Folding@Home User Crams 23 GeForce GTX 295 Videocards into a Single Server
Posted 04/07/09 at 11:53:41 AM by Paul Lilly
Comments
Print
Email
Before someone asks, the answer is 'yes,' we don't doubt the Atlas Folder can handle Crysis. But despite outfitting his server with 23 -- TWENTY EFFING THREE! -- gual-GPU GeForce GTX 295 videocards, Jason Farqué, who goes by the username Atlas Folding, has a more important goal in mind:
"The reason that my father in enrolled in [a clinical trial] is the same as the reason I run my folding farm. To fight back, to do something," Farqué wrote on his blog. "To help science overcoming Huntington's Disease so that people as yet unborn wont' have as hard a time as he and others do. Because my father wants the human race to succeed, to get better, to overcome our bodies' inherent frailties by using our minds."
Farqué's father suffers from Huntington's Disease, and if Stanford's Folding@Home distributed computing project leads to a cure, then it will be hard to imagine a better use for such a gluttony of high powered videocards. Among the setup are 9 MSI-brand 295s, 14 EVGA-brand 295s, and and a single GTX 260 and 9800GT thrown in for good measure.
And if you think that's impressive, Farqué has been mulling a similar setup with Nvidia's 300 series once it launches.
Check out a video of the super Folding server here, a Maximum PC forum post on how Farqué handled the configuration here, and see how you can both help the cause and lead Maximum PC to victory in this year's Chimp Challenge here.
ALL BOUGHT UP RESPONSE TO EXPLAINS WHY
Submitted by RAMBO on Wed, 09/16/2009 - 12:26am
YEAH THAT EXPLAINS IT WHY NEWEGG HAS NO MORE GTX295'S. I AGREE, THIS GUY
BOUGHT THEM ALL!!! MUST BE NICE TO HAVE ALL THAT GREEN AND THE TIME TO GO WITH IT.
heat
Submitted by bikerbub on Thu, 09/10/2009 - 11:52am
forget the electric bill, how much heat is in that room? its gotta be like a furnace. i bet if you put it outside during the winter, you could see the steam. lol.
so...... this explains why
Submitted by Tripl3Thr3at on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 6:05pm
so...... this explains why Newegg has been running out of stock on the 295's for the last few weeks
=P
so many correctiosn and yet...
Submitted by nekollx on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 2:39pm
you still missed this...
gual-GPU GeForce GTX 295 videocards
Submitted by Atlas Folder on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 1:44pm
Paul, thank you kindly for the corrections in your story. Because my video was hijacked the details of what was going on were indeed pretty blurry. MaximumPC has been very responsive in keeping the story straight.
Much appreciated.
Jason
Atlas Folder - Fighting Huntington's Disease with Folding@Home
http://atlasfolding.com
Submitted by lancethepants on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 11:39am
So are another 3 gpu going to be added to the mix when you get the power supplies Atlas Folder? Where does the money come to fund this? Just the GPU's alone come up to over $10,000, then there's an electric bill. I think it's pretty cool to put all that hardware to good use, rather than wasted time playing video games (I being one that has wasted too much time myself :) )
Can't wait to see the setup when Nvida comes out with the new 300 Series
Yeah, yeah, but can it run
Submitted by dag1992 on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 11:20am
Yeah, yeah, but can it run Crysis?
sure it can but...
Submitted by Devo85x on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 5:18pm
Sure it can play crysis, but since crysis can only take advantage of 3 GPUs and 4 CPU threads, i guess about 43 GPUs and a good number of CPU cores are going to waist (and no that was not a typo when i said 43... 23 graphics cards * 2 gpus each = 46 gpus, - 3 that crysis uses = 43, now hopefully noone will try to make me look like an idiot by saying "43 GPUS?!?!? ITS 20 IDIOT!" :)
Submitted by sasquatch42 on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 12:30pm
yes it can
I love this guy. That is the
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 10:31am
I love this guy. That is the most un-green machine around. That system has a carbon footprint the size of 10 space shuttle launches every week. I love it. This machine requires that 10square miles of rain forest be cleared out every day this machine runs and hopefully this machine runs nonstop.
Finally an awesome machine that a non-politically correct person such as myself can enjoy.
And I hope his father gets better. I hope this machine is what helps discover a cure for lots of stuff.
Submitted by Atlas Folder on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:53am
For the record I go by the handle Atlas Folder. ByGamerForGamer hijacked my video on YouTube and claimed that it was his... So being referred to by that handle is rather grating. :)
Jason
atlasfolding.com
Paul, please fix the error.
Submitted by StormEffect on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:59am
Paul, please fix the error.
Does he have a dedicated fiber connection to the internet?
Submitted by QUINTIX256 on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:49am
I smell a bandwidth bottleneck limiting this computer's potential contribution.
You can have your recession. I'm not participating.
Submitted by Taodal on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:40am
if u think about it there is no point unless u got a wall of like 100 monitors.. better to have 30 high speed hhds in raid 0 at like 10gb ea.. soo fast!!
Since they are GTX 295's
Submitted by CTskifreak on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 11:35am
Since they are GTX 295's, he can run two instances per card. This isn't to play games, it is to fold. Have a read here: http://folding.stanford.edu/
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 10:37am
There is a version of Folding at home that runs off the GPU so for every GPU he is able to run at least one instance of Folding@home. That's like 46instances or 46 folding@home programs running at the same time. He can use one monitor but a dual monitor is probably better for easier access to his stuff.
I'm not sure but he maybe able to run 2 folding@home instances per GPU and in that case it would be 92 Folding@home programs running at the same time.
He only needs the HDD's to store the programs. Once the programs are running they are loaded into faster system memory and the video cards memory. So once the programs are running the HDD's aren't even getting used all that much. Maybe a few swaps here and there and thats it.
Submitted by burntjuggalas on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:26am
Imagine that electric bill. Dizzam! and im wondering why they dont use 4870 X2's they have 2 TFLOPS each...
Submitted by CTskifreak on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:36am
The ATI client is no where near as efficient as the NVIDIA client. Until Stanford and the Pande group refine it, the NVIDIA client will be many times better.
some publicity for our impending overtake?
Submitted by Gailim on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:25am
could you mention somewhere that we are mere hours from taking the #3 spot in the foling universe?
Submitted by chronium on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:22am
yes even the picture only shows 17 GPUs
Submitted by comptech08 on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:21am
He also has a nice little heater during the cold months
Submitted by nekollx on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:16am
needs more GPUS....
Submitted by lancethepants on Tue, 04/07/2009 - 9:15am
I wish I had that kind of money.
Actually, in the video it states there are 17 in that rack, 4 awaiting power supplies, and two in his home computer. Nonetheless an impressive setup.
Must Read Articles
Feature
Review
Feature
Feature
Feature
Most Popular Articles
This Month's Issue
FEATURE How to Get FREE Programs, Services, Software & MoreFEATURE Digital Photo Printer RoundupHOW TOBuild a 3D CameraFEATUREDIY Arcade PCWHITE PAPERHow TRIM Works
Technology News
Computer Cooling Fans
Computer Cases
PC Game Controllers
PC Games
Computer Hardware
Headphones
MP3 Players
Stream Video
Computer Mouse
Monitors
Motherboards
NAS Storage
Networking
Laptop Computers
DVD Burner
Digital Cameras
Portable Storage
Computer Accessories
Smartphone
Antivirus Software
Sound Cards
Speakers
Computer Systems
Thumb Drives
Video Cameras
Video Card Reviews
Water Cooling
Gadgets
- Keyboards
© 2009 Future US, Inc. All Rights Reserved.