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Category: Support
Forum: Android Support Forum
Thread: Possible to run on Big cores? |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 6
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duanebong
Advanced Cruncher Singapore Joined: Apr 25, 2009 Post Count: 134 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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These days most Android devices have a Big.LITTLE topology. When we run BOINC it seems that power management / scheduler will make the WCG tasks run on the low power A55 based cores.
----------------------------------------It's a pity, as the Big cores are never used and would be much more powerful for number crunching. A55 cores have been stagnant for the past 3 years and even the clockspeed has plateaued around 1.8GHz for some time. In the mean time powerful A76 / A77 cores are sitting idle unused. Is there anyway to tweak Android settings to force work units to run on the Big A76 / A77 cores instead of the little cores?  |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
To complete the picture, did you add a CPU percent limit to BOINC so in theory it would only run the number equivalent to the big cores, or is it that multiple threads run on each small core.
----------------------------------------[Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Nov 26, 2020 12:59:57 PM] |
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duanebong
Advanced Cruncher Singapore Joined: Apr 25, 2009 Post Count: 134 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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To complete the picture, did you add a CPU percent limit to BOINC so in theory it would only run the number equivalent to the big cores, or is it that multiple threads run on each small core. For full picture: my phone is a Mi 10 Ultra. It has a Snapdragon 865 processor, which comprises of 4 big A77 cores and 4 efficiency A55 cores. Even if limit WCG to run on 1 thread it seems to still chose an A55 core to run on instead of a A77 core. I am inferring it's running on a A55 core based on the clockspeed reported on CPUZ (it shows ~1.8GHz which corresponds to the A55 cores). The A77 cores should run at 2.4-2.8GHz, but I see these are powering down to 700-800MHz. |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Nothing on these devices to gear up? BOINC CPU time set to 100% I suppose, no throttling. My new phone can be stretched to the extend a battery charge can last 150 hours, but as little as 12 hours, and that's no BOINC on it. Specs claim it to be a A73 4x2.0 + A53 4x 1.7.
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duanebong
Advanced Cruncher Singapore Joined: Apr 25, 2009 Post Count: 134 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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@lavaflow - Yes, my BOINC is already set to 100% CPU time. I've extended the temperature cut-off in the preferences from 40 degrees to 42 degrees. I normally aim to run on 3 or 4 cores.
----------------------------------------When placed on the desk or other free space the BOINC itself doesn't throttle (the built-in power down of the cores by the hardware is outside of our control). Are you able to get yours to run on the A73 instead of the A53 cores? How many cores do you run on your phone at a time? |
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duanebong
Advanced Cruncher Singapore Joined: Apr 25, 2009 Post Count: 134 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Ah... I figured out a trick to get my wish to run on the big cores. Reinstalled BOINC - upon the first time it runs my Xiaomi phone will assign the tasks to the big A77 cores (after reboot though it starts to assign to the little A55 cores).
----------------------------------------Probably it's how the power management on my phone works. I suspect on the first run it doesn't recognise BOINC yet as a power hog and allows it free reign to use the A77 cores. Not sure if it's unique to Xiaomi or other Androids face the same issue. Verdict is grass is not greener on the other side. With 4 threads the phone runs hot with very high power draw. When I plug in an old iPhone 5 charger (5W = 5V @ 1.00 amp) the battery still continues to slowly deplete - i.e. the load is more than 5W when there's 4x A77 cores running! I estimate without a charger even a 5000mah battery would be flat within 3 hours. |
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