Surprise! PrimeGrid "GFN Short" challenge Jan 4-17 w/ nVidia GPUs

[Ken g6]

Just when you thought it was safe to rest your GPU...

Welcome to a new year of PrimeGrid challenges, starting with the "Year of the Snake Challenge". Why they call it the "Year of the Snake Challenge" when the year of the snake doesn't start until mid February I don't know. So I'll call it what it is: a long GFN Short challenge. (The WUs are relatively short; the race is not.)

What you need to participate:

• One or more fast, stable x86-64 processors with a 64-bit OS. There is no 32-bit CPU work. But on either kind of CPU you can also use...
• One or more stable nVidia GPU(s), either GT 400 series or higher or certain members of the GTX 200 series. If it can run GPU Grid it can run this, at least in theory. Don't overclock too much and avoid version 260 and 295/296 drivers; I'm running 310 on Linux. Here are more suggestions from the app's author. You can run the GPU client on a 32-bit OS.
• Windows, Linux, or MacOS 10.4+.
• BOINC, attached to PrimeGrid (http://www.primegrid.com/).
• Your PrimeGrid Preferences with only "Generalized Fermat Prime Search" selected in the Projects section. Also be sure to select Short tasks as opposed to the world record tasks. You may leave the Block Size setting at 0.

What might help:

• Ken's WU Juggling Guide for those using multi-core CPUs.

What won't help (but won't hurt either):

• A large amount of RAM.
• Any really old video cards or ATI or Intel video cards - though you might want to use them for your display while newer cards crunch.

This challenge starts on January 4 at 18:00 UTC and runs for 13 days. Only WUs downloaded after the start of the challenge and completed before the end of the challenge will be counted. Should you not be able to be in front of one or more computers at the start time, try one of the scheduled start methods from the strategy thread (for Linux or Windows). Network connection time options may also be useful - though they depend on your computer's clock being correct, so set the start time a few minutes late.

Welcome and good luck to all! :thumbsup:

 

[zzuupp]

Cool. I'll be in.

 

[Kiska]

I'll be in as well but one of my computers the C2D I will have to be performing manual calculations for some portion of the WU. The other Core i5 will do fine, so I think I will get 10-20 WU during the challenge even with the manual calculations

 

[Kiska]

Also I am busy writing the OpenCL code so that ATi/AMD users can do the challenge. I am basically rushing the code writing as of now.

 

[Ken g6]

Also I am busy writing the OpenCL code so that ATi/AMD users can do the challenge. I am basically rushing the code writing as of now.

And thank you for that. But I suspect that even if you get the code done before the race, they won't get around to installing it. Michael confirms my suspicions in that thread.

 

[Kiska]

I've finished the code when I last posted and was compiling it for testing. The problem is it finishes but the results don't match with manual calculations and the canonical result from the file. The canonical result that the file produces contains 1,876,897 digits while my manual calculations produces 1,882,112 digits. So therefore there is an error.

 

[Ken g6]

Hm, this might have something to do with your error:

I just let the cpu and gpu get up to say 140 Degrees Celsius. LOL

Maybe a "laptop cooling pad" would help?

 

[zzuupp]

Originally Posted by Kiska View Post
I just let the cpu and gpu get up to say 140 Degrees Celsius. LOL

Hm, this might have something to do with your error:

Maybe a "laptop cooling pad" would help?

140!

On a happier note, all the GPU's have completed a WU or two. Unlike the spring race, they're all liking genefer.

(crossing fingers, knocking on wood)

 

[geecee]

Any chance a GT240 will work for this challenge? If so, any chance a GT240 would finish a WU in a reasonable amount of time?

EDIT: NM. Figured it out:
http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=3920
Nothing below a GTX260 apparently.

 

[biodoc]

I'll be in with my gpus. As I recall we need to clock down the memory frequency on factory overclocked cards?

 

[Ken g6]

As I recall we need to clock down the memory frequency on factory overclocked cards?

Sometimes. I'm on Linux, so I can't downclock my factory-OCed card. But it's working correctly for me.

 

[Kiska]

On the lighter note my 9300M GS will be able to participate after I have the OpenCL for testing on this system.

 

[Ken g6]

And we're off!

 

[geecee]

Stupid question, can I run CPU units if my OS is 64-bit, but my version of BOINC is 32-bit (running the 6.10.58 version that WCG distributes)? TIA.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I don't know about my participation in this race. I fired up one of my AMD Thuban rigs with two 9600GSO 96SP cards.

I downloaded and am running SIX "Genefer 1.07" tasks. Which I thought was strange, since I only have two GPUs. Then it hit me, they are running on the CPU.

Which is probably why they say that they are going to take 12532 hours.

Should I just cancel the WUs, and skip this race?

I don't currently have any GTX460 cards in a rig right now to run.

 

[Ken g6]

@geecee, No, you need a 64-bit version of BOINC to run the CPU work.

@VirtualLarry, don't take BOINC's word for it on the estimated runtimes. Give each machine about an hour, then compute minutes elapsed divided by percentage done. (For 1% done you'd do 60/.01.) Do you get a number less than 18720? If so, your work will be done before the race ends, if you keep running 24/7 for 13 days.

Edit: You can't do GFN work on a 9600GSO, though. You need a GTX260 or higher. (GT430s should also work; a GT520 might even be fast enough for one WU.)

If you get a number less than about 15000 on a quad-core machine, and you can convince BOINC to stop running high priority, you might be able to juggle in another WU as well.

 

[geecee]

@geecee, No, you need a 64-bit version of BOINC to run the CPU work.

Thanks. Somewhere in the dark,cobweb-laden recesses of my head, I kind of figured that, but my laziness made me ask the question regardless.

 

[geecee]

OK, I'm thoroughly confused. I have 7 Genefer 1.07 tasks on my box currently. Only one is marked with the (cuda32_13) flag, indicating its for GPU. So, what are the others? I'm guessing they are CPU jobs, but if I'm running BOINC 6.10.58 (32-bit WCG version), shouldn't I not get any CPU tasks? Should I kill the CPU tasks? Should I let the GPU task finish and install a 64-bit version of BOINC? Am I just too dumb to own a computer?

 

[petrusbroder]

Why kill the jobs? If you get your results verified then all will be OK.
An answer to your final question: Absolutely not! Confusion is usually the best way to knowledge - that is why I am confused so often!

Check here: http://www.primegrid.com/apps.php and scroll down to Genefer:

If I read it all right 64-bit BOINC may not be needed as long as the app is 64-bit, which it is ...

 

[petrusbroder]

GFN Short Challenge:

Team Stats as of 2013-01-05, 15:30 UTC

Rank ____ Team name ______________________ Points ___
06 ______ Team 2ch ______________________ 734 088.23
07 ______ Aggie The Pew _________________ 435 120.00
08 ______ PrimeSearchTeam _______________ 407 767.74
09 ______ Keep The Fire Alive ___________ 383 117.94
10 ______ BOINC@MIXI ____________________ 381 848.59
11 ______ Crunching@EVGA ________________ 334 623.83
12 ______ TeAm AnandTech ________________ 333 326.53
13 ______ Polish National Team __________ 332 451.39
14 ______ Texas A&M University __________ 255 942.87
15 ______ Ukraine _______________________ 228 677.33

40 teams in the stats.

Individual stats as of 2013-01-05, 15:30 UTC

Rank _____ Name ____________________________ Points ___
017 ______ petrusbroder __________________ 153 696.50
027 ______ biodoc ________________________ 103 484.17
044 ______ zzuupp _________________________ 76 986.08
121 ______ SlangNRox ______________________ 25 594.52
137 ______ Ken_g6 _________________________ 25 342.04

153 participants in the stats.

 

[zzuupp]

GFN Short Challenge:

Team Stats as of 2013-01-05, 15:30 UTC

Rank ____ Team name ______________________ Points ___
06 ______ Team 2ch ______________________ 734 088.23
07 ______ Aggie The Pew _________________ 435 120.00
08 ______ PrimeSearchTeam _______________ 407 767.74
09 ______ Keep The Fire Alive ___________ 383 117.94
10 ______ BOINC@MIXI ____________________ 381 848.59
11 ______ Crunching@EVGA ________________ 334 623.83
12 ______ TeAm AnandTech ________________ 333 326.53
13 ______ Polish National Team __________ 332 451.39
14 ______ Texas A&M University __________ 255 942.87
15 ______ Ukraine _______________________ 228 677.33

40 teams in the stats.

Individual stats as of 2013-01-05, 15:30 UTC

Rank _____ Name ____________________________ Points ___
017 ______ petrusbroder __________________ 153 696.50
027 ______ biodoc ________________________ 103 484.17
044 ______ zzuupp _________________________ 76 986.08
121 ______ SlangNRox ______________________ 25 594.52
137 ______ Ken_g6 _________________________ 25 342.04

153 participants in the stats.

Thanks for the stats!

 

[Ken g6]

Thanks for the stats, Peter, and nice to see you joining us!

 

[Kiska]

Thanks for the stats but I probably won't appear on it until the 10th day during the race my slow 525M is contributing to it and my CPUs are probably going to be short by a few minutes, which is why I am helping it by doing manual calculations. :\
Anyway I have a C2D P8400, Core i5 2450M, a 9300M GS and Nvidia 525M in the race so far. And as I said before I probably won't appear until the 10th day of the race.
256 hours on the Core i5? And 270 hours on the C2D? Blasphemy. And this is what in the stderr log.

 

[petrusbroder]

GFN Short Challenge:

Team Stats as of 2013-01-06, 18:45 UTC
Rank ____ Team name ______________________ Points ___
06 ______ SETI.USA _____________________ 2 586 291.52
07 ______ PrimeSearchTeam ______________ 1 775 507.25
08 ______ Keep The Fire Alive __________ 1 770 390.35
09 ______ Aggie The Pew ________________ 1 764 819.74
10 ______ Crunching@EVGA _______________ 1 333 846.75
11 ______ BOINC@MIXI ___________________ 1 225 997.69
12 ______ Polish National Team _________ 1 097 690.86
13 ______ TeAm AnandTech _______________ 1 053 496.17
14 ______ Ukraine ________________________ 745 373.60
15 ______ The Knights Who Say Ni! ________ 738 743.21
16 ______ Texas A&M University ___________ 640 607.36
17 ______ Team China _____________________ 619 287.74
18 ______ BOINC@Poland ___________________ 588 796.43

58 teams in the race.

Individual stats as of 2013-01-06, 18:45 UTC
Rank _____ Name ____________________________ Points ___
024 ______ petrusbroder __________________ 410 067.39
044 ______ biodoc ________________________ 259 433.58
051 ______ zzuupp ________________________ 231 208.17
184 ______ SlangNRox ______________________ 51 650.22
189 ______ Ken_g6 _________________________ 51 327.05
232 ______ geecee _________________________ 25 905.13
265 ______ Icecold ________________________ 23 904.63

267 participants in the race.

 

[biodoc]

Thanks for the stats, Peter!