This thread is aimed at questions that may arise regarding expected productivity for a particular computer.
As you may expect there are multiple factors determining productivity. In this posting, productivity may be referred to a points-per-day (PPD).
Some of the major factors are:
Client software - The type of folding client that was downloaded from Stanford site.
Work units - regular uniprocessor work units, bonus work units, large work units, advanced methods work units, SMP work units, special workunits for PS3s or graphics processors.
Nomenclature - Work units have a name, one can determine what work unit is being processed by looking at a client display, a work unit title might look like: p4419_Seq_50_unf_AMBER. Usually only the first four numbers (p numbers for protein) are required to classify the unit, in this case 4419. Stanford has a list of current work units in process here. One can look up 4419 and see that it is valued at 15 points, etc.
Operating system- Major folding OS'es are WindowsXP, Windows Vista, various forms of Linux, & Mac OS'esComputer hardware - Personal computers (PCs - once known as IBM clones), Macintosh, Notebook (Laptop), Servers (usually running some form of Windows or Linux), Playstation 3 (PS3), Graphics Processors (currently ATI only)
Computer hardware can be divided into classes depending on numbers of processor cores:
- single core
- dual core
- quad core
- octal (two quad cores on one motherboard, common in servers)
If your hardware differs, then your expected PPD will be different. In general, processors in the P-4 class and older are a bit slower clock-for-clock than their corresponding AMD counterparts. In the newer processors, Intel Core 2 processors are the faster folders than corresponding AMD versions. Recent Mac computers use the Core 2 or even newer versions of Intel processors and are exceptionally good folders. Older Macs of the G5 variety are pretty close to P4 processors, depending on type of work units, etc. Mac G4's are quite slow.
A web site called FahInfo collects performance data from all types and combinations and complies it into a useful database.
You can search for :
- a particular work unit (use the 'p' number described above) and see performance that various computers obtain.
- compare different processors (Intel vs AMD vs Mac)
- average scores for all work units that have been reported
- other useful data
Likely there are related productivity topics and items not in the lists above, feel free to mention them in this thread.
Some, or all, of the above productivity factors can be discussed in more detail.
Edited by dnamechanic, 02 April 2008 - 01:00 AM.