On my Windows boxes, I can run GPU tasks almost all the time. No lag, no drag, everything is smooth. The only noticeable exceptions are:

1. Video games. When I occasionally get to play, I have to disable GPU tasks so that the game plays smoothly.

2. Films and cartoons, especially in HD quality (e.g., BluRay discs). If I leave GPU tasks running, video often gets jerky and lags behind audio track.

Yes, I know that there is a preference to only use GPU when the box is not in use, but it does not quite fit. For games, it does work, but as I said I am only an occasional player, so most of the time GPU tasks are suspended because I am using the computer for other purposes. Typing text, surfing the Internet, whatever. So, leaving this option on is a waste of GPU computational power.

For films, this option does not work either: after the period of presumed "inactivity", the tasks are resumed, and video gets jerky again. Fairly annoying, I assure you.

So, I propose to add an option to suspend GPU computation if any application is running in fullscreen mode. For me, these apps are games and videos, without exception. I guess I am not the only one.

Here is the snippet of code that does the detection under Windows:

bool isFullscreenAppActive() 
{ 
    HWND hwnd = GetForegroundWindow(); 
    if( hwnd == 0 )
    {
        return false;
    }
    // Everything is minimized.
    if( hwnd == GetShellWindow() )
    {
        return false;
    }
    if( hwnd == GetDesktopWindow() )
    {
        return false;
    }
    // Aha, we have some window. Does it fit the screen?
    RECT rcWindow; 
    GetWindowRect( hwnd, &rcWindow ); 
    HMONITOR hm = MonitorFromRect( &rcWindow, MONITOR_DEFAULTTONULL ); 
    if(!hm) 
    {
        return false; 
    }

    MONITORINFO mi = {sizeof (mi)}; 
 
    GetMonitorInfo( hm, &mi );
    return EqualRect( &rcWindow, &mi.rcMonitor ) != FALSE; 
} 

This code works fairly reliably on my Windows boxes (WinXP, Win7, Win7 64-bit). In theory, it may return false positives when a screensaver becomes active. In practice, I didn't see any.

As for Linux machines running X-server, I do not have any solution. Neither have I for Mac. Detecting fullscreen applications may be tricky on these systems, so I hope someone with better knowledge would step in and add the code. For now, the function may always return 'false' on these systems (no fullscreen apps detected - which is the truth).

In the meanwhile, could you please add this option anyway? It might be marked OS-specific for a time being.

Check out the cc_config.xml option <exclusive_gpu_app>important.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>

This works under any platform.

A cc_config.xml like this:

<cc_config>
<log_flags>
</log_flags>
<options>
        <exclusive_app>BurnoutParadise.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>Crysis.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>Crysis2.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>Crysis3.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>DarkAthena.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>DarkAthena_Launcher.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>DOOM3.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>DOOM3DED.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>dxhr.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>dxhrml.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>EFLC.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>FarCry2.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>FUEL.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>GTAIV.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>hl2.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>iw3sp.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>iw4sp.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>iw5sp.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>LaunchEFLC.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>Launcher.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>LaunchGTAIV.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>nexus.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>nexus_DX9.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>NFS11.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>NFS13.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>oblivion.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>OFDR.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>OperationFlashpoint.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>RedRiver.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>RedRiverLauncher.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>skyrim4gb.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>SkyrimLauncher.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>SpecOpsTheLine.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_app>TESV.exe</exclusive_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>FEAR.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>farcry3.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>FarCry.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>Bioshock.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>Bioshock2.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>MOHDW.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>HitmanBloodMoney.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>Fallout3.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>HitmanContracts.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>hitman2.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>S2DNG.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>S2DNGEditor.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
        <exclusive_gpu_app>HMA.exe</exclusive_gpu_app>
</options>
</cc_config>

The above is what's in MY cc_config.xml
For some of the games all of BOINC will suspend, for others I can continue to use my CPUs, but want my GPU to stop processing.

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I did forward your request to the developers, who answered this back:

Charlie Fenton wrote:

you wrote:

So, I propose to add an option to suspend GPU computation if any application is running in fullscreen mode.

If we did that, it would suspend GPU computation when the BOINC screen saver is running, since both the default screen saver and the project screen savers are full-screen OpenGL applications.

Cheers,
--Charlie

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