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Optimized Seti@Home apps => Windows => Topic started by: Pizzadude on 30 Dec 2010, 06:04:22 pm

Title: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 30 Dec 2010, 06:04:22 pm
I have just installed a GTX460 alongside my trusty GTX295 and what I would like to do is have the GTX460 crunching at least two workunits at once. I have gone in to the App_info and reduced the Cuda limit from 1 to 0.5 and this does indeed allow the GTX460 to crunch to units, however the downside is that it also causes the GTX295 to attempt the same and this slows the whole system to being unusable.

Can you specify somehow that only the GTX 460 multitasks ?
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Ghost0210 on 30 Dec 2010, 06:08:42 pm
Unfortunately not. The <count> field will apply to both cards
Many have tried to find ways round this, but my understanding is that Boinc just isn't sophisticated enough to be able to do this yet
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 01 Jan 2011, 04:18:06 am
Another strange thing I have noticed is that using one work unit per GPU the GTX460 crunches faster on its own, crunching with the GTX295 also slows down the GTX460 by as much as 50%.

Any suggestions ?
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Ghost0210 on 01 Jan 2011, 08:12:44 am
Another strange thing I have noticed is that using one work unit per GPU the GTX460 crunches faster on its own, crunching with the GTX295 also slows down the GTX460 by as much as 50%.

Any suggestions ?

Not seen this before, but have noticed that when crunching 2 tasks on my 465, when a task loads, and there is an existing task running on the 465; the existing task will pause crunching untill the new task has loaded to the GPU and starts crunching. So for example :

Task A finishes
Task B is 50% complete
Task C starts to load
Task B pauses crunching (or time to completion and progress bar pause) for a few seconds (5-10 seconds max)
Task B continues normallly
Task C fininshes loading and starts to crunch

Is this similar to what you are seeing? Can't remember if my 240 was slowing my 260 when I had that setup, I'm currently running an ATI and 465 setup so can't really compare your setup with mine
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Raistmer on 01 Jan 2011, 08:31:38 am
did you try to use some tools to set different cuda tasks to different cpu cores?
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 02 Jan 2011, 10:25:51 am
This seems to have been a driver issue.  Completely removed older driver version and clean installed 258.96 and everything seems good.



Another strange thing I have noticed is that using one work unit per GPU the GTX460 crunches faster on its own, crunching with the GTX295 also slows down the GTX460 by as much as 50%.

Any suggestions ?
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: perryjay on 02 Jan 2011, 10:33:15 am
Any reason to use the older 258.96 driver? The newer one is 260.99. Have you tried it yet?
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 02 Jan 2011, 02:42:43 pm
I went with the older version as I had been using that version with no issues for over a month and new it to be stable - well at least until this weekend.  Is 260.99 proving to be stable as I may go to that in the near future ?

Any reason to use the older 258.96 driver? The newer one is 260.99. Have you tried it yet?
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: perryjay on 02 Jan 2011, 03:33:55 pm
A lot of us are using the 260.99 and I don't remember seeing anyone complaining. Seems very stable to me.

Have a question on a different subject though. I was looking through my inconclusive results and noticed someone else running a 295 and a 260. His 295 was showing as device one and device three with the 260 showing as device two.  Device three was the one that was throwing -9s. Are yours showing the same with the 295 split and the 260 in the middle? Seemed strange to me that it would split the 295 that way.
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 03 Jan 2011, 02:24:11 am
To be honest with you 295's (particularly the ones with double circuit boards - which I have) have very well deserved reputation for misbehaving badly with Seti and I have spent many hours chasing strange errors.  As of yesterday the 295 has been removed and I am currently running two overclocked GTX460's.  So far so good.

Is there any advantage to running SETI in SLi mode ?


A lot of us are using the 260.99 and I don't remember seeing anyone complaining. Seems very stable to me.

Have a question on a different subject though. I was looking through my inconclusive results and noticed someone else running a 295 and a 260. His 295 was showing as device one and device three with the 260 showing as device two.  Device three was the one that was throwing -9s. Are yours showing the same with the 295 split and the 260 in the middle? Seemed strange to me that it would split the 295 that way.
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: perryjay on 03 Jan 2011, 09:40:11 am
Quote
Is there any advantage to running SETI in SLi mode ?

With the new driver it doesn't make any difference, it will handle it.
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 07 Jan 2011, 06:27:56 am
One of my new 460's has failed today so I have dropped the 295 back in and now seti ignores and refuses to use the 295.  I have the cc_config file set for all gpu useage.

Any ideas ???
Title: Re: GTX460 and GTX295 combination.
Post by: Pizzadude on 10 Jan 2011, 02:31:39 am
Problems solved by the 295 and 460 changing places with each other on the motherboard.  One of those 295 issues that I was talking about earlier I guess - hopefully i can get the failed 460 replaced later this week.

For the record folks two Gtx 460's seem to out gun the GTX295 by nearly 50%.

One of my new 460's has failed today so I have dropped the 295 back in and now seti ignores and refuses to use the 295.  I have the cc_config file set for all gpu useage.

Any ideas ???