Hi! I was wondering if there were plans to add new fields in the preferences on the web page and in the app menu to tweak the CUDA settings now that several projects support parallel processing on nVidia GPUs?

Here are some examples of what I'd like to see:

Ability to set BOINC to use nVidia GPU processors and CUDA only and not use main CPUs at all.

Ability to set usage settings and levels for nVidia GPUs seperate from CPUs.

Just like CPU settings, be able to set usage levels and times for GPU's as well (mainly to limit heat since some of the newer GPUs such as the GTX 200 series run hot anyway).

Display which units are working in CUDA vs regular CPUs.

Also, wondering if the graphics do, or will soon, be able to take advantage of directX or either nVidia or ATI acceleration. I still notice a major slowdown in unit processing speed when I leave graphics on even though I have high end video card. Wondering if it's even being used? Or is that specific to the project apps? Thanks!

Ability to set BOINC to use nVidia GPU processors and CUDA only and not use main CPUs at all.

I agree.

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Ability to set BOINC to use nVidia GPU processors and CUDA only and not use main CPUs at all.

I agree.

Only nVidia GPU processors?

What then when ATI support is added? Separate preferences for that as well?
And then what if all goes to OpenCL and both CUDA and ATI Stream SDK bite the dust? Merge the preferences?

Let the developers figure out how to get everything working correctly first, have a new work scheduler and client side CPU scheduler that both work together with how GPUs do their thing. Let them work out a way to switch GPU between different tasks without those needing to run from start to finish. Let them work out a way to stabilize everything so it doesn't do harm to your videocard, which causes you to have to reboot multiple times a day to be able to see through the snowstorm.

pharrg wrote:

Also, wondering if the graphics do, or will soon, be able to take advantage of directX or either nVidia or ATI acceleration. I still notice a major slowdown in unit processing speed when I leave graphics on even though I have high end video card. Wondering if it's even being used? Or is that specific to the project apps?

Hello, you're using the GPU for lots and lots of calculations, its VRAM for storing the task at hand (simply said, it's slightly more difficult than that) and you run some graphics or screen saver nonetheless? Done by what? That same GPU you're using to do the calculations with under full saturation?

Under Seti the CUDA application will always use a minimum of 200MB of the video RAM. It will always try to saturate the GPU with kernels doing the calculating of the task. The only times the GPU isn't saturated is when data is moved from disk into the memory, or when it is moved back to the disk. At all other times, pretty much flat out saturation.

So do not expect to be able to also run a 3D heavy game, Photoshop Deluxe, Youtube video at full screen, DVD playback, etc. etc. as all that uses your GPU as well!

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I thinks specific management should be set for GPU. Now Boinc uses CUDA, I have to completly disable Boinc when I use the PC, because the display becomes too slow. If I could, I had set preferences to not use CUDA when I use the computer. But as the main CPU can handle priorities, it is not necessary to disable them in this case.

CUDA seems to not manage priorities. So its preferences should be separated.

Regards