Here is what the website http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/cuda.php says:

"(Note: CUDA apps are supported only on Windows and Linux; Mac OS X support is coming soon.)" 

OK. Got that.

"1) Check whether your computer has a CUDA-capable GPU" 

"CUDA programs work on most newer NVIDIA GPUs. To find out if your GPU is compatible: 
Identify the model name of your GPU. On Windows, right-click on your desktop, and select Properties
/ Settings / Advanced / Adapter. Note the Adapter Type and Memory Size. 
Check NVIDIA's list of CUDA-enabled products. If your GPU is listed here and has at least 256MB of
RAM, it's compatible." 

Yup. Got that.

"2) Get the latest BOINC software" 

"Download and install version 6.4.5 or later of the BOINC software." 

"Protected Application Execution mode is incompatible with CUDA, so be sure to install BOINC with
the default options." 

Installed 6.4.7 with all the default options. That seems to have caused it to install in such a way
that I now have to use "Run as" myusername before it will download anything, otherwise it reports
zero space available.

"3) Get the latest NVIDIA driver "

Got it straight from NVIDIA.

"Run BOINC, and look at the Messages. If BOINC reports a CUDA device, your current driver is OK.
Otherwise download and install the latest driver (a reboot will be required)." 

BOINC reports a CUDA device.

"You're done! Now start up BOINC, and soon you'll be racking up big credit numbers." 

I suppose we need a step here that says to "lock out Astropulse?"

Dave





Tazz <dmswaine@gmail.com> wrote:

DaveT wrote:

OK. I've now got a card with an Nvidia GeFoce 8400 engine and 512 MB of vDram. I have the latest
supposedly CUDA-enabled version 6.4.7 of BOINC. The start-up log says "CUDA devices found". How do I
determine if it's actually using this capability? So far it's processing Astropulse at the rate of
about 0.1% per 10 minutes. That sounds like about 166.66 hours to completion, versus an estimate of
194 hours, which is about what it used to take. Is this roughly 16% improvement the best I can hope
for? That would be about 7 days. By the way, for what it's woth, it rates my 2 CPUs at 2594 floating
point MIPS and 4146 integer MIPS each. 

Thanks
Dave

The seti@home website is down right now so I can't confirm this, but I 
think that the stock version of BOINC will only do regular workunits on 
the Nvidia GPU, not Astropulse.

Also, from what I've read, on a multi-core system one core will not run 
a workunit but will be "feeding" the CUDA GPU. Probably the same on a 
single core system; the CPU will be feeding the GPU.

I'm still in the planning stages trying to figure out what I'll need to 
run CUDA units. So far it looks like a major upgrade.



--	
</Tazz>