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Issachar
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Message 6518 - Posted: 9 Feb 2009 | 19:02:51 UTC

Just wondering is there any way to limit GPU usage? For users running on slower GPU, it's nightmare for us to use the PC while BONIC running. Seriously I think there should be option to setting GPU usage just like CPU.

I'm running on E6750 with 4GB RAM, WinXP 32bit, 8400GS. Before I upgrade to BIONIC 6.4.5 it was just fine. But after that, my desktop performance is nightmare.

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Message 6519 - Posted: 9 Feb 2009 | 19:58:21 UTC - in response to Message 6518.

Just wondering is there any way to limit GPU usage? For users running on slower GPU, it's nightmare for us to use the PC while BONIC running. Seriously I think there should be option to setting GPU usage just like CPU.

I'm running on E6750 with 4GB RAM, WinXP 32bit, 8400GS. Before I upgrade to BIONIC 6.4.5 it was just fine. But after that, my desktop performance is nightmare.



Not sure why 6.4.5 would cause an issue, but you could always just suspend the GPUGrid task while using the computer. Or BOINC has the ability to restrict computation to certain timeframes (i.e. when you are not using it).

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Message 6522 - Posted: 9 Feb 2009 | 21:41:20 UTC - in response to Message 6518.

I don't think he wanted to say 6.4.5 actually caused the problems.. I'd rather think he upgraded from something to a current CUDA-enabled BOINC and attached to GPU-Grid. Changing BOINC coincided with the sluggishness, but 6.4.5 is not causing it.

Issachar, your 8400GS is really slow. It's got 16 stream processors (1), whereas 50+ are recommended and typical cards have 112+. GPU-Grid is not designed to be run on cards like yours, that's why you experience extreme screen refresh lags. Even if you run 24/7 your card will have problems to meet the deadline of one WU. Sorry.

MrS

(1) actually an even slower version with 8 somewhat higher clocked stream processors was released at the end of 2007
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Message 6526 - Posted: 10 Feb 2009 | 0:36:36 UTC - in response to Message 6522.

I don't think he wanted to say 6.4.5 actually caused the problems.. I'd rather think he upgraded from something to a current CUDA-enabled BOINC and attached to GPU-Grid. Changing BOINC coincided with the sluggishness, but 6.4.5 is not causing it.

Issachar, your 8400GS is really slow. It's got 16 stream processors (1), whereas 50+ are recommended and typical cards have 112+. GPU-Grid is not designed to be run on cards like yours, that's why you experience extreme screen refresh lags. Even if you run 24/7 your card will have problems to meet the deadline of one WU. Sorry.

MrS

(1) actually an even slower version with 8 somewhat higher clocked stream processors was released at the end of 2007


I currently have 3 projects attached - SETI, GPUGRID and WorldCommunity Grid. I guess it would be fine if I only let either SETI or GPUGRID to run but it's not possible for both projecting running at the same time as they will just squeeze every drop of the GPU resource and cause my desktop responding terribly slow.

I now have GPUGRID suspended and SETI is running pretty well that have already completed 225.865 of 300% (I mean for 3 tasks) after I have the first post posted. And the desktop is responding well.

I do agree 8400GS is really slow but I guess there are still way to control how CUDA work instead of just overload it, correct? ;-)

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Message 6531 - Posted: 10 Feb 2009 | 7:51:11 UTC - in response to Message 6526.

It is possible to suspend Boinc operations automatically when you run certain non-Boinc tasks, and once you finish, Boinc will resume. This is done creating a cc_config file.

This is something I use, and works for me.



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Message 6542 - Posted: 10 Feb 2009 | 20:16:29 UTC - in response to Message 6526.

I guess there are still way to control how CUDA work instead of just overload it, correct? ;-)


GPU-Grid could crunch less complex models, but the point of the project is to actually run complex simulations, which have previously not been possible / feasible.

For an elegant solution we'll have to wait until DirectX 11 and the compute shaders. With these it will be possible not to block the GPU entirely while the program runs. Until then BOINC could actually suspend GPU-Grid when it is told to do so, which seems not to work for some people.

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Message 6579 - Posted: 11 Feb 2009 | 22:53:33 UTC - in response to Message 6531.

It is possible to suspend Boinc operations automatically when you run certain non-Boinc tasks, and once you finish, Boinc will resume. This is done creating a cc_config file.

This is something I use, and works for me.


Can you tell us, how you do this?

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Message 6613 - Posted: 13 Feb 2009 | 17:03:25 UTC - in response to Message 6579.

It is possible to suspend Boinc operations automatically when you run certain non-Boinc tasks, and once you finish, Boinc will resume. This is done creating a cc_config file.

This is something I use, and works for me.


Can you tell us, how you do this?


You'll need a cc_config.xml file and use the <exclusive_app> tag.

eg.

<cc_config>
<options>
<exclusive_app>example.exe</exclusive_app>
</options>
<cc/config>

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Message 6624 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 9:47:24 UTC - in response to Message 6613.

Thanks - it works. But that's not enough because BOINC will stop whenever the exe is running. In my case, it's the webbrowser. Of course, my browser always runs and therefore BOINC always stops. It would be optimal to configure such an exe when it'S "active" (using some minimum amount of CPU/GPU usage.
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Message 6626 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 11:31:28 UTC - in response to Message 6624.

The browser is a rather poor chpice for this. In your case it would be better to restrict BOINC to only run after the PC has been idle (i.e. no mouse / keyboard) for x minutes, where x can be rather small. It's in the website- or local settings.

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Message 6630 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 14:22:11 UTC

I'm not sure why, but ever since I upgraded to latest version of BIONIC, it made my PC slow as hell, I just cant run it anymore, I was running 6.4.5 which was just fine.

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Message 6631 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 15:05:20 UTC - in response to Message 6626.
Last modified: 14 Feb 2009 | 15:31:06 UTC

The browser is a rather poor chpice for this. In your case it would be better to restrict BOINC to only run after the PC has been idle (i.e. no mouse / keyboard) for x minutes, where x can be rather small. It's in the website- or local settings.

MrS


Good ... but it doesn't work. And then no project of NOINC would be running. All CPU projects are okay to run during user activation, just the GPUGRID project should halt during user activation.
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Message 6633 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 15:41:18 UTC - in response to Message 6631.


Good ... but then no project of NOINC is running. All CPU projects are okay to run during user activation, just the GPUGRID project should halt during user activation.


To force BOINC to properly manage tasks between the CPU and GPU, I eventually installed two copies with one running only CPU tasks and the other GPU tasks.

After setting up with the BOINC manager in Linux, I've a run_client script like...

cd "${HOME}/BOINC-cpu" && exec ./boinc --daemon $@

... to run the second BOINC in the background directly via command as it seems that without coercion BOINC Manager refuses to play nice with two separate copies of BOINC running on the same machine.

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Message 6634 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 15:49:51 UTC
Last modified: 14 Feb 2009 | 15:51:31 UTC

Issachar,

to which version did you upgrade? Is the taskmanager showing anything unnormal?

dentaku,

what do you mean by "doesn't work"? Of course this stops BOINC entirely, but as I understand this is the same behaviour as when using the "exclusive_app" in the config_cc file. You wrote:

Thanks - it works. But that's not enough because BOINC will stop whenever the exe is running. In my case, it's the webbrowser. Of course, my browser always runs and therefore BOINC always stops. It would be optimal to configure such an exe when it'S "active" (using some minimum amount of CPU/GPU usage.


So this BOINC option is what you asked for. Except for the fact that it suspends BOINC entirely, not just GPU activity. This feature has been on the wish list since some time, but in the recent months work was focused on the more fundamental things like getting scheduling and task fetching right.

There have also been reports about BOINC not properly suspending tasks. I just re-checked with my 6.5.0 and it surely does what it's supposed to do.

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Message 6635 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 16:24:43 UTC - in response to Message 6634.
Last modified: 14 Feb 2009 | 16:45:36 UTC

It doesn't work means: when I start bonic manager, it waits for 1 minute ("user active") and than starts crunching .... and never stops again no matter if I move mouse, type on keyboard or do anything else with the computer.

On the SETI@home website prefs I've seen a new pref "Suspend GPU work while computer is in use? Enforced by version 6.7+" That's exactly what I was looking for, but it also doesn't work - at least not with the officicail 6.4.5 release of the BOINC manager (Linux, 64 Bit). I also installed the latest 6.6.4 but it also doesn't work with this version.
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Message 6643 - Posted: 14 Feb 2009 | 19:23:32 UTC

Not sure what they mean by "enforced", but to me this sounds like the feature will be added in the 6.7 clients. It couldn't possibly work with the current ones, as they don't know about this option.

And most of the reports of not properly suspending GPU tasks have been with 6.4.5 (and maybe a few 6.6.x), seems like 6.5.0 is much more well-behaved in this regard (and in others, too).

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Message 19666 - Posted: 25 Nov 2010 | 8:52:15 UTC - in response to Message 6643.

Thought I'd ask the question here as it seems like a similar question...

Is there a way to limit the % Used of my GPU's? I have a GTX295 which seems to be doing the job but is sat at between 90-100%. While this doesn't seem to impact the day to day use of my machine...I wouldn't rev my cars engine to the redline all the time...things will break.

The temps 'seem' ok at 65oC with the CPU at 32oC...but it would be nice just to pull it back a bit and limit it to 75%. You seem to be able to do this for the CPU but not the GPU.

BOINC Manager version is 6.10.58

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Message 19669 - Posted: 25 Nov 2010 | 10:43:22 UTC - in response to Message 19666.

Your card seems to be running very well, so I would not recommend throttling it back.

Most people increase fan speed to prevent overheating, but 65 deg C is fine.

If you are worried about longevity you could try to reduce clock rates (take a few Hz off the GPU, but keep the shader clocks as they are) and perhaps the voltage (very slightly).

Should you still want to up the fan speed, reduce the clocks and/or voltage you could try EVGA Precision, or several other tools. Using GPUZ might help you keep an eye on what is happening. I would suggest you close Boinc when testing your settings, and run EVGA Precision’s stress test (if you use their tool).

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Message 19670 - Posted: 25 Nov 2010 | 11:59:01 UTC - in response to Message 19669.

Thanks for the advice.

The fans are only running at 16%. If I knock them up to 100%, the temp drops to about 45oC...but next door starts to complain about the noise ;-)

I agree that your suggestions would work but it would be nice to have an option within BOINC (like the CPU).

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Message 19683 - Posted: 26 Nov 2010 | 22:05:57 UTC - in response to Message 19670.

The fans are only running at 16%. If I knock them up to 100%, the temp drops to about 45oC...but next door starts to complain about the noise ;-)

I agree that your suggestions would work but it would be nice to have an option within BOINC (like the CPU).

Another way to do this would be with a program such as eFMer TThrottle. You can set the target maximum GPU / CPU temps and TThrottle will limit the processors to stay under the temps you set:

http://www.efmer.eu/boinc/

Use the latest: v3.11.


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