Join The Gamespot Folding Team!!!!

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Dark_Jedi

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#1 Dark_Jedi
Member since 2002 • 11946 Posts
Hello And Welcome To The Gamespot Folding Team! ! !

The Gamespot Folding team was originally started by thaddusbly some years ago when this site used the Lithium forums. Thankfully when the forums switched over to the existing software Dark_Jedi saved the main post and re-stickied what we have here today. Under the watchful eyes of Konrad & nutDAVE3 it had remained stickied.

While I am at it I'd like to thank everyone who contributes to this team effort by donating their unused processor cycles and as well as posting and helping out in this very thread. I'd also like to thank DirkVD01 for helping me out with the updates.

So what's the actual purpose of the Gamespot folding team? Well it's not about folding laundry :) Stanford University runs a distributed computing program called Folding@home and its goal is to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases. That last part, related diseases is what this is really all about; it's what nearly 2,000,000 processors are doing and that is helping to find cures to these forms of cancer:

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD)
CANCER AND P53
HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE (HD)
OSTEOGENSIS IMPERFECTA
PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD)
RIBOSOME AND ANTIBIOTICS

In addition to the links above you can read up (if so incline) on the published research papers that are a direct result of the various folding teams. Currently there are 45 and they can be read HERE. The papers are of public domain and not something that was sold off for profit. For more information on the scientific literature and what exactly protein folding and misfoling is see THIS.

How does the Gamespot Folding team work? Basically you download a small program or client that once installed will utilize your processor's 'unused' cycles to work on folding. Unused cycles? Simply put it is the portion of you processor that isn't doing any work, so if it's running at 80% while you game the other 20% goes to folding. It does this on the fly and will not interfere with your gaming or other computer usage. You can download clients that run either in the background or clients that run as screen savers.

What are the requirements to run it? Whatever processor you use needs to be able to complete the work units on time which can usually be done on a processor running at 1GHz or faster. These are the various operating systems you can run it on and the client downloads:

Windows 2000, Windows XP & Windows Vista - Graphical Clients
Windows 98 & Windows ME - Graphical Clients
Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP & Windows Vista - Text Only Clients
Linux x86 and BSD - Text Only Client
Linux x86-64bit SMP - Text Only Client
MAC OS X - Graphical Client
MAC OS X - Screen Saver Client
MAC OS X - Text Only Client
MAC OS X (Intel) SMP - Text Only Client
NEW! ATI Graphic Cards (X1600, X1800, X1900 & Beyond
NEW! SONY Playstation 3
TEAM INFORMATION

The Gamespot Folding Team Is:#32721

http://fahstats.com/tp.php?t=32721

Production History
http://fahstats.com/tr.php?t=32721

Radar Scope
http://fahstats.com/ts.php?t=32721

Active & New Member Daily History
More statistics can be found at FAH Stats.com



Future updates: Inclusion of charts, setup guides and more info on PS3 folding.

This thread is currently maintained by Krall with the last updates being done one 3/18/07
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Yodeling_Punk

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#2 Yodeling_Punk
Member since 2002 • 6501 Posts
I would love to help cure cancer, but I dont want to analyze chemicals.
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Krall

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#3 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts
Wow nice work Dark Jedi! :) I thought threads like this would be gone forever. Glad to see someone taking the initiative.
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*floppydisk191

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#4 *floppydisk191
Member since 2003 • 4557 Posts
Hey I wil help, Hang on I will get my computers set up! I have 7 of them. One of them is HT. So this will work great.
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nuke_the_whales

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#5 nuke_the_whales
Member since 2002 • 2430 Posts
Name one disease you cured using this method. None huh? Then whats the point?
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Dark_Jedi

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#6 Dark_Jedi
Member since 2002 • 11946 Posts
Name one disease you cured using this method. None huh? Then whats the point?nuke_the_whales

Distributed computing is still in its infancy, but is considered the future of science processing power. Read this if you aren't convinced. I don't think a cancer cure is expected to come from Folding, but simulating the folding of proteins is an important step to understand why proteins fail to fold incorrectly, causing such diseases as cancer. If you aren't interested, no one is forcing you to contribute, but I myself think it is a good cause, even if the goal seems far out of reach.
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Dissipate

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#7 Dissipate
Member since 2002 • 8987 Posts

[QUOTE="nuke_the_whales"]Name one disease you cured using this method. None huh? Then whats the point?Dark_Jedi

Distributed computing is still in its infancy, but is considered the future of science processing power. Read this if you aren't convinced. I don't think a cancer cure is expected to come from Folding, but simulating the folding of proteins is an important step to understand why proteins fail to fold incorrectly, causing such diseases as cancer. If you aren't interested, no one is forcing you to contribute, but I myself think it is a good cause, even if the goal seems far out of reach.

I agree, I'll help out after I put in my new parts. Should be in about a week or so.

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AbsoluteO

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#8 AbsoluteO
Member since 2002 • 7364 Posts
FloppyDisk, your sig is giving me a seizure! lol

Folding sounds like a good idea, but the link didn't work for me.
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Krall

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#9 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts

FloppyDisk, your sig is giving me a seizure! lol

Folding sounds like a good idea, but the link didn't work for me.AbsoluteO

This should take you to the main page: http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/

BTW that Nuke the Whales guy, what if it does cure cancer? All that time your computer sat around doing nothing could have been used for something productive. And if it doesn't turn out to be curable then it's not like it's hurting your computer in anyway.

Folding all by itself isn't going to come up with a cure, it's helping the researchers and scientist get their work done a little faster then they could otherwise.

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Krall

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#10 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts

Hey DJ, a few of those links from the original post don't work anymore and 1 goes to a nice pron site ;) If you get a chance I looked around and found replacement links so maybe you can update them:


This is to view team stats:
http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=32721

Link to more interactive stats page:
http://www.statsman.ww-testsites.co.uk/folding2stats/

An excellant link to check out team progress:
http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=32721

One other link that might be good to add is a MaximumPC magazine article on setting up the client(s) on your computer: http://www.maximumpc.com/features/feature_2003-06-10.html

We aren't doing to bad either after all this time, we are ranked 144 out of 30680 other teams :)

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Shoota_McG

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#11 Shoota_McG
Member since 2002 • 22207 Posts
Oh noes! I've dropped to 4th!!!
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Dark_Jedi

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#12 Dark_Jedi
Member since 2002 • 11946 Posts

Hey DJ, a few of those links from the original post don't work anymore and 1 goes to a nice pron site ;) If you get a chance I looked around and found replacement links so maybe you can update them:


This is to view team stats:
http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=32721

Link to more interactive stats page:
http://www.statsman.ww-testsites.co.uk/folding2stats/

An excellant link to check out team progress:
http://folding.extremeoverclocking.com/team_summary.php?s=&t=32721

One other link that might be good to add is a MaximumPC magazine article on setting up the client(s) on your computer: http://www.maximumpc.com/features/feature_2003-06-10.html

We aren't doing to bad either after all this time, we are ranked 144 out of 30680 other teams :)

Krall

Thanks, I added all of those links, though I can't seem to hyperlink them until the permissions problem is fixed.
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Poochie-

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#13 Poochie-
Member since 2002 • 9396 Posts
I joined. :)
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Golden_Helmet

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#14 Golden_Helmet
Member since 2003 • 15070 Posts
i've been in this. whatever helps to cure cancer :)

although i only have a 1800+, this lil' CPU is working its non-existant heart out to save my life one day :P
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red_person

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#15 red_person
Member since 2003 • 3715 Posts
I joined but not this one.
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Poochie-

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#16 Poochie-
Member since 2002 • 9396 Posts
I just got a 5,000 point work unit. Wow, this will take forever. :)
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AbsoluteO

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#17 AbsoluteO
Member since 2002 • 7364 Posts

[QUOTE="AbsoluteO"]FloppyDisk, your sig is giving me a seizure! lol

Folding sounds like a good idea, but the link didn't work for me.Krall

This should take you to the main page: http://www.stanford.edu/group/pandegroup/folding/

BTW that Nuke the Whales guy, what if it does cure cancer? All that time your computer sat around doing nothing could have been used for something productive. And if it doesn't turn out to be curable then it's not like it's hurting your computer in anyway.

Folding all by itself isn't going to come up with a cure, it's helping the researchers and scientist get their work done a little faster then they could otherwise.



thanks, that link worked. i joined ;)
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Zacmaniac

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#18 Zacmaniac
Member since 2002 • 9515 Posts
Whatever happened to good ol thaddusbly?
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thaddusbly

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#19 thaddusbly
Member since 2002 • 2240 Posts
Im still around. I check these forums about once a month, but I dont have the amount of time to do everything that I did here. Simply put, running the #1 DC Clan (Phaze 2) takes too much time to do much else while on my computer. Maybe during the summer I'll do a bit of posting here, but as of now i just have 0 time.
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Counte_Monte

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#20 Counte_Monte
Member since 2002 • 2470 Posts
I have a new problem. If i leave Folding running, and I load up warcraft or starcraft, it minimizes everytime i click something in the game interfaces. Any work around?
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ChaoticNeutral

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#21 ChaoticNeutral
Member since 2003 • 25 Posts
I'm 'bout it 'bout it. God Bless!!!
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Altonova1

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#22 Altonova1
Member since 2003 • 1756 Posts

I have a new problem. If i leave Folding running, and I load up warcraft or starcraft, it minimizes everytime i click something in the game interfaces. Any work around?Counte_Monte

when i go to play a game i lower the cpu usage it handles. if i don't then either the game fails to load or i get the same problem you do though not in the same games

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Krall

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#23 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts

[QUOTE="Counte_Monte"]I have a new problem. If i leave Folding running, and I load up warcraft or starcraft, it minimizes everytime i click something in the game interfaces. Any work around?Altonova1

when i go to play a game i lower the cpu usage it handles. if i don't then either the game fails to load or i get the same problem you do though not in the same games

You can also run it the way I do. I just use the screen saver so when I'm not actually using the computer after say 10mins that comes up and it folds so it doesn't interfere with what I am doing while in use.

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GoldenAvenger

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#24 GoldenAvenger
Member since 2004 • 875 Posts

I have a PC (well my dad does) that could fold 24/7 but I doubt my dad would feel like paying an extra amount in his electricity bill (not that I have any open electrical sockets...). Oh well.

BTW, have they actually shown any progress? It doesn't seem like the folding thing is doing much. .:(
I guess it's worth it if they can actually create a cure for cancer though.

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schu

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#25 schu
Member since 2003 • 10191 Posts
I have a question, this may not be popular with some, but does the information that you figure out with this folding thing ever go to be used in animal research? i dont want to be responsible for figuring out a reason for them to give a monkey cancer to try to cure it
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DarthMegalon

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#26 DarthMegalon
Member since 2002 • 1210 Posts

protein folding and interactions are important in stuff like gene regulation, development, and cell death. cancer is the result of uncontrolled cell growth, so if the reason for that is because of over/under-active proteins from misfolding or different interactions with other proteins, it's not a bad idea to study this stuff in any way possible. running this program helps achieve this goal, although the results each computer contributes are small in the scope of such a large project.

no matter how much computer simming is done of this stuff, ultimately it will need to be tested in a "real world" situation. so an animal model will be used to study in vivo protein interactions, be it for cancer research or something else (this is currently being done in a lot of labs, but most of the time isn't done on monkeys, usually mice or smaller animals that are easier to work with). without animal models the treatments that help save millions of people every year wouldn't exist, and future goals of curing widespread disease would be unreachable.

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InsaneSly

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#27 InsaneSly
Member since 2003 • 1583 Posts

I Just set up for HT woo! and it works time to rake in the WUs

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xchaos12

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#28 xchaos12
Member since 2004 • 217 Posts
Well, I just signed up.
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Krall

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#29 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts

Well, I just signed up.Jimi_Thing

Nice, welcome to the team :)

Go DMB!

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InsaneSly

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#30 InsaneSly
Member since 2003 • 1583 Posts

[QUOTE="Jimi_Thing"]Well, I just signed up.Krall

Nice, welcome to the team :)

Go DMB!

You Like DMB haha very cool!

Im folding alot faster now hehe, that 1 link says i will overtake you in 1121 days see you in 4 years :lol:

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AbsoluteO

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#31 AbsoluteO
Member since 2002 • 7364 Posts
how many WUs has everyone completed? i'm on 9 but that's because i don't leave my computer on all the time. any of you at 50 or 100?
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Krall

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#32 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts

how many WUs has everyone completed? i'm on 9 but that's because i don't leave my computer on all the time. any of you at 50 or 100?AbsoluteO

I've done 505 WUs :) but I have 3 computers folding when not in use... damn I've been kicked down to 4th place :( need more power!

And yes DMB rules! They are unbelievable live :D

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FragStains

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#33 FragStains
Member since 2003 • 20668 Posts
im in, athlon XP...go to work!!
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-fool-

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#34 -fool-
Member since 2003 • 21490 Posts

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roosterboy_08

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#35 roosterboy_08
Member since 2003 • 4996 Posts
Ok, well It cause multiple problems and i decided that I would play with it some other time. Also, should it use 100% of CPU? BTW my computer started making a wierd noise after it froze and then crashed, and the icon would not show up in the system tray.
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GummiRaccoon

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#36 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts
I just joined.
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AbsoluteO

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#37 AbsoluteO
Member since 2002 • 7364 Posts

I just joined.GummiRaccoon

like you're computer's gonna help a lot :P

jk

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GummiRaccoon

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#38 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]I just joined.AbsoluteO

like you're computer's gonna help a lot :P

jk

:( I am on my 2nd work unit already and my computer is on about 12 hours a day I think it can handle itself. Besides I am on the brink of upgrading to an AXP 2400+ and I was thinking of putting it on my quad xeon 550, but I am not sure if F@H is multithreaded or not and I barely have my server on.

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Dark_Jedi

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#39 Dark_Jedi
Member since 2002 • 11946 Posts
[QUOTE="AbsoluteO"]

[QUOTE="GummiRaccoon"]I just joined.GummiRaccoon

like you're computer's gonna help a lot :P

jk

:( I am on my 2nd work unit already and my computer is on about 12 hours a day I think it can handle itself. Besides I am on the brink of upgrading to an AXP 2400+ and I was thinking of putting it on my quad xeon 550, but I am not sure if F@H is multithreaded or not and I barely have my server on.


According to this information, if you add -local -advmethods -forceasm -verbosity 9 to the target line of your F@h shortcut, it should enable multiprocessor use.
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AtreusGS

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#40 AtreusGS
Member since 2004 • 1528 Posts
heh... i'm in. who knows, maybe this will be helpful. :/
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awoeonip

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#41 awoeonip
Member since 2004 • 7488 Posts

woohoo, a gamespot folding team!! I've been folding with maximumPC for about 6 months now, but I think i'm gonna be changing alligiences once I reinstall windows...:)

If you are using an athlon...-forceSSE usually does alot to boost production. Also, install the console version as a service (just google it..there are many applications out there that do this), that way, it will be running silent and not cluttering any space. Keep a shortcut to the log if you want to keep track of how you are folding.

Also, turn off your screensaver. Don't set it to blank, set it to <none> and set your monitor to shut off after 3 or 5 minutes. That way, your screensaver isn't stealing cycles. Hibernation and standby will halt folding.

There's no reason not to join...I've been running folding at 100% 24/7 on a wimpy 350W PSU with minimal system cooling with minimal for half a year now (Aside from occasional freezes every couple of weeks) . A research firm did a study on folding's impact on gaming and found that it lowered framerates by less than 3% in most cases. (Can't find the link :() Good luck folding everyone!

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bruckout

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#42 bruckout
Member since 2003 • 1491 Posts
ive joined......
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GummiRaccoon

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#43 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts
I'm on my 3rd work unit. W00t
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AtreusGS

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#44 AtreusGS
Member since 2004 • 1528 Posts

i'm only on #2. :(

but i'll catch up soon.

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CrazyKinux

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#45 CrazyKinux
Member since 2002 • 25 Posts
Here's to Folding@Gamespot!!!

Great initiative Dark Jedi.

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swetty_betty

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#46 swetty_betty
Member since 2004 • 2258 Posts

hey, i was wondering if the folding program runs all the time or only when the cpu is idle, i've been using one from oxford/cambridge uni for the last couple of years and that one only loads when your screen saver kicks in. is this one the same?

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Krall

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#47 Krall
Member since 2002 • 16463 Posts

hey, i was wondering if the folding program runs all the time or only when the cpu is idle, i've been using one from oxford/cambridge uni for the last couple of years and that one only loads when your screen saver kicks in. is this one the same?

swetty_betty

You can choose between running a screen saver (like I do) or using the program runs when the CPU is idle :) Both are available from the first page of this posting.

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Dark_Jedi

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#48 Dark_Jedi
Member since 2002 • 11946 Posts

hey, i was wondering if the folding program runs all the time or only when the cpu is idle, i've been using one from oxford/cambridge uni for the last couple of years and that one only loads when your screen saver kicks in. is this one the same?

swetty_betty


You can set it up that way, but in it's default mode, Folding uses all of your spare CPU cycles to fold proteins, so your CPU usage is always at 100%. There is virtually no performance hit, though.

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*floppydisk191

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#49 *floppydisk191
Member since 2003 • 4557 Posts
Purging Related Bump
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koolmark20000

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#50 koolmark20000
Member since 2003 • 717 Posts
I have downloaded it. And it says that it is working. I hope I can help. I am running a Gateway intel 1.8ghz processor . Do i need to do anything else with the program after I download it and configure it and it says that it is working in the bottom part of my screen next to the time? If so please tell me.