Posts by Francois

1) Message boards : Number crunching : CPU Comparison question (Message 47824) Posted 17 Oct 2007 by Francois Post: I would like to take advice on hardware, as it looks like there is some tech freaks over there..... ;) I use an old Mac G4 laptop, high end version from about 3 years ago. The CPU is at 1.2Ghz, 512Mo RAM. Im pretty happy with that. It is vastly enough for my every day use, and of course a bit slow for BOINC but i can keep pace with dead lines even with relatively big WU on Einstein. My concern is more in the architecture of the computer. The FSB is at (please dont laugh) 133Mhz. Im not an hardware engineer, but i feel like a bus frequency as low as this just CAN'T allow the CPU to work at its best. Or am i wrong? I know there is no need for the FSB to be as fast as the CPU, but that's 10 times! I understand i doesnt play a role in pure CPU computation, but since BOINC projects store about 130Mo to 260Mo on main memory, does this old fashioned FSB slow the overall process? To be honest, when i bought this computer, the other brands (even with laptops) where in majority at 333Mhz FSB, wich seems a more fair CPU/FSB ratio. (Sorry for my strange english, please correct me) Sure it does. That is one of the reasons Apple changed its total architecture to Intel for its Macs even though that forced them to rewrite their Os and software. This does not mean you need to buy a new Laptop if you are happy with what you have. Maybe you should just add some memory. Ps For a Frenchy you write better then I do. Your confusing FSB with memory data rates. The G4 1.2GHz uses (normally) DDR266 which which is what you're comparing the 333 to they mean DDR333, which still uses a 133MHz FSB. Humm... no i put 333Mhz, but i realized then that it couldnt be. I should have wrote 266Mhz or *2 possibilities. But i thought, well it can figure what i want to know, so i let it like that.... ;). Thanks! You will have been correct, DDR266, DDR333 & DDR400 are all valid memory frequencies, but ALL use a 133MHz FSB. (You may know the memory speeds as PC2100, PC2700 & PC3200 respectively), they are just 'pumped' versions. Well, correct me if im wrong: i thought the FSB was carrying data from various elements of computer to others, like from memory to CPU. And memory frequency is the fonctional speed of the particular component. So a DDR333 with a 133Mhz FSB is quite useless... Am i wrong?
2) Message boards : Number crunching : CPU Comparison question (Message 47819) Posted 17 Oct 2007 by Francois Post: I would like to take advice on hardware, as it looks like there is some tech freaks over there..... ;) I use an old Mac G4 laptop, high end version from about 3 years ago. The CPU is at 1.2Ghz, 512Mo RAM. Im pretty happy with that. It is vastly enough for my every day use, and of course a bit slow for BOINC but i can keep pace with dead lines even with relatively big WU on Einstein. My concern is more in the architecture of the computer. The FSB is at (please dont laugh) 133Mhz. Im not an hardware engineer, but i feel like a bus frequency as low as this just CAN'T allow the CPU to work at its best. Or am i wrong? I know there is no need for the FSB to be as fast as the CPU, but that's 10 times! I understand i doesnt play a role in pure CPU computation, but since BOINC projects store about 130Mo to 260Mo on main memory, does this old fashioned FSB slow the overall process? To be honest, when i bought this computer, the other brands (even with laptops) where in majority at 333Mhz FSB, wich seems a more fair CPU/FSB ratio. (Sorry for my strange english, please correct me) Sure it does. That is one of the reasons Apple changed its total architecture to Intel for its Macs even though that forced them to rewrite their Os and software. This does not mean you need to buy a new Laptop if you are happy with what you have. Maybe you should just add some memory. Ps For a Frenchy you write better then I do. Your confusing FSB with memory data rates. The G4 1.2GHz uses (normally) DDR266 which which is what you're comparing the 333 to they mean DDR333, which still uses a 133MHz FSB. Humm... no i put 333Mhz, but i realized then that it couldnt be. I should have wrote 266Mhz or *2 possibilities. But i thought, well it can figure what i want to know, so i let it like that.... ;). Thanks!
3) Message boards : Number crunching : CPU Comparison question (Message 47806) Posted 17 Oct 2007 by Francois Post: I would like to take advice on hardware, as it looks like there is some tech freaks over there..... ;) I use an old Mac G4 laptop, high end version from about 3 years ago. The CPU is at 1.2Ghz, 512Mo RAM. Im pretty happy with that. It is vastly enough for my every day use, and of course a bit slow for BOINC but i can keep pace with dead lines even with relatively big WU on Einstein. My concern is more in the architecture of the computer. The FSB is at (please dont laugh) 133Mhz. Im not an hardware engineer, but i feel like a bus frequency as low as this just CAN'T allow the CPU to work at its best. Or am i wrong? I know there is no need for the FSB to be as fast as the CPU, but that's 10 times! I understand i doesnt play a role in pure CPU computation, but since BOINC projects store about 130Mo to 260Mo on main memory, does this old fashioned FSB slow the overall process? To be honest, when i bought this computer, the other brands (even with laptops) where in majority at 333Mhz FSB, wich seems a more fair CPU/FSB ratio. (Sorry for my strange english, please correct me)
4) Message boards : Rosetta@home Science : question du Frenchy (Message 47792) Posted 16 Oct 2007 by Francois Post: Thanks! I understand now why there is some searches with known native structure and some without... More understanding = more will to crunh data.
5) Message boards : Rosetta@home Science : question du Frenchy (Message 47774) Posted 16 Oct 2007 by Francois Post: Can someone explain me why we do not reverse the process analysing the protein structure? I mean the minimum energy "movement" from a point to a result could be reversed to maximum energy requirement from the result to a point. Im new to the project, sorry if im missing a point. (Hope this is clear enough...) Quelqu'un peut m'expliquer pourquoi nous n'inversons pas le processus d'analyse de la proteine? Plutot que de chercher le repliment mecanique par mouvement de plus bas niveau d'energie, nous pourrions partir du resultat et chercher les plus haut niveaux d'energie requis pour trouver le chemin en sens inverse. Non?
6) Questions and Answers : Preferences : Server is waiting for a work unit I do not have (Message 10482) Posted 5 Feb 2006 by Francois Post: Here is the problem: NO_SIM_ANNEAL_BARCODE_30_1dtj_246_3599_0 Workunit 5784401 Created 17 Jan 2006 20:59:45 UTC Sent 17 Jan 2006 21:08:39 UTC Received --- Server state In Progress Outcome Unknown Client state New Exit status 0 (0x0) Computer ID 140452 Report deadline 14 Feb 2006 21:08:39 UTC I have removed this WU from my computer but the server seems to ignore it. If useful my computing mate is a Mac G4, running with OS X, BOINC client version 5.2.13
7) Questions and Answers : Preferences : Merci pour votre aide ! (Message 10481) Posted 5 Feb 2006 by Francois Post: I sure hope you stay. Not many people speak french. The forum 'Number Crunching' has a lot more viewers so you may want to post your questions there. Good luck. Hiya, guys! I do speak french so if it's not too late, I'll happily help you Jean (ziggy).