 'GPU', Value: 'false'

Bunta wrote:Thanks, that helps, but why must this software force the GPU into use in the first place? And why doesn't saving the configuration retain the settings? this is a bug.

Unfortunately, this is a feature ... although I agree that this is a stupid one ...

Bunta wrote:why must this software force the GPU into use in the first place? And why doesn't saving the configuration retain the settings?

For most rigs, over 80% of the Points they can make is via the Graphics card. So finding the Graphics card is important to the project.

There are ways to get around this, but as you see, they are used so rarely that no one remembers them. (I copied mine from a rig where I only use the GPU and paused the CPU)

I never understood why you can remove the CPU slot permanently, but not the GPU, and never looked into it as I mostly only use my GPU (I run World Community Grid on the CPU). I would also use pause-on-start if I needed to though.

toTOW wrote:

Bunta wrote:Thanks, that helps, but why must this software force the GPU into use in the first place? And why doesn't saving the configuration retain the settings? this is a bug.

Unfortunately, this is a feature ... although I agree that this is a stupid one ...

Yes, a feature that came about due to many requests that the GPU detection by the client be improved. In getting that done the code has become a bit too good at detecting and configuring for a GPU. Perhaps a future revision will provide ways to limit that beyond the On-Off switch of setting the option 'gpu' to 'false'.

debs3759 wrote:I never understood why you can remove the CPU slot permanently, but not the GPU, and never looked into it as I mostly only use my GPU (I run World Community Grid on the CPU). I would also use pause-on-start if I needed to though.

For a CPU only system you can't remove the CPU slot. The client will auto configure to always have at least one folding slot, on a GPU only system that slot is sufficient to keep the CPU slot from coming back.