Hi all,

As you may have noticed, we now have a CUDA 6.0 application. This brings with it several benefits over the older 4.2 and 5.5 applications, notably:

* Support for Maxwell GPUs
* Slightly improved performance
* Much lower CPU load

The minimum driver required for this app is 334.21, but any later version is OK.

In the longer term, our software development will assume CUDA 6. features, and it would be good to have as many of you as possible able to run it.

Currently 60% of all the WUs we get back are completed on machines with this driver or later (though many of you have been running the 55 app, because of our server scheduling policy)

If you have the opportunity, please do consider upgrading your driver!

Don't worry if you can't: the older applications aren't going away. From now on, though, they will get only maintenance updates.

Matt

I have recently upgraded to 332.21. I am a little bit conservative on this issue as everything runs just fin on my computers at the moment.

So I was wondering if you can confirm that the driver 334.21 will run fine on the following cards: GTX570, GTX650ti and GTX670, the last two computers are with W7 and the first one with XP, BOINC Version is 7.0.25. Or can anybody recomened an other driver version?

Or can anybody recomened an other driver version?

I have run a GTX 660 and GTX 650 Ti under WinXP using the 335.28 drivers, and they have worked fine for me on the longs. More recently I have used a GTX 750 Ti with the same drivers, and it has worked fine on the shorts. I would not hesitate to upgrade, but I recommend a clean install, especially if you have multiple cards on the same motherboard (i.e., use Driver Cleaner or Driver Fusion).

:) I have 3 generations of GPUs in the same PC. When I update drivers, I do this:

1) In System -> Advanced System Settings -> Hardware -> Device Installation Settings -> Select "No, let me choose what to do" and "Never install driver software from Windows Update"... that way Windows Update will never try to install a (possibly older) version
2) In Programs and Features, uninstall "NVIDIA Graphics Driver", rebooting when prompted
3) In Programs and Features, uninstall "NVIDIA PhysX" since it doesn't require a restart, and then also uninstall "NVIDIA GeForce Experience", rebooting if prompted, and then also uninstall "NVIDIA HD Audio Driver" rebooting when prompted
4) In Programs and Features, make sure no more NVIDIA driver stuff remains
5) Finally install the new (or old) version that you wanted. Choosing "Clean install" will reset all setting and profiles to their stock defaults.
6) Check for Windows Updates drivers periodically, or revert that Windows Update setting so it includes checking for newer drivers whenever it runs.

It's honestly a mess. NVIDIA needs to fix their uninstaller to do everything in one fell swoop. But, to be fair, most people should simply install the newer version on top, with no need to uninstall the old version first. I choose to do the uninstalls, because I run the BETA NVIDIA drivers, and I want them completely removed whenever I upgrade drivers.

At any rate, I have not had any major problems with NVIDIAs latest driver lately. They do GPUGrid tasks just great. Sometimes they get a bit "power conservative" and will downclock the GPU from Max Boost, but I've created a thread on how to alleviate that, if you want to. Other than that, though, latest drivers work great for me!

Hope this helps!
Jacob

I have the 332.21 driver on my WinXPx64 / GTX 780 Ti host, and it says it has CUDA 6.
I don't want to upgrade my driver on that host, because the new driver's "Much lower CPU load" deteriorates the GTX 780 Ti's performance under WinXP.
Could you issue Cuda 6 work to every host which has appropriate driver for it? The Maxwell GPUs will have at least the 334.21 driver, as the previous ones didn't support that card.

I have the 332.21 driver on my WinXPx64 / GTX 780 Ti host, and it says it has CUDA 6.
I don't want to upgrade my driver on that host, because the new driver's "Much lower CPU load" deteriorates the GTX 780 Ti's performance under WinXP.
Could you issue Cuda 6 work to every host which has appropriate driver for it?

This is even a better solution. I would rather stay with 332.21 driver as well.

Not quite sure what it is you are asking here. If you have driver 332.21 you shouldn't be getting the cuda60 app.

Matt

334.21 is the minimum driver version that we are sending cuda60s to. This is the driver revision that accompanied the first pre-prelease version of the CUDA 6 toolkit that worked for us.

Matt

I have read that the latest 3 drives are hampering the GTX780Ti and that card is already not super with Win7 due to WDDM. So I would like to stick with the 331.82 drivers for a while. However now I am not getting new work anymore from GPUGRID and a message in BOINC says that I need to upgrade the drivers.
That is not what Matt tells here:

Don't worry if you can't: the older applications aren't going away. From now on, though, they will get only maintenance updates.

But seeing this:
4/22/2014 5:08:33 PM | GPUGRID | Message from server: NVIDIA GPU: Upgrade to the latest driver to process tasks using your computer's GPU
4/22/2014 5:08:33 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks sent
4/22/2014 5:08:33 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks are available for ACEMD beta version
4/22/2014 5:08:33 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks are available for Long runs (8-12 hours on fastest card)
4/22/2014 5:08:33 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks are available for CPU only app
4/22/2014 5:10:21 PM | GPUGRID | update requested by user
4/22/2014 5:10:24 PM | GPUGRID | Sending scheduler request: Requested by user.
4/22/2014 5:10:24 PM | GPUGRID | Requesting new tasks for NVIDIA and intel_gpu
4/22/2014 5:10:25 PM | GPUGRID | Scheduler request completed: got 0 new tasks
4/22/2014 5:10:25 PM | GPUGRID | Message from server: NVIDIA GPU: Upgrade to the latest driver to process tasks using your computer's GPU
4/22/2014 5:10:25 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks sent
4/22/2014 5:10:25 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks are available for ACEMD beta version
4/22/2014 5:10:25 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks are available for Long runs (8-12 hours on fastest card)
4/22/2014 5:10:25 PM | GPUGRID | No tasks are available for CPU only app


it seems that I am forced to upgrade the drivers, but then the mighty GTX780Ti will underperform in Win7.

Please advice Matt.

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Greetings from TJ

TJ,

That's a problem with the scheduler. I'll be fixed shortly.

Matt

TJ,

That's a problem with the scheduler. I'll be fixed shortly.

Matt

Thank you Matt!

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Greetings from TJ

334.21 is the minimum driver version that we are sending cuda60s to. This is the driver revision that accompanied the first pre-prelease version of the CUDA 6 toolkit that worked for us.

Matt

334.21 is for Linux and adds support for Maxwell's.
However I have successfully returned CUDA6 work using 331.49 on Ubuntu 13.10 64-bit from a Kepler:

234x-SANTI_MAR423cap310-69-84-RND5084_0 6452642 20 Apr 2014 | 10:24:50 UTC 20 Apr 2014 | 12:58:06 UTC Completed and validated 9,100.43 1,596.87 18,300.00 Short runs (2-3 hours on fastest card) v8.21 (cuda60)

Presumably that rig will stop getting CUDA6 work now, unless I manage to upgrade to the latest drivers, which I don't really need to do as I don't have a Maxwell (and I should still get CUDA42/55 work).

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FAQ's

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I got new work again app 8.40 cuda60 and I have driver 331.82. They error out almost immediately, this are some lines:

4/22/2014 7:59:46 PM | GPUGRID | If this happens repeatedly you may need to reset the project.
4/22/2014 7:59:47 PM | GPUGRID | Computation for task e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0 finished
4/22/2014 7:59:47 PM | GPUGRID | Output file e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0_0 for task e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0 absent
4/22/2014 7:59:47 PM | GPUGRID | Output file e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0_1 for task e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0 absent
4/22/2014 7:59:47 PM | GPUGRID | Output file e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0_2 for task e16s63_e7s8f74-GIANNI_lig3-0-1-RND3589_0 absent
4/22/2014 8:00:27 PM | GPUGRID | Task A2ART4Ex03x7-GERARD_A2ART4E-2-14-RND6887_0 exited with zero status but no 'finished' file
4/22/2014 8:00:27 PM | GPUGRID | If this happens repeatedly you may need to reset the project.

So something is still not right, as the driver I am using is not good for cuda60, but my PC is getting these WU's. Can we solve this Matt, or do I really have to update the drivers? I am not keen to do for the 780Ti. Thanks

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Greetings from TJ

Looking into it...

Try cuda60 version 841

(By the way, this reintroduces SWAN_SYNC - if you set that to 1 you should find you get improved performance)

Matt

app 8.21 errors out with 331.38 driver which is the default for the latest Ubuntu release 14.04

How about using the ACEMD beta channel just for the cuda 60 long tasks.

Stoneageman - it's a scheduling issue, unfortunately. Itś affecting all apps equally.

Try cuda60 version 841

(By the way, this reintroduces SWAN_SYNC - if you set that to 1 you should find you get improved performance)

Matt

It is still not working Matt. App and files are downloaded, then it says running, but nothing happened and then they error out.
So it seems driver 331.82 can no longer be used? But you mentioned that cuda42 tasks would still be around. Why does my system not getting those as I have a lesser driver then the one needed for cuda60? Or am I missing something or miss-read?

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Greetings from TJ

Yeah - scheduling on the Cuda capability reported by the driver is insufficient - the 331s say they do, but they don't. We've reverted to giving cuda60s out only to 334+

Matt