I finally got a i7 running last night with a BFG GTX 295 in it. It won't run the GPU WU's more than a couple of minutes though & then they give me a Computation Error on every 1 of them so I just stopped the GPU Project until this morning > i7 Host

I thought it had something to do with the SLI so this morning I checked out the Nvidia Control Panel @ set it to:
1. Set PhysX GPU acceleration: Disabled
2. Select the multi-GPU configuration: Do not use multi-GPU-mode

That doesn't seem to be working either, I'm still getting the Computation Error's on every WU ... ... I'm just runnin the CPU & GPU @ the Stock Speeds so Overclocking's not an issue right now. I set the GPU to NNW & Suspended the project again until I can get some Ideas why the WU's are Erroring.

PS: I'm using NVIDIA Driver 181.20 & BOINC Client v6.4.5 (Had to use the 181.20 Video Driver as it was the only one that would install, the Drivers for the 260's & 280's won't work with the 295's ...

PS: Also I can't get 8 WU's running like 6 Regular & 2 GPU's WU's, it's either 9 or 7. If I set CPU usage to 87.5% 9 WU's run & with 75% 7 WU's run.

Hi PB - 87% gives me 6 CPU and 2 GPU units on my i7. Sounds like driver issues.

Hi PB - 87% gives me 6 CPU and 2 GPU units on my i7. Sounds like driver issues.

I'm thinking that too, I was just informed a newer Driver is out 181.22 so I'm going to try & get ahold of it & try it out. Grrrrrrr, the last WU I had just errored out @ 22 Min's ...

PS: Still getting the Error's on evey WU with the new 181.22 Video Drivers in Windows XP Pro 64-Bit ...

Hi PB - 87% gives me 6 CPU and 2 GPU units on my i7. Sounds like driver issues.

I'm thinking that too, I was just informed a newer Driver is out 181.22 so I'm going to try & get ahold of it & try it out. Grrrrrrr, the last WU I had just errored out @ 22 Min's ...

PS: Still getting the Error's on evey WU with the new 181.22 Video Drivers in Windows XP Pro 64-Bit ...

Ouch...

I have one 295 on the way also ... Though I think I am going to try it in a Linux box first to see what the CPU load is there. I hope the drivers work there for me ...

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Though I think I am going to try it in a Linux box first to see what the CPU load is there. I hope the drivers work there for me ...

I have been using this combination (Asus 295) under Fedora 10 with success, CPU load < 10%. It seems all of the GUI's I tried cause 'computational error' problems and screen freezes when attempting to change any speeds.

Curt

P.D.B. wrote:

I have one 295 on the way also ... Though I think I am going to try it in a Linux box first to see what the CPU load is there. I hope the drivers work there for me ...

i7965 + 3 GTX295 + Linux-x86_64 + Nnvidia driver 180.22 -> CPU-load = 18%...
...so this results in a load of 3% per GPU-core (if one wants to take the values displayed by the system as reliable...)

P.D.B. wrote:

I have one 295 on the way also ... Though I think I am going to try it in a Linux box first to see what the CPU load is there. I hope the drivers work there for me ...

i7965 + 3 GTX295 + Linux-x86_64 + Nnvidia driver 180.22 -> CPU-load = 18%...
...so this results in a load of 3% per GPU-core (if one wants to take the values displayed by the system as reliable...)

I was pondering trying something like that ... pull the drive I have with windows on the i7 machine, use another disk, put linux on it, then put the 295 and the 280 in one machine (Ausus MB with 3 PIC-e slots) ... I was even thinking of putting the 9800Gt in there too ...

So, I will be thinking about this over the week end ... not sure how fast I would make the changes ... but I want to lower the loads on the CPU and that seems to be happening more slowly than I would hope ...

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................ so does anyone actually have a GTX295 working under any flavour of Windows?

................ so does anyone actually have a GTX295 working under any flavour of Windows?

Was wondering that myself, I ran a 260 in place of the 295 overnight & it ran okay with the 181.22 Drivers that the 295 wouldn't run the WU's with so I don't know what the problem is with the 295 & Windows XP Pro 64-Bit ???

Hi PB - I only have Vista64 & 32 available. Think I'll be holding off on the 295 for the moment. Prices have edged down a little in the UK - are they still running at launch prices in the US?

Pretty much, $495 & up for the BFG GTX's, I'm going to check out the Nvidia Forums & see what they have to say about the Problem. If their Clueless then I'm going to see what the Returns Policy is on the Card I bought, if it's just for an exchange then I may as well keep it but if I can get my money back minus shipping then I might RMA it & wait for something else to come out.

Hi PB - I only have Vista64 & 32 available. Think I'll be holding off on the 295 for the moment. Prices have edged down a little in the UK - are they still running at launch prices in the US?

Tiger Direct had them for $499 so I ordered one, it seemed reasonable at the time ... of course I was in the midst of a depressive funk, so who knows ...

It should be here today and along with it will be a new 1K PSU so I was thinking, for Ha Ha to put it in my dual core AMD 4400 to see:

a) Does it get picked up by that set-up
b) what is the CPU load
c) does it run tasks to completion

Depending on the results of that test I may wind up taking my i7 and putting a new disk in and installing linux and then put the 280 and 295 in that box and running Linux for a bit till they get the CPU load in windows back down to a reasonable number. Worst case they never do and for that I will probably run GPU Grid on the linux i7 and the AMD while waiting ...

In the mean time, by doing that I should be able to recover some of the waste and get my total RAC/ Daily earnings back up ... losing 3% CPU does not sound like much but it is about 2 Cosmology tasks per day (current focus project) and that is a cool 280 Cobblestones lost to polling ...

As I have said in other posts, my personal preference would actually be to lose GPU performance on GPU Grid for better throughput on the CPU side ... that is me, because my goal is OVERALL perfomance on all my projects. Some one concentrating on GPU Grid would make the other choice.

Engineering is a discipline of trade-offs ... the old triangle of cost, schedule, quality; pick two comes immediately to mind ... and here, logically they are choosing to optimize, at least to start, on GPU performance. For the nonce I was waiting to see how long it would take for them to make inroads on the CPU performance issues ... and my feeling is that it is taking longer than I would like ...

I don't want to stop doing GPU Grid ... but, the costs are far higher than I like ...

But that is me, I support almost all active projects with at least a little bit of my time... and here, well, they be inefficient ...

Anyway, if Linux is more efficient, I will be able to position my three GPU cards in two systems to get the most production out of all my assets ... I will keep you all posted ...

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I finally got a i7 running last night with a BFG GTX 295 in it. It won't run the GPU WU's more than a couple of minutes though & then they give me a Computation Error on every 1 of them

' sad to report, the first GPU of my GTX 295 has been giving me more and more work unit errors. I noticed one three days ago, 2 two days ago, 3 yesterday, and now 6 today. Looks like RMA time for the 295.

Meanwhile, the second GPU of that GTX 295 runs rock solid.
Such a shame the first GPU is flaking out.

Had to RMA one GTX also...so welcome to the club!

Had to RMA one GTX also...so welcome to the club!

Which brand?

My EVGA has been running well so far (so good? Knock wood!) ...

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P.D.B. wrote:

Which brand?

Palit...

I got my new BFG GTX 295 Replacement today & so far it hasn't erred out a WU in Windows XP Pro 64-Bit. Still using the 181.22 Video Card Drivers with BOINC Client 6.3.3 that's I installed today & running the 6.62 WU's. So maybe the Card I RMA'ed was Damaged Internally because it sure was Externally messed up a little when I received it and I couldn't get it to run this good in Windows.

What does anybody else running a 295 in Windows have the (1. Set PhysX GPU Acceleration) set to in the Nvidia Control Panel ??? I have it Disabled right now but it seems to run either way (Enabled or Disabled) As long as the WU's are running okay I'll try a set of 2 both ways & see if it makes any difference ...