I decided to put some unused CPU resources to good use for the folding@home project.
The software allows you to harness your unused computing power to run simulations for research in tackling cures for viruses such as covid19.
img |
: folding@home is supported by these excellent companies.
|
Finding a suitable computer
My Plex server is a perfect machine to run it on, with a Ryzen 3600 Hexa-Core /64GB RAM setup running Windows. It has a weak graphics card because it is in a remote datacenter, but the CPU is perfect for running multi-threaded software.
img
|
: The folding@home application UI
|
You can see the progress of the simulations, known as work units, being utilized by your machine. The application also has a web UI which you can access by going to client.foldingathome.co.
Below, you can see the relatively static CPU utilization from the application. I chose 'light' resources because it is still quite heavy on the CPU [circa 40% average load], and I don't want to risk any potential Plex transcoding or other performance issues, as I pride myself with a high uptime of 24/7 Plex availability.
img |
: System resources running the simulations
|
Something to brag about
Every simulation run will count towards your username/team score [if selected] and you can download a certificate at any point reflecting your work unit contributions.
img |
: My WU contributions so far to the folding@home project
|
Every little bit helps, so it's important for everyone to try and make a difference - if you have a spare PC or server with idle CPU resources, then you should consider running it.
