I have used an Nvidia GTX650Ti and GT730, with Nvidia proprietary drivers and CUDA software for BOINC computation.

My own graphics needs are very easily satisfied, so a GT220 I used was good enough for graphics.

However, I would like to use a powerful GPU for my BOINC projects.

As far as I can tell, there are three options for a GPU:

Nvidia 6xx, 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, 10xx series; and

Nvidia Quadra series; and

AMD

Is that correct?

In which case, are there Linux drivers and (BOINC) computation software available for all 3 of them? I'm fairly confident about the drivers, but that's no good to me if there is no computation software that can be used for BOINC, such as the CUDA 7.5.18 that I currently use.

How is the Quadra series different from the Nvidia numbered series?

I have to ask because I have been trying to find the answers to these questions for weeks and have not succeeded.

I would appreciate any other suggestions or cautions.

As long as you have drivers that support the hardware, BOINC will be able to detect the GPU. Though this does not mean that the project of choice has a science application that supports calculations on that hardware.

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el_gallo_azul wrote:

In which case, are there Linux drivers and (BOINC) computation software available for all 3 of them?

To follow up on Jord's comment - a concern - AMD do not provide drivers (yet) for some of their older cards (GCN 1.0 and earlier) on Ubuntu 16.04, so you have to use either OpenSource Mesa drivers or stay at Ubuntu 14.04.

The projects page here is a god summary of which projects have GPU applications.

How is the Quadra series different from the Nvidia numbered series?

More expensive to buy, but otherwise very similiar. The nVidia web site will provide details.

Good luck.

Thanks chaps. At this stage, my GPU projects are GPUGrid.net, Ibercivis and SETI@home.