new to this"where to start"?

[pak470]

i am considering seting up a folding@home client, i'm not sure wich one is right for me, i have a gaming machine that i would like to dedicate to this (when i'm not using it), it is a hex core 3.2 Ghz, with 8Gb of DDR3, it also has 2 ati HD4850's, and 1 nvidia 8800GT, and plenty of hard drive space.

and i'm guessing i would need to join a groupe of some sort
i also have an older dual core 2.1 (laptop)that i could use..
just found out about the program and have the means to contribute and wish to do so...

[uncle fuzzy]

Welcome to the forum and the Project, pak470.

Even having a dual use machine, and folding something less than 24/7, you should be able to run the SMP client using 4 cores of the cpu, and one GPU client on each of the 4850s. The 8800GT might make the same points as a 4850, but running mixed GPU clients is an art, not a science.

I suggested 4-core SMP to leave cpu resources open for the ATi gpus. They tend to want a lot more core time than the nVidias do. There are many threads here that cover setting the Enviromental Variables of ATi cards to minimize the impact on the cpu, but they could still have an effect on a cpu client. The 400-series nVidia are showing a greater desire for cpu resources, so I've been leaving a core free to feed them.

With the lower cooling ability of laptops, I'd go with 2 classic CPU clients. This one lets you set the cpu usage level (%) so you can fine-tune the amount of heat generated.

Joining a group is not neccessary, but if you think you'll do this long term, the support and motivation you receive from a like minded group can be a big help. Many people fold under their own user name, but donate to the default team. Look around the forums you frequent. Many of them have established teams. That's how I got started.

Your gaming machine should make 10K PPD (points per day) folding 18 hours+. The laptop can do 200+ PPD running CPU clients. It can make 800+ PPD running SMP, but it runs the cpu at 100% (heat issues) and might not make the deadlines on some of the projects (time lost, no points).

I'd say do a little reading in the SMP, ATi GPU2, GPU3, and Uniprocessor client sections. The SMP and GPU3 are beta clients, and will need a bit more attention. Uniproc and GPU2 are released clients and will have fewer problems. Those sections of the forum will give you an idea of the hardware people are using, and any problems they are seeing. You'll have to decide your own tolerance for babysitting, which will help you choose the clients to run.

Good luck.