Is anyone using AMD(ATI) 6xxx series for Milkyway crunching?

Get physical with some of these projects? Asteroids, Cosmology, Einstein, LHC, MilkyWay, Test4Theory,
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primalsole
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Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Is anyone using AMD(ATI) 6xxx series for Milkyway crunching?

Post by primalsole »

Hi All,

Is anyone using the latest AMD(ATI) 6xxx cards for Milkyway crunching yet?

I'm specifically interested if anyone is using the 6850 cards, because I've just got two of them to go in my new rig, to replace my existing ATI 4870.

With them being so new, I just wanted to make sure that they will work.

Also, does anyone use crossfire?
Zydor
Posts: 437
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:00 am

Post by Zydor »

68XX are single precision only, MW needs Double Precision, they will not work at MW

69XX are ok, they have double precision

Use Crossfire with them, AMD drivers for 6XXX are good and getting better by the week

Regards
Zy
primalsole
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Post by primalsole »

Ah, so may have to ebay them and get some 69xx ones instead... Doh!

Oh well, at least the rest of my pc will be much faster.
primalsole
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Post by primalsole »

Or, I may keep them and will have to find a crunching project which can use single precision cards. Anyone know of such a project?
Zydor
Posts: 437
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:00 am

Post by Zydor »

If you can swop them, it'll keep your long term options open as i suspect that as time goes on long term the number of double precision Projects will increase.

For Singles there is Collatz (solid reliable and runs cool) and DNETC (latter runs hot, watch your temps like a hawk especially VRM temps until you settle).  Both those are numerical crunching only, Collatz verifies a theoretical mathematical theory, and DNETC crunches a security algorithm to break cryptographic algorythms (latter is kosha any broken are passed to the vendor, and done with the Vendor's blessing).  PRIMEGrid do an ATI app, but its not very well optimised yet, its a bit clunky and early days for it - works fine, but yet to be properly optimised (single precision)

"Save the Planet" AMD GPU apps are zero at present, although a large number of Projects have bitten the bullet and are developing AMD GPU apps due to the AMD crunching power likely to far exceed NVIDIA for the foreseeable future. Not yet known whether they will end up single or double precision. GPUGRID would seem to be furthest along the road with a new one (will be a single precision app), but will be a few months before any worthwhile "Save the Planet" additional AMD GPU apps come along.

AQUA had a go at an AMD GPU app, but the nature of the Project does not suit GPU computing, cpu is faster for them, and they have dumped GPU computing (AMD & NVIDIA) for the foreseeable futrure.

Credit wise for AMD GPUs - in most to fewest order:

DNETC (single)
Milkyway (double)
Collatz (single)
PRIMEGrid (single) [- this is the no brainer for NVIDIA, good app, high credits, but "make hay while the sun shines", the PRIMEGrid NVIDIA credits are way over the top, and will inevitably get scaled down at some point]

Not that much in credit difference MW & Collatz.  PRIMEGrid way below Collatz.  DNETC head and shoulders the highest paid GPU app in BOINC, but watch those temperatures.  DNETC has a bug affecting 58XX multi gpu machines (infrequently hangs, but it has an error trap to get you out with no effect or effort after 10mins), not yet known if that infamous bug will affect 6XXX too early to get sufficient definitive evidence.

The most trouble free?  Undoubtedly Collatz which over time is the most reliable one going.  Slicker (Project Admin) funds the servers from his own money, and looks after the Projec t and his Crunchers well.  Collatz is also used by most MW & DNETC Crunchers as their Standby App - Collatz has often taken the full weight of all MW & DNETC Crunchers at the same time when both have gone down, and Collatz didnt break sweat, took the additional load well. Very Good Project in terms of relatively trouble free Crunching.

Regards
Zy
primalsole
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Post by primalsole »

Thanks for your suggestions. Much appreciated.

I won't have a problem with temps. I have water cooling for the CPU and the case has 6 x 120mm fans, and 1 x 200mm fan blowing directly on the cards, well it will be when I install them.

I think I might keep them because in gaming terms, nothing can touch them in a two way crossfire set up for the price. They are a fair amount quicker than a 580.

I will probably change towards the end of this year, when the next gen come out...

I've spent enough money recently. Just swapped to a i7 2600K, 8GB memory and Asus P8P67 motherboard. I'm hoping that I can get a 4.8GHz over clock without upping the voltages.
Zydor
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Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:00 am

Post by Zydor »

primalsole wrote:........I won't have a problem with temps. I have water cooling for the CPU and the case has 6 x 120mm fans, and 1 x 200mm fan blowing directly on the cards, well it will be when I install them......
With DNETC it runs hot because it hammers the VRMs far more than other projects.  It comes to light on overclocking, Core temps look fine and precautionary cooling appears ok, but a check of VRMs reveals another story.  

Its ok to run it, don't be put off, just be very careful about VRMs until you settle down, you may end up running at a lower Core temp when you see VRMs than you would have done by only checking GPU Core Temps.  GPU-Z is a good one to run for checking VRM temps - but I don't know if it has yet caught up with recognising 68XX, you'd need to check.

Guru3d predicted up to 5Ghz with those beasts, so you should make it with water cooling.  There is a good revue at Guru3d on the Sandy Bridge Processors, and worth a detailed read if you have not seen it.
Regards
Zy
Ben
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Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:00 am

Post by Ben »

Nice link Zydor, a good read!

I have not long bought myself a new laptop with the new(ish) Core i3 processor which gives my desktop quad (also 2.4Ghz) a good run for it's money!  :)
primalsole
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Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Post by primalsole »

I see. I'll keep an eye on the VRM temps of the GPU's. I was thinking of overclocking them, but I'll see how they run first and then make a decision. I was possibly thinking of adding them to my water cooling loop, but know one seems to do a 6850 block yet...

I have ready several reviews which have managed to overclock to 5.2-5.4 using just air cooling. I reckon I could close to 6GHz if I wanted to, but the power consumption goes up massively, so I would rather not change the voltages and hopefully attain a 4.8GHz overclock for everyday running.

I will most likely see what I can get out of the CPU and then scale it back for every day running.

I'll post an update with my overclocking efforts. I'm just waiting on my memory to be delivered which should be any day now.
Zydor
Posts: 437
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:00 am

Post by Zydor »

Could try these guys - not used them myself, but they have a good reputation

Full 6850 waterblock including VRMs

YouTube marketing video at the bottom of that page.

Regards
Zy
primalsole
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Post by primalsole »

A quick update...

Things are not going as smoothly as I'd have liked. The cards won't work if I enable crossfire. They work fine on their own, but as soon as I enable crossfire and start a game I get a BSOD  :evil:

I spoke with the manufacture and they suggested that I try a BIOS upgrade, which I performed, but it still didn't correct the issue. So, I sent them back to the shop, and they are going to attempt to get them working Fingers and Toes crossed. Hopefully they should get them today....

Apart from that, I can say that the new 2600K processor is very very fast :D, just a shame I can use it at the moment...
primalsole
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:00 am

Post by primalsole »

Well, the shop tested the card on an older i7 system and they worked fine. They think that it could be a compatibility issue with the new hardware...

Anyway NovaTech were really good (brilliant customer service) and let me exchange the 2 cards for 1 6970, which they despatched for next day delivery.

I have received it and installed it into my system, with just a small issue... it wouldn't fit because the water pump was in the way. The card is very long, much longer than I though, about 1.5 inches longer than my 4870. Anyway, after relocating the water pump. It fits no problem.

Thought I'd leave it crunching overnight, just to bed it in so to speak. Its, quite alot faster  than my old card, does a DNETC work unit in less than 15 minutes (stock speed).

I may over clock it at some point, but for now I'm just happy to have a working graphics card  :wav:
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