2950x Core Configuration

[Avacado]

Can someone walk me through the process of folding on a specific number of cores, I.E. leaving a certain amount free for GPU usage?

 

[Bastiaan_NL]

Personally I like to keep one core / two threads free for each GPU. You can play around with that to see if a single thread per GPU will limit it's performance, but every checkpoint in a work unit uses a lot more CPU power so a bit of extra headroom is not a bad thing. 

Besides that it's important that you avoid large prime numbers. 2 3 4 6 8 9 12 16 18 24 and 27 are good numbers, you might get lucky with a few others but some units will stop working. 

So if you are working with a 16c32t CPU and 5 GPU's I would suggest running 18 or 24 threads depending on the impact on the GPU folding.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Bastiaan_NL

[Avacado]

8 minutes ago, Bastiaan_NL said:

Personally I like to keep one core / two threads free for each GPU. You can play around with that to see if a single thread per GPU will limit it's performance, but every checkpoint in a work unit uses a lot more CPU power so a bit of extra headroom is not a bad thing. 

Besides that it's important that you avoid large prime numbers. 2 3 4 6 8 9 12 16 18 24 and 27 are good numbers, you might get lucky with a few others but some units will stop working. 

So if you are working with a 16c32t CPU and 5 GPU's I would suggest running 18 or 24 threads depending on the impact on the GPU folding.

Right, but how do I do that. 

[Bastiaan_NL]

Go to the Advanced Control, Configure, Slots, click on the CPU slot, Edit (bottom right corner), and type in/select the number of Threads you want in the white box that most likely shows '-1' (that means the client controls the number of threads).

Edited March 8, 2021 by Bastiaan_NL

[Avacado]

7 minutes ago, Bastiaan_NL said:

Go to the Advanced Control, Configure, Slots, click on the CPU slot, Edit (bottom right corner), and type in/select the number of Threads you want.

Ah ok, perfect, I haven't folded on a CPU since 2007, so that's why I had no idea that was an option. LOL

Edited March 8, 2021 by Avacado

[Bastiaan_NL]

Haha, I had to figure out a lot of things too after not folding for 9 years

[Avacado]

2 minutes ago, Bastiaan_NL said:

Haha, I had to figure out a lot of things too after not folding for 9 years

Don't know if i'll be able to fold on it on air. Might have to wait until she is under water. I mean, even without folding on it, the 2950x is at 60c. 

 

 

[Bastiaan_NL]

That chart is a bit strange, those numbers were not the same as I saw on my CPU (also, removing one core does not make an exact percentage change like in this case 3.125%).
I found a 3950x review that explained a lot about the folding on a 16c/32t CPU, which came pretty close to my 3950x depending on work units. There is also a part 2 and 3 if you are interested, he did fold with a few of those "numbers to avoid" but after giving that a try myself I have had a few errors where I had to delete the core and unit to get it working again.

 

Do you have temperature spikes too, or is it a constant temperature? Under water my 3950x is fine, but I see spikes that are 10°C higher than the max temperature I see when running prime95 until the CPU reaches it's max temp. On air you'll have to find out, might be a bit too hot for comfort.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Bastiaan_NL

[J7SC_Orion]

1 hour ago, Avacado said:

Can someone walk me through the process of folding on a specific number of cores, I.E. leaving a certain amount free for GPU usage?

 

 

...not sure it makes a difference w/ GPU folding, but on my MSI / 2950X setup, there's an option in the Bios for 'Creator' vs 'Game' - it changes UMA to NUMA...NUMA still potentially uses most cores and threads (unless to make other changes on that per above posts), but w/ 2950X, it focuses more and first on a given CCX and its memory access and it can lower latencies and increases RAM throughput. It helps with certain GPU applications (though not all)...NUMA is worth about 400 - 500 points in 3DM Port Royal w/ dual 2080 Ti setup

 

Addition / edit: another way UMA / NUMA can be toggled is via Bios / CPU features / Cinebench (UMA) vs AIDA (NUMA). Ryzen Master also has options for that, but I prefer to do it in Bios. BTW, with my 3950X, Game vs Creator setting are different in that they simply choose between one or two chiplets...

Edited March 8, 2021 by J7SC_Orion

[tictoc]

Folding on the CPU, even with a slight overclock, on air, is going to be a tall order unless you have a pretty good cooler.  Pretty much all of the new CPU tasks are primarily using AVX instructions, and you are likely to see temps and wattage roughly in the neighborhood of Prime95 "blend" or even a bit higher.  

[J7SC_Orion]

58 minutes ago, tictoc said:

Folding on the CPU, even with a slight overclock, on air, is going to be a tall order unless you have a pretty good cooler.  Pretty much all of the new CPU tasks are primarily using AVX instructions, and you are likely to see temps and wattage roughly in the neighborhood of Prime95 "blend" or even a bit higher.  

 

Very good point, though you can throttle a 2950X to low speeds and corresponding voltage if you like, at least in my mobo's bios and to a certain minimum level (don't know what that minimum level is though, as I usually overclock, not underclock  ). Also, my 2950X is on a dedicated CPU loop with a Heatkiller IV Pro TR  and 2x 360x55 rads with GTs, and dual D5s. Cinebench loops etc usually are in the 60s C (may be low 70s C in mid-summer).

[damric]

Let me get you on the short list for the ProSiphon Elite. This will be the perfect experiment. You down to be next after the fellow in NY state finishes up?

[J7SC_Orion]

29 minutes ago, damric said:

Let me get you on the short list for the ProSiphon Elite. This will be the perfect experiment. You down to be next after the fellow in NY state finishes up?

 

...'moi' ? Thank you but, no...that 2950X is a work-play hybrid I haven't modified for two years because of its productivity role, not least as it has a complex watercooling system that also involves copper hard lines in part of the loop. However, I would be glad to consider the ProSiphon Elite for a future HEDT build project