Lizard, when's the GTX 480 going to be folding?

When are you going to test it for the magazine folding wise and let us know if it's worth buying? The only score I've seen on the web so far hinted at 13000ppd ish. Given the electric it uses and cost, that isn't worth it to me compared to say 3 2nd hand 8800GTs.

 

At the moment you can't truly fold on a GTX 480 - the scores you've seen in some reviews (not ours) are based on a client and WU supplied by Nvidia, which being proper indepedently minded journalists we don't trust.

Even though there isn't a proper Stanford client for it, there are still two good reasons not to get exicted about GTX 480 - it consumes a ludicrous amount of power and runs ridiculously hot.

Personally I'd never be happy to have a GPU running at 92C in one of own PCs.

 

You have to wonder how long these Fermi cards will really last at those kind of temperatures. It really doesn't bode well for the consumer, if I bought one, I would be thinking all the time whether I was about to embark on its final gaming session.

 

Im a bit gutted to be honest, I had high hopes for fermi! I guess its not a bad card just not what all the hype made it to be! May get one folding one day tho

 

Looks like I might have to consider Xeons instead then. How did the Becktons fair? When are they out?

 

Beckton launches early next week and is xxx when it comes to protein folding.

(I can't saw anymore until the NDA )

 

Is xxx good or bad?
When's the NDA expire?

 

xxx usually denotes porn? so therefore good?

 

GTX480 folding.

From Anandtech.com

 

See my posts above l3v1ck - you can't trust those numbers, they are simulated, not from a real folding client.

 

i wouldn't think you'd be able to quadruple the WU per day in just one generation so i don't believe those figures

 

Nvidia has failed, ATI needs to get into the folding scene

 

Its a real shame that ATis folding numbers don't match their gaming figures, as otherwise they are near perfect folding cards - running quieter and cheaper when compared to nVidia.

 

I agree with this and with Ph4zeD. If ATI were to improve their drivers and increase folding performance for them, I think the community at large would benefit as a lot more ATI cards appear to have been sold just recently because of NVidia's sloth/problems!

On a personal note I am very disappointed with NVidia's poor heat control! No one wants to see any processor having to run @ 90+ Celsius, it doesn't bode well for product life....

Which is a shame really as I was looking froward to buying a 480 (If it had been a bit cheaper as well). I'll probably have to settle for another 285 now.

 

A lot of the performance difference between the nVidia and ATI cards in folding is the actual folding core. I do believe (reading around) that the GPU client was designed/optimised for nVidia cards and then ported to ATI cards.. I could be wrong though

 

Since the Fermi GPU has a new architecture, the current folding clients may not make best use of the hardware. If the Fermi GPU is going to be supported, then expect nVidia to bring out new CUDA drivers, and Stanford to bring out a new client (probably the previously mentioned GPU3 client).

toTOW has a good summary on FAH-Addicts
http://en.fah-addict.net/news/news-0-193+geforce-gtx-470-and-480-announced.php

 

I believe it was that Nvidia client was written in CUDA and they were able to use optimization for the platform. The ATI client was written for the x1k card which did not have the all the GPGPU features that the new cards have. I hear a new ATI client is in the works that utilizes the GPGPU features that will improve folding performance.

 

Nice link Christopher, toTow is trying hard to be remain open minded but come on it really looks like Fermi is a joke for folding "Many folders have reported card lifetimes of a mere 15 days with certain cards when folding 24/7."

 

Yet the GTX 285 Cheesecake edition gets to around 87oC in Furmark.
Clicky

The 470's power consumption and heat doesn't differ greatly from my GTX 275 and I reckon you could rack up some points with one of those.

Clicky

 

Absolute rubbish. I've got a 275 & a 260 both folding in an antec 902, fans @ 50% with both GPU fans at 40%. 59 & 42 degrees respectively.