I just read through the Wiki page on BOINC credits, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOINC_Credit_System. Sorry, this is all a bit to oblique.

Back in March, I began to do GPU crunching. Since that time, at which I had about 7 million credits gathered since 2007, my credit accumulation has ballooned out to over 31 million credits, based primarily on the GPU work.

I would like to understand just how this system works, how a single, albeit long, WU can yield up a huge number of credits.

I have asked this question at one of the largest credit granter projects but received no answers. My GPU's are twin Nvidia GTX670's eunning as one GPU under enabled Scalable Link Interface (SLI).

Thanks for any help.

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My GPU's are twin Nvidia GTX670's eunning as one GPU under enabled Scalable Link Interface (SLI).

Uh yes, but BOINC will just see them as two individual, be it the same, GPUs. Meaning you run at least two tasks at the same time, one on either GPU.

As for why your credits are ballooning that fast, other than that you're using two fast GPUs and probably run a project that's paying very high for a single task... it's because not all projects are using, or ever going to use, http://boinc.berkeley.edu/trac/wiki/CreditNew. If they were one could compare. Now, not so much.

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Hey Jord-

How are you? Thanks for your reply, and for the link to the page explaining how I will never ever know how credits are actually derived. Wow, to whomsoever wrote that page. It is truly a tour de force.

Regarding the twin GPU's under SLI, when I look at active tasks, I will see most often two, rarely three task having been started, but only one running at any one time, the other(s) waiting to run.

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Regarding the twin GPU's under SLI, when I look at active tasks, I will see most often two, rarely three task having been started, but only one running at any one time, the other(s) waiting to run.

Then one of your GPUs may not be used by BOINC. Check the start-up messages. First 20 lines or so, it says that it's detected your GPUs and if it uses them both. If not, on one of them it'll say "not used".

Even two GPUs of the same make and model, can still differ.
BOINC decides which GPU is best based on these factors, in decreasing priority):
- compute capability
- software version
- available memory
- speed

And with that memory detection bug being in the 7.0 series, it's quite easy to have problems with one of the GPUs being 'better', in terms of available memory...

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Sorry, I forgot to say, cc_config has the line to ignore cuda dev 1 (I am still on 6.12.34).

The builder said this is not necessary, but I am being prudent. There was so much trouble with the first machine, with liquid cooled GTX580's, and also with the liquid cooling systems on the CPU, they went ahead and built me a new machine from scratch. So, you know, averaging 103,000-116,000 per day is not like 175,000-200,000 per day; but I am not losing my machine for two weeks on a repair queue.

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http://sciencesprings.wordpress.com
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When you're ignoring device 1, only device 0 is being used. So only one of the two GPUs is being used by BOINC. Yes, even if you put them in SLI. SLI is only interesting for games.

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Yes, thanks, that is what we wanted to happen.

So, friend, who wrote that new Credit page?

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http://sciencesprings.wordpress.com
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So, friend, who wrote that new Credit page?

Make one educated guess. Who is behind BOINC's conception?

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So, I have read the page now about ten times. Reading between the lines it is saying hey, Dude, don't worry about it, just keep those computers running.

Who wrote the page? Well, no wit, no irony, no poetic license, certainly not a certain ageless wonder, who is the real dogged keeper of all things BOINC. I guess Dave A; but if you told me Rom W, I would not be shocked.

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http://sciencesprings.wordpress.com
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LOL, no Dave A. it is. BTW, I tried to translate that page into English once, but have given up. ;-)

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