Computer slow down to 20% of CPU virtual memory

Elealiu
Elealiu
Joined: 20 Feb 05
Posts: 6
Credit: 157
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Topic 188205

Here's the problem that I'm running into: When running BOINC, the best speed I can get out of it is 20%. I know its not the fan (as I've seen suggested at other BOINC forums) because I took it in to be looked at by a professional and he said nothing was wrong with it. The only thing I've been able to do that seems to improve the speed at all is to open task manager and manually set the priority to "high" for each of the three BOINC accounts I have. The problem there is that I don't know how to make the setting permanent, so whenever I turn off my computer, the priorities get reset back to "low".
So, my question is two fold:
1. Does anyone know how to make the priority setting in task manager permanent?
2. Or, better yet, do you have any other ideas on how to fix this problem?
Many thanks,
Heath

Jord
Joined: 26 Jan 05
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Computer slow down to 20% of CPU virtual memory

What are you doing at the same time BOINC/E@H is working? BOINC is set to always take the lowest priority, so you setting it to High in the Task Manager will only work for as long as you have the PC/laptop on, or until the unit is crunched and the next one starts. It'll automtaically revert back to lowest priority.

So for 1), unless you know some programming languages, you can try to make your own version with the source code.

As for 2) check what you are doing at the same time BOINC is working. Everything you do on the computer at the same time BOINC is running will eat into BOINC's ability to run at 100%. Antivirus scanning, printing, photo editing, video making, gaming, you name it, it'll cut into BOINC.

Unless you don't do anything on that PC/laptop... then BOINC will run 100%.
If at least, you set your preferences correctly.

Thierry Van Driessche
Thierry Van Dri...
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If you open the taskmanager,

If you open the taskmanager, you can sort by CPU usage. By doing so, you can see what other processes are running using the 80% left.

Maybe something is running in the background without you notice it.

Greetings from Belgium
Thierry

Michael Berger
Michael Berger
Joined: 22 Jan 05
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> he said nothing was wrong

> he said nothing was wrong with it. The only thing I've been able to do that
> seems to improve the speed at all is to open task manager and manually set the
> priority to "high" for each of the three BOINC accounts I have.

Elealiu,

Are you running multiple instances of BOINC? You have a single CPU platform and should have only one instance of BOINC an one instance of the project application running at a time.

There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot -- Steven Wright

Darrell
Darrell
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> he said nothing was wrong

> he said nothing was wrong with it. The only thing I've been able to do that
> seems to improve the speed at all is to open task manager and manually set the
> priority to "high" for each of the three BOINC accounts I have.

I think that what he is saying is that he has one instance of Boinc running that is attached to three projects. He probably has the preference 'leave apps in memory' set to yes. Thus when he opens Task Manager, he is adjusting the priority of each of the project apps from idle to high.

Elealiu
Elealiu
Joined: 20 Feb 05
Posts: 6
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"System Idle Process" is

Message 6701 in response to message 6697

"System Idle Process" is taking up the vast majority of the CPU usage (anywhere from 50-80%). I know little about such things, but I think that means its memory that's not being used. As for other programs taking up memory, there are normally a handful running at 2% and one or two at 10% but that's it. I don't run to many heavy memory eaters on my computer.
Normally, when I leave the computer to on and its not and I'm not using it the only thing its running is Boinc (and Darrell is correct, I only have the one instance running, the "accounts" I refered to are Seti, Einstein and Folding@home, respectively.

> As for 2) check what you are doing at the same time BOINC is working.
> Everything you do on the computer at the same time BOINC is running will eat
> into BOINC's ability to run at 100%. Antivirus scanning, printing, photo
> editing, video making, gaming, you name it, it'll cut into BOINC.
>
> Unless you don't do anything on that PC/laptop... then BOINC will run 100%.
> If at least, you set your preferences correctly.

Normally, when I leave the computer to on and its not and I'm not using it the only thing its running is Boinc (and Darrell is correct, I only have the one instance running, the "accounts" I refered to are Seti, Einstein and Folding@home, respectively). When this is the case, System Idle Process is around 80% and Boinc runs around 20%.
So, any ideas?
Thanks

Jord
Joined: 26 Jan 05
Posts: 2952
Credit: 5779100
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Excuse me, but Folding@Home

Excuse me, but Folding@Home isn't using BOINC yet, is it? You are running a program on the side for that, if all is correct. If I am mistaken in this, and you're running a beta for F@H, then sorry.

"System Idle Process" has nothing to do with memory. It's the process of your CPU when it is doing absolutely nothing, then it sits at 99%.
At all other times that it fluctuates, other programs are using your CPU, so the System Idle Process goes down then.

I just checked the FAH forums, and no, it isn't using BOINC yet. So if you are running and BOINC with Seti & Einstein and the FAH cruncher at the same time, they are both fighting for CPU cycles.

It doesn't exactly explain the discrepancy, but if you are running FAH at the same time as BOINC, try to close it down and see how much CPU cycles BOINC picks up then.

Michael Berger
Michael Berger
Joined: 22 Jan 05
Posts: 36
Credit: 37252
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> "System Idle Process" is

Message 6703 in response to message 6701

> "System Idle Process" is taking up the vast majority of the CPU usage
> (anywhere from 50-80%). I know little about such things, but I think that
> means its memory that's not being used. As for other programs taking up
> memory, there are normally a handful running at 2% and one or two at 10% but
> that's it. I don't run to many heavy memory eaters on my computer.
> Normally, when I leave the computer to on and its not and I'm not using it the
> only thing its running is Boinc (and Darrell is correct, I only have the one
> instance running, the "accounts" I refered to are Seti, Einstein and
> Folding@home, respectively.
>
> > As for 2) check what you are doing at the same time BOINC is working.
> > Everything you do on the computer at the same time BOINC is running will
> eat
> > into BOINC's ability to run at 100%. Antivirus scanning, printing, photo
> > editing, video making, gaming, you name it, it'll cut into BOINC.
> >
> > Unless you don't do anything on that PC/laptop... then BOINC will run
> 100%.
> > If at least, you set your preferences correctly.
>
> Normally, when I leave the computer to on and its not and I'm not using it the
> only thing its running is Boinc (and Darrell is correct, I only have the one
> instance running, the "accounts" I refered to are Seti, Einstein and
> Folding@home, respectively). When this is the case, System Idle Process is
> around 80% and Boinc runs around 20%.
> So, any ideas?
> Thanks

Oh, I have some ideas but I'm not at liberty to divulge them here.

There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot -- Steven Wright

Elealiu
Elealiu
Joined: 20 Feb 05
Posts: 6
Credit: 157
RAC: 0

Sorry, my bad. Case of

Message 6704 in response to message 6702

Sorry, my bad. Case of mistaken identity. I called Predictor@home folding@home. The first came after the second, and if I'm not mistaken is closely related to it. I get the two mixed up becuase of that. Predictor is run on Boinc and is another program that is run on my copy of Boinc.

"Not at liberty to divulge them here." Hmmm... sounds interesting. Are we talking super-spy-hacker-espionagy-stuff here?

> Excuse me, but Folding@Home isn't using BOINC yet, is it? You are running a
> program on the side for that, if all is correct. If I am mistaken in this, and
> you're running a beta for F@H, then sorry.
>
> "System Idle Process" has nothing to do with memory. It's the process of your
> CPU when it is doing absolutely nothing, then it sits at 99%.
> At all other times that it fluctuates, other programs are using your CPU, so
> the System Idle Process goes down then.
>
> I just checked the FAH forums, and no, it href="https://einsteinathome.org/%3Ca%20href%3D"http://forum.folding-community.org/viewtopic.php?p=92514#92514">http://forum.folding-community.org/viewtopic.php?p=92514#92514">isn't
> using BOINC yet[/url]. So if you are running and BOINC with Seti & Einstein
> and the FAH cruncher at the same time, they are both fighting for CPU cycles.
>
>
> It doesn't exactly explain the discrepancy, but if you are running FAH at the
> same time as BOINC, try to close it down and see how much CPU cycles BOINC
> picks up then.
>

Paul D. Buck
Paul D. Buck
Joined: 17 Jan 05
Posts: 754
Credit: 5385205
RAC: 0

> "System Idle Process" is

Message 6705 in response to message 6701

> "System Idle Process" is taking up the vast majority of the CPU usage
> (anywhere from 50-80%). I know little about such things, but I think that
> means its memory that's not being used.

No, that is the CPU time that is not being used and can be used to operate any of the DC projects. So, if you run BOINC, that time is now used to run the BOINC Projects that you are participating in.

WIth BOINC up and running, the system Idle process should not have any CPU time at all.

Elealiu
Elealiu
Joined: 20 Feb 05
Posts: 6
Credit: 157
RAC: 0

That's the problem. System

Message 6706 in response to message 6705

That's the problem. System Idle does have a large portion of CPU time even when I'm runnig BOINC.

> WIth BOINC up and running, the system Idle process should not have any CPU
> time at all.

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