GPU to 72 status...

[kracker]

Originally Posted by kladner

Another good point. Nothing in this price range is likely to, either. Off the shelf makes it pretty difficult to host a high-powered GPU for a lot of reasons.

Or build your own! I bet it won't take a lot to get a minimum pc with a good psu...

[kladner]

Originally Posted by kracker

Or build your own! I bet it won't take a lot to get a minimum pc with a good psu...

I agree, but that's just how I am.

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by kracker

It wouldn't have the power plugs for the 580 anyways.

It doesn't have to be that cheap...I guess I could try building my own for the first time. That way could get a bigger PSU. Best place to go to get the components?

[kladner]

Originally Posted by Chuck

It doesn't have to be that cheap...I guess I could try building my own for the first time. That way could get a bigger PSU. Best place to go to get the components?

NewEgg is always worth a look, and Micro Center isn't bad either.

http://www.newegg.com/

http://www.microcenter.com/

I used to get a lot of stuff from Newegg. Lately, I've found it worth paying sales taxes to buy from the local Microcenter because it is a short trip to return/exchange things, as opposed to shipping. Their policies on such things are quite liberal, too.

You might check out Fry's, too.

[kracker]

Originally Posted by kladner

NewEgg is always worth a look, and Micro Center isn't bad either.

http://www.newegg.com/

http://www.microcenter.com/

I used to get a lot of stuff from Newegg. Lately, I've found it worth paying sales taxes to buy from the local Microcenter because it is a short trip to return/exchange things, as opposed to shipping. Their policies on such things are quite liberal, too.

You might check out Fry's, too.

Newegg +1

If you need help with building or selecting parts....

[kladner]

Check for motherboard/CPU/etc. bundle deals.

[Prime95]

Depending on your budget, wait for a Haswell CPU due in three weeks.

[philmoore]

Originally Posted by ixfd64

It's unfortunate several of our big players have quit the project. Perhaps we should do a recruiting drive or something?

In the long run, this really doesn't matter that much. In the history of GIMPS, there have been quite a few enthusiasts who contributed a relatively large computing effort for a year or two and then moved on. There have also been those who contributed a more modest amount, but have been with the project almost since the beginning. I suspect that the former group is more motivated by the prospect of actually discovering a new record Mersenne prime personally, while the latter group is more motivated by the feeling of contributing to a group effort that has been successful again and again, but there is probably a mixture of motivations in both groups. Let me just say that everyone who contributed to the last prime discovery is awesome!

To my mind, this project is currently in a transition mode. We certainly might discover another prime or two under the current model, but eventually, these numbers will get so large that GPUs become a more attractive alternative to the traditional CPU based computation. My CPU can test a 100,000,000 digit number in about 2.5 years, but a Titan GPU can probably do that test in about 2.5 months. I admire the optimism of the Uncwilly crowd in pursuing this goal, but realistically, I think that the discovery of a 100,000,000 digit Mersenne prime is probably still two decades away. But I don't want to disparage their efforts, because it makes an attractive sub-project that enhances the profile of the overall search. (And who knows, they could beat the odds and find that large prime tomorrow!) My philosophy, however, is that success breeds more success, so I think that the effort at the current leading edge of exponent testing contributes the most to the long-term health of this project.

On the other hand, we have witnessed again and again that disparaging comments on others' efforts do seem to produce some discouragement and drag on the project. I am not so concerned with bcp's recent departure, because I suspect that contributor might not have been with us much longer anyway, in spite of receiving generous words of support from other forum members. But I do think it is important to keep in mind that this is a collaborative project, and that the more we set a positive, supportive tone, the more productive that collaboration will be in the long run.

[kladner]

Bravo!

[Aramis Wyler]

You do have to appreciate the penetration rate of usable cpus vs usable gpus though - to date the cpus are still doing more work toward prime95 than the gpus - they're like the zerg!

[petrw1]

My GPU72 LL participation is new ... And my PrimeNet LL participation is back after about 18 months away.

And all my LL work is being done under GPU72.

This makes for a clean comparison of LL work and credits.

Both systems list 115 completions ... Check

PrimeNet has me at 9980.6966 GhzDays ... GPU72 9994.822.

Granted well under a percent different but it might be something you choose to look into when you are bored.