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How do I make my CPU work harder?

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Wh99-milkyway

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Message 77207 - Posted: 23 Aug 2024, 2:33:12 UTC

I have a 4-core dual thread mobo and have am wanting to make it worker harder.

Currently, I have 2 different resource monitors (Win10 Task Manager and HWmonitor).

Both show I use about 80%-90% of my cpu power (regardless of how many cores I allocate) for the first hour or so.

Then it drops to around 15%-20% of my cpu power (again, regardless of how many cores I allocate), and stay like that unless I reboot.
After a reboot, it again will use 80%-90% for an hour or so, then permanently drop to 15%-20%.

How do I fix this?

I want it to continuously use a much higher %, like my other donated computer does.

Thank you.
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Message 77208 - Posted: 23 Aug 2024, 9:29:37 UTC - in response to Message 77207.  
Last modified: 23 Aug 2024, 9:40:12 UTC

I have a 4-core dual thread mobo and have am wanting to make it worker harder.

Currently, I have 2 different resource monitors (Win10 Task Manager and HWmonitor).

Both show I use about 80%-90% of my cpu power (regardless of how many cores I allocate) for the first hour or so.

Then it drops to around 15%-20% of my cpu power (again, regardless of how many cores I allocate), and stay like that unless I reboot.
After a reboot, it again will use 80%-90% for an hour or so, then permanently drop to 15%-20%.

How do I fix this?

I want it to continuously use a much higher %, like my other donated computer does.

Thank you.


I would go thru the Boinc Manager options first to ensure nothing is funky, on he top bar of the Boinc Manager click Options, then Computing Preferences and in the first tab, Computing, I don't know which version of Boinc you are running so look for what I'm talking about as some things have changed over the versions and I'm using version 8.04. The top section says When computer is in use and I think that part is okay it's the 2nd section When computer is not in use that could be your problem. Go thru those settings to ensure they are just like the first computer you have, you can go thru the top section to ensure it's the same as well and hopefully you will find the culprit.

If you don't find the culprit in the Boinc Manager then it's probably an OS setting and since your pc's are hidden I don't know if you are using Windows or Linux or Mac and which version of each. You can click on my name and see my own pc's to see what's available for you to see if you are worried about what's being shared.
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Wh99-milkyway

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Message 77209 - Posted: 24 Aug 2024, 3:40:12 UTC - in response to Message 77208.  

Hi.

I appreciate the reply.

My general BOINC settings are that "when computer is in use" and "when computer is not in use" settings match eachother, and both match the other computer I mentioned.
I also set my MilkyWay specific settings to:
- Resource Share 100 (MilkyWay is the only distributed cpu project this computer is doing)
- Use cpu
- Avoid gpu
- Max cpu for graphics is 0
- Run Milkyway@home N-Body Simulation
- Run Milkyway@home N-Body Simulation with Orbit Fitting
- Max # of simultaneous MilkyWay@home tasks is 2
- Max # of threads for each MilkyWay@home task is 256

I am using Win10 with all updates.

How do I set my pc so that you can see it (unhide it)?
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Profile Keith Myers
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Message 77210 - Posted: 24 Aug 2024, 7:44:41 UTC - in response to Message 77209.  

How do I set my pc so that you can see it (unhide it)?

"Should MilkyWay@home show your computers on its web site?"


https://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/prefs.php?subset=project

Are you by chance using a non-heterogenous cpu? IOW, one with 'performance' cores and 'efficiency' cores?

If so, you should disable the efficiency cores in the UEFI or use one of the utilities like Process Lasso to restrict all Boinc applications to the performance cores.
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Message 77211 - Posted: 24 Aug 2024, 10:12:57 UTC - in response to Message 77209.  
Last modified: 24 Aug 2024, 10:13:52 UTC

Hi.

I appreciate the reply.

My general BOINC settings are that "when computer is in use" and "when computer is not in use" settings match eachother, and both match the other computer I mentioned.
I also set my MilkyWay specific settings to:
- Resource Share 100 (MilkyWay is the only distributed cpu project this computer is doing)
- Use cpu
- Avoid gpu
- Max cpu for graphics is 0
- Run Milkyway@home N-Body Simulation
- Run Milkyway@home N-Body Simulation with Orbit Fitting
- Max # of simultaneous MilkyWay@home tasks is 2
- Max # of threads for each MilkyWay@home task is 256

I am using Win10 with all updates.

How do I set my pc so that you can see it (unhide it)?


Milkyway can only use a max of 256 cpu cores per task but most people find that limiting each task to 1 cpu core is just as fast and you get more work done as well.

Also the problem could be the line that says '- Max # of simultaneous MilkyWay@home tasks is 2' if you change that to 'no limit' then all of your cpu cores will be used for crunching, except of course the efficiency cores if you have an Intel cpu that has them.
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Message 77212 - Posted: 24 Aug 2024, 11:40:23 UTC - in response to Message 77211.  

Milkyway can only use a max of 256 cpu cores per task but most people find that limiting each task to 1 cpu core is just as fast and you get more work done as well.

Also the problem could be the line that says '- Max # of simultaneous MilkyWay@home tasks is 2' if you change that to 'no limit' then all of your cpu cores will be used for crunching, except of course the efficiency cores if you have an Intel cpu that has them.
Yes, with "no limit" for "Max # of simultaneous MilkyWay@home tasks" and "1" for "Max # of threads for each MilkyWay@home task" you'll get the highest possible utilisation of your CPU.
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Message 77213 - Posted: 24 Aug 2024, 11:45:11 UTC - in response to Message 77207.  

Both show I use about 80%-90% of my cpu power (regardless of how many cores I allocate) for the first hour or so.

Then it drops to around 15%-20% of my cpu power (again, regardless of how many cores I allocate), and stay like that unless I reboot.
After a reboot, it again will use 80%-90% for an hour or so, then permanently drop to 15%-20%.
Sounds like some tasks get stuck. Are you allowing BOINC to use 100% of CPU time? In general I also recommend to disable any automatic suspending of tasks when computer is in use, except for specific applications if really needed (in cc_config.xml).
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