100% CPU usage all the time???????????????
 

My CPU usage is at 100% 24/7 while prime95 is running.....i know prome uses idle CPU clocks but won't running at 100% kill my CPU over time?

I'm fairly new to GIMPS, but I've been doing other distributed computing projects for about four years now. All with overclocked CPU's running 24/7 and have had no problems whatsoever.

I think CPU's like the abuse.

Re: 100% CPU usage all the time???????????????
 

[quote="Firedog18"]My CPU usage is at 100% 24/7 while prime95 is running.....i know prome uses idle CPU clocks but won't running at 100% kill my CPU over time?[/quote]

The whole point is that the CPU is held at 100%, ie using ALL the spare cycles instead of the average 0.000002% it would otherwise be.

Your cpu will run hotter, but as long as it's not "too hot" it should be fine. (Preventive maintenance: check for build-up of dust on fans & grills, & airflow inside the case.) With a constant load & staying on 24/7, it should stay at a more even temperature, so there should be less expansion/contraction stress. I'm no hardware expert, I just repeat what I've read, but it makes sense, especially when it agrees with the conclusion I want! :D

From the [url=http://www.mersenne.org/faq.htm#damage]FAQ[/url]:

[quote][b]Will running my computer 24 hours a day shorten its lifespan?[/b]

While I don't know of any serious studies on the subject, there is plenty of evidence that today's PCs are able to run all the time. Your computer is apt to become obsolete before individual parts wear out. [b]This is not a guarantee! You are proceeding at your own risk.[/b] Running all the time will increase your electric bill. You should keep an eye on the results.txt file for any error messages. They can indicate failing memory or an overheating CPU.[/quote]

One of my machines overheated
 

Poor Antec1, it lived long enough to test one number and then was turned into slag in a warehouse fire. The computer I won't miss but that beautiful brand new HP LaserJet 4200 ...

Oh well, out with the 1.7GHz Celeron, in with the 2.8GHz P4

Re: 100% CPU usage all the time???????????????
 

[quote="Firedog18"]My CPU usage is at 100% 24/7 while prime95 is running.....i know prome uses idle CPU clocks but won't running at 100% kill my CPU over time?[/quote]

CPU's can handle it as long as their cooling is decent. Prime95 would show errors long before insufficient cooling caused problems for the survival of the CPU. Running at 100% is actually beneficial for a properly cooled CPU, because it prevents thermal expansion/contraction cycles. Just like it is better for your car's engine to go a constant 60 on the freeway than to do the stop and go of city driving at much lower speeds.

I think Prime95 is more like doing a constant 110 mph on the freeway, pedal to the floor. But I agree, in principle it should not do any harm - the chip is designed for that provided it's properly cooled.

What makes me jealous is those overclockers who come flashing their headlights in your rearview mirror and then zipping past at 200 mph. :evil: They are running the risk of blowing when their engines (CPUs) overheat. But that's why they do all these whizzy things to their boxes to make them cooler.

[quote="kwstone"]I think Prime95 is more like doing a constant 110 mph on the freeway, pedal to the floor. But I agree, in principle it should not do any harm - the chip is designed for that provided it's properly cooled.

What makes me jealous is those overclockers who come flashing their headlights in your rearview mirror and then zipping past at 200 mph. :evil: They are running the risk of blowing when their engines (CPUs) overheat. But that's why they do all these whizzy things to their boxes to make them cooler.[/quote]
I just let them run overclocked. I've heard too many stories about failures that make them go in reverse if they are too aggressive. Hey! But it's fun to tweak a box to the max. So who am I to argue?

Question for you: Are you running on a P4? If you are, and its on an Intel board, odds are its only running at about 80% of is maximum speed due to clock throttling. I too leave my computer running 24/7, checking for 10-million digit primes (5 per year, roughly). I'm using a Willamette 423 1.5GHz, which originally ran about .150 sec intervals on the stock Intel board with RDRAM. I now run the machine on an ECS M920 with DDR266 (and no automatic clock throttling), and get .135 sec intervals. The tradeoff is that the stock heatsink wasn't up to the task of running at full speed, so my computer used to hit the emergency thermal shutdown all the time. Not to mention it became a blast furnace from Hell. The solution was to improve the cooling: I added a 4-lb copper heatsink. And the 4-lb part is not a joke, it requires special mounting. But, my core runs about 42C-45C, whereas it used to run near-abouts 100C average. The thermal shutdown for a P4 is around 120C-130C. In all, as long as you keep the machine well cooled (and most P4 boards come with built-in thermal monitors, in fact the P4 has its own thermal sensor built in), it shouldn't ever fail.

Re: One of my machines overheated
 

[quote="dweick"]Poor Antec1, it lived long enough to test one number and then was turned into slag in a warehouse fire. The computer I won't miss but that beautiful brand new HP LaserJet 4200 ...

Oh well, out with the 1.7GHz Celeron, in with the 2.8GHz P4[/quote]

out with the 1.7GHz? where's it going?