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World Community Grid Forums
Category: Support
Forum: BOINC Agent Support
Thread: Can I force Boinc to run multiple tasks on single core cpu? |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 11
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Grabbaren
Cruncher Joined: Oct 23, 2007 Post Count: 11 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Hi.
For those of you having tried Winrar (file compression utility), if entering Setings dialog and turn on "Multithreading", you'll find out that even if you only have a single core CPU, Winrar will substantial increase it's efficiency. Now, I don't know how winrar works. But it leads me to think that if it was possible to force Boinc to work with two tasks simultaneous on a single core cpu computer, then it's overall capacity (pesults/points per month) could increase. That way, I could get the most out of my old P4 computer. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Unless your P4 is the hyperthreaded version, NOT recommended. It can be done though if you must, but for that you'll have to do an RTFM session of how to set up the cc_config.xml.
----------------------------------------The suspected net effect is if your machine does not have HT, that you'll be completing less work and your device wont be reporting 2x CPU time for statistics but anything less than 0.99. Enjoy your Reginald Perrin moment. --//-- edit: And finally you made it to our forums... You're very Welcome :D [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 27, 2012 4:41:42 PM] |
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mikey
Veteran Cruncher Joined: May 10, 2009 Post Count: 826 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Hi. For those of you having tried Winrar (file compression utility), if entering Setings dialog and turn on "Multithreading", you'll find out that even if you only have a single core CPU, Winrar will substantial increase it's efficiency. Now, I don't know how winrar works. But it leads me to think that if it was possible to force Boinc to work with two tasks simultaneous on a single core cpu computer, then it's overall capacity (pesults/points per month) could increase. That way, I could get the most out of my old P4 computer. As SekeRob stated this is NOT recommended! Alot of the reason has to do with memeory and how it is used and allocated on a pc, the older single core pc's just were not designed to do multiple tasks at one time using their single core cpu. Winrar is ab;e to trick the cpu because the memory footprint is so small the time lags are insignificant, but the WCG workunits, and Boinc workunits in general, are sized just right to fit nicely into the L2 cache of a cpu. That means that to run a 2nd workunit it would be competing for the L2 cache memory and essentially swapping every bit of itself in and out of memory everytime a calculation was made. This process would make your pc unusable and slow the calculations to a snails crawling pace! A multi-core pc has an L2 cache for each core, meaning as long as things fit into that space they do not conflict with each other, which is why Intel Celeron and AMD Duron cpu's are so slow at crunching as their L2 caches are smaller than 256mb. Even if your L2 cache is 1024mb it won't help, the workunit will still slowdown so bad it just isn't faster or better.   |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Mb or Kb ;? My I7, 8 threaded has according CPU-Z
----------------------------------------4x 32Kb L1-D cache 8 way 4x 32Kb L1-I cache 8 way 4x 256Kb L2-Cache 8 way 1x 6Mb L3-Cache 12 way --//-- [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jan 28, 2012 2:04:07 PM] |
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Mysteron347
Senior Cruncher Australia Joined: Apr 28, 2007 Post Count: 179 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Suggest you read This thread from last October
Synopsis : Can run a simulation, but it's less efficient overall. |
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Grabbaren
Cruncher Joined: Oct 23, 2007 Post Count: 11 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Hi.
CPUZ says the following about the P4 machine: Processors Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Processor 1 ID = 0 Number of cores 1 (max 1) Number of threads 1 (max 1) Name Intel Pentium 4 Codename Willamette Specification Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 1.90GHz Package (platform ID) Socket 423 mPGA (0x0) CPUID F.1.2 Extended CPUID F.1 Brand ID 8 Core Stepping D0 Technology 0.18 um Core Speed 1897.6 MHz Multiplier x FSB 19.0 x 99.9 MHz Rated Bus speed 399.5 MHz Stock frequency 1900 MHz Instructions sets MMX, SSE, SSE2 L1 Data cache 8 KBytes, 4-way set associative, 64-byte line size Trace cache 12 Kuops, 8-way set associative L2 cache 256 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size FID/VID Control no Thread dumps ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CPU Thread 0 APIC ID 0 Topology Processor ID 0, Core ID 0, Thread ID 0 Type 01001001h Max CPUID level 00000002h Max CPUID ext. level 80000004h Cache descriptor Level 2, U, 256 KB, 1 thread(s) Cache descriptor Level 1, T, 12 KB, 1 thread(s) Cache descriptor Level 1, D, 8 KB, 1 thread(s) CPUID 0x00000000 0x00000002 0x756E6547 0x6C65746E 0x49656E69 0x00000001 0x00000F12 0x00010808 0x00000000 0x3FEBFBFF 0x00000002 0x665B5001 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x007A7040 0x80000000 0x80000004 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x80000001 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x80000002 0x20202020 0x20202020 0x20202020 0x6E492020 0x80000003 0x286C6574 0x50202952 0x69746E65 0x52286D75 0x80000004 0x20342029 0x20555043 0x30392E31 0x007A4847 MSR 0x0000001B 0x00000000 0xFEE00900 MSR 0x00000017 0x00000000 0x00000000 MSR 0x0000002A 0x00000000 0x00004300 MSR 0x000001A0 0x00000000 0x000000E9 Chipset ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northbridge Intel i845 rev. A3 Southbridge Intel 82801BA (ICH2) rev. 05 Graphic Interface AGP AGP Revision 2.0 AGP Transfer Rate 4x AGP SBA supported, enabled Memory Type SDRAM Memory Size 768 MBytes Memory Frequency 133.2 MHz (3:4) CAS# latency (CL) 3.0 RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 3 RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 Cycle Time (tRAS) 6 |
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Sgt.Joe
Ace Cruncher USA Joined: Jul 4, 2006 Post Count: 7851 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Short answer:
----------------------------------------Nice thought but don't even think about it with this machine. I agree with the previous answers. Cheers
Sgt. Joe
*Minnesota Crunchers* |
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mikey
Veteran Cruncher Joined: May 10, 2009 Post Count: 826 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Mb or Kb ;? My I7, 8 threaded has according CPU-Z 4x 32Kb L1-D cache 8 way 4x 32Kb L1-I cache 8 way 4x 256Kb L2-Cache 8 way 1x 6Mb L3-Cache 12 way --//-- Darn these fat fingers!!!! Kb of course for the L2 cache. [Edit 1 times, last edit by mikey159b at Jan 29, 2012 3:31:06 PM] |
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Grabbaren
Cruncher Joined: Oct 23, 2007 Post Count: 11 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Ok. Thanks for answers.
I then just abandon that idea. mikey159b , I'm not sure what you mean. Cpu-z 1.59 states "kb" as far I can see. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
I run a P4 processor with Hyper-Threading. It has always made 2 tasks at the time. I think the client choses the best option by default.
Btw, can I change so it only makes 1 task at the time? Should I change "On multicore systems use at most: " 100 "% of the processors." to 50% in the preferences? does it applies to hyper-threading? Or is it some easy setting somewhere there I can change 2 to 1? |
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