Slow crunching?
25 Nov 2005 12:25:39 UTC
Topic 190230
(moderation:
Hey Guys,
i'm new at Boinc but it seems to me my crunching is running rather slow.
I am crunching my first Einstein WU and it has taken 7hours for the first 40%.
I have a and 512MB Ram. Shouldn't it go a little bit faster?
Any Suggestions?
Slow crunching?
)
Welcome to Einstein@Home,
The first Genuine Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.60GHz I came across in the "Top Computer List" was at position #596, had a 284.49 RAC, and was doing a workunit in about 13.48 hours. My 2.8GHz Xeon (hyperthreaded) is doing a workunit in about 13 hours. I would guess your times are about in line.
Happy crunching :-)
Richard
Even slower computers will
)
Even slower computers will get the job done. It's the science which is the important part. Your work becomes an important part of the whole project and you can be proud to be a part of it.
RE: Hey Guys, i'm new at
)
Don't worry, our Teamfounder has a really slow box, it takes about 180 hours to crunch one WU:
http://einsteinathome.org/host/54230
faeshn
RE: Hey Guys, i'm new at
)
My 1.8GHz P4/Win XP usually takes a little less than 9 hours to complete a WU - so, yes, yours does seem slow. However, don't believe the BOINC "time to completion" estimate either. They tend to be way off on the first WU. What OS and what BOINC version are you using? And what are your preferences set to?
RE: My 1.8GHz P4/Win XP
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I run WinXP home, on my laptop and 11 and 1/2 hours i am at 64%
below i copy& pasted my preferences. The only thing i have been doing since bBoinc runs is surfing the internet, and obviously not even half the time.
Best regards Christoph
Preferences :
Processor usage
Do work while computer is running on batteries?
(matters only for portable computers) no
Do work while computer is in use? yes
Do work only between the hours of (no restriction)
Leave applications in memory while preempted?
(suspended applications will consume swap space if 'yes') no
Switch between applications every
(recommended: 60 minutes) 60 minutes
On multiprocessors, use at most 2 processors
Disk and memory usage
Use no more than 200 GB disk space
Leave at least 0.1 GB disk space free
Use no more than 50% of total disk space
Write to disk at most every 60 seconds
Use no more than 75% of total virtual memory
Network usage
Connect to network about every
(determines size of work cache; maximum 10 days) 0.1 days
Confirm before connecting to Internet?
(matters only if you use a modem) no
Disconnect when done?
(matters only if you use a modem) no
Maximum download rate: no limit
Maximum upload rate: no limit
Use network only between the hours of
Enforced by versions 4.46 and greater (no restriction)
Skip image file verification?
Check this ONLY if your Internet provider modifies image files (UMTS does this, for example).
Skipping verification reduces the security of BOINC. no
RE: I run WinXP home, on
)
Christoph,
I presume you mean the 11 and 1/2 hours is "CPU time" as listed under the BOINC Manager "Work" tab (and not clock time). Your preferences look "normal". But I looked at your benchmarks and they may be low for a processor as fast as yours. Have you ever scanned for "spyware"?
Stick
RE: Christoph, I presume
)
You assumed right :) i wrote that fast and not very clear. I run Spybot on a regular base and besides of some following cookies i never found anything.
But lately my laptop has been behaving strangely(even after a new-installation of everything). But since i had always problems with this fricking machine i guess its just normal that i have problems with boinc too :)
Thanks for the anwer anyway.
RE: RE: Christoph, I
)
Christoph,
I have a few questions for you that may help us provide a better answer.
1) Is the computer to which you refer a laptop? A 2.8GHz P4 is quite a heat-maker and power-taker for laptop installation, which is the reason that the Pentium M replaced P4s in laptops.
2) If you display Task Manager (Ctrl, Alt, Delete keys pressed simultaneously}, click the "Processes" tab, What is the % of CPU that is listed for Einstein? Is there any other process that has significant % (greater than 3 %)listed? If yes, What is the name of the other process(s)?
Michael
edited for clarity, I hope
microcraft
"The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice" - MLK
RE: Christoph, I have a
)
1) es i refer to a laptop and i regretted to have bought it in the first summer. The P4(desktop processor) built in to my laptop is quite a heat maker and so the computer crashes very fast when it's hot outside.
2) Einstein is between 90 and 97%(jumps all the time. Occasionally the Tea-Timer or the Explorer kick in and ask for 3 to 5 % but Einstein gets the largest part.
If anyone knows a solution i'd be thankful(maybe that is also the reason for stuttering in other applications :)
RE: RE: Christoph, I
)
I think I may have an answer and a (partial) solution for you, Christoph.
As the high-powered P4 laptops were not heat-efficient nor power-efficient, safeguards were built into them to prevent overheating and quick battery drain. They sense heat build-up and "throttle down" the CPU until temps are below the danger level. The same applies toward low battery levels. When your laptop temperature reaches the danger level, the safeguard will lower the CPU speed, making it process at much lower-than-2.8Ghz speed.
While there is nothing you can do about low-battery throttle-down, I do not think that this is your problem - you probably have the laptop running on AC power, rather than battery, correct?
For the overheating aspect, there is something you can do to minimize it - make sure that the laptop has much ventilation, especially from the bottom, and that the vents are not clogged with dust. Many people place 2 books or something under the outside edges, to raise the computer a few cm above the table surface. Others open the lid/screen about 45 to 60 degrees and put the computer so it is standing on it's side. Both methods are quite effective, and I hope that one of them will work well for you.
Michael
microcraft
"The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice" - MLK