In past days grown in my mind this question. A GPU mining-designed would have better performance than a regular GPU?

This doubt is feeded by articles where says the some graphics chips are improved to get more efficiency with coin-mining's algorithm (maybe some BOINC-based projects will works better).

Thanks for read me. Cheers!

In past days grown in my mind this question. A GPU mining-designed would have better performance than a regular GPU?

This doubt is feeded by articles where says the some graphics chips are improved to get more efficiency with coin-mining's algorithm (maybe some BOINC-based projects will works better).

Thanks for read me. Cheers!

If you have enough money to buy ASIC development and production or can do that by yourself , then yes, ASIC-based SETI processing would be faster....

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I think he might be referring to the recently reported info that the majors are looking at soon releasing mining specific video cards, and if those would work better for our work here than regular run of the mill cards we all use. Though you raise an interesting thought, but yeah, the development on an ASIC based crunching platform would be a huge challenge I would think in both time and money.

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Mining-specific is just as said - specific. That is, not general purpose.

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SETI apps news
We're not gonna fight them. We're gonna transcend them.

From what I understand the mining GPUs cards are otherwise normal GPUs but without video parts.

They are just sold under mining label because that's where the money is (for manufacturers).

Juha is referring to the cryptocurrency specific cards ATI and Nvidia have started to release last week. Supposedly they are cheaper than normal graphic cards, have no video output and limited warranties. We discussed this briefly in AL's post

https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=81591

Here is link to discussion on them
https://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-Cards/Mining-specific-cards-are-real-ASUS-and-Sapphire-GP106-and-RX-470-show
https://www.pcper.com/news/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA-Partners-Launching-Mining-Focused-P106-100-and-P104-100-Graphics-Cards

Here's a link for a the ATI in UK, haven't found a US link yet

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/sapphire-radeon-rx-470-mining-edition-4096mb-gddr5-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-37y-sp.html

Someone would have to buy one and test it with our apps to see how it performs...

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Someone would have to buy one and test it with our apps to see how it performs...

Unless it turns out to be more expensive than the regular cards are. :) It might have a price bump when/if they start shipping due to the same "price elasticity" that we are seeing in the regular market.

Still sounds perfectly reasonable to buy that kind of card for the 2nd thru 4-6th Gpu for a single motherboard.

I wonder, how many Boinc projects really benefit from Gpu processing? I am pretty sure neither World Community Grid (sub-projects) nor the Rosetta that I have been processing have Gpu versions.

If you want to really "sink" your gpu and you have 1060 or higher Nvidia gpu try Gpugrid :) The long ones start at 12+ hours wall clock time on a 1080...

Tom

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A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).

Well, there was opinion that mining on GPU these days not cost the price of electricity it consumes.
That's why mining-specific ASICs were developed and sold for mining community.
Don't see the point of general purpose GPU rebranding then.

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I'm surprised the MB manufacturers haven't made USB PCI ports and 7 card daughter boards w/power distribution for this purpose. or even a muti-lane cable.

I'm sure they would sell if purpose built in a clean package.

Ethereum crypto-currency was specifically developed so that it could not be run on prevailing Bitcoin ASICs. It only runs on common GPUs. At least for now it pays out more than the electric power it consumes in most power markets. May change in future epochs.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

I'm surprised the MB manufacturers haven't made USB PCI ports and 7 card daughter boards w/power distribution for this purpose. or even a muti-lane cable.

I'm sure they would sell if purpose built in a clean package.

When GPGPU mining was at its peak a few years ago several MB manufactures were selling kits geared towards mining.
Some were were open about it than others.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H81%20Pro%20BTC/
http://www.asrock.com/mb/spec/card.asp?Model=BTC%20PRO%20Kit

Some of the setups the miners have com up with wouldn't be bad for dedicated crunchers.

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SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours
Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[

Interesting. Thanks for the links.

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Al is thinking .... Hmm, MDF or plywood?? :D

That is a nice compact box there Hal.

Hmm, or stainless, or aluminum.. :-p

And after seeing that pretty classy looking and apparently well made rack in the pic above, I thought I would take a quick look around, seeing as how big GPU mining has become again and see what might be available today. Did a Google search, which of course lead me to Fleabay, and there again I came to realize we are living thru the CA gold rush all over again. Take a look at this example, it happened to be the first one I clicked on, and compare what he is selling for $129-179 (depending on the # of PCI-e to USB cables) to the pic above. It is shocking, and it says he is having 12 people per hour checking it out.. Sheesh.

6 to 7 GPU Open Air Mining Rig Case Assembled - Ethereum Zcash Bitcoin

Based upon what I saw there, the one in the above pic must be selling for $3-400, as I didn't see one 2x4 in it's construction.. :-O

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Some of the setups the miners have com up with wouldn't be bad for dedicated crunchers.

This certainly looks more cleanly professional than some of the pictures I have seen of systems basically "sitting" more or less on open shelves.

But so do rack mounted servers :D

Tom

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A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association).

Sadly, I fall into that category, though one of my systems on those 3M PCI-e extension ribbon cables is at least an attempt to stabilize it a little better than just having it sit out, being on a frame hanging the cards above the board, though I do think that the Dewalt squeeze clamp does add a touch of both class and authenticity... :-p

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Someone would have to buy one and test it with our apps to see how it performs...

Unless it turns out to be more expensive than the regular cards are. :) It might have a price bump when/if they start shipping due to the same "price elasticity" that we are seeing in the regular market.

Still sounds perfectly reasonable to buy that kind of card for the 2nd thru 4-6th Gpu for a single motherboard.

I wonder, how many Boinc projects really benefit from Gpu processing? I am pretty sure neither World Community Grid (sub-projects) nor the Rosetta that I have been processing have Gpu versions.

If you want to really "sink" your gpu and you have 1060 or higher Nvidia gpu try Gpugrid :) The long ones start at 12+ hours wall clock time on a 1080...

Tom

Price bump, lol, have you seen the obscene ebay prices for some GTX 970 cards? Ones made by Nvidia were up to about $651.00, some go even higher.

I'm lucky I got a Palit 970 for $272.39 on ebay from someone in the UK, and from another seller an Nvidia 970 gpu on a reference 980 card for $289.99...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Really??

I got a used 980 on there. Only up to $260 so if someone payed $651 for a 970, they really took a beating....

Really??

I got a used 980 on there. Only up to $260 so if someone payed $651 for a 970, they really took a beating....

LOL...I was about to post something similar. The used GTX 980s have gotten quite reasonable, as those who have to have the latest and greatest 10xx cards have been dumping their "obsolete" cards, if you're patient (and cautious about which sellers you deal with). In the last couple months, I've bought 3 of them to upgrade some of my machines, a Gigabyte for $210, an ASUS Strix for $190, and an MSI for $195. All have performed flawlessly. Two are currently in use and the Gigabyte, which I swapped out to test the MSI when it arrived, will probably go back in service sometime this week.

Really??

I got a used 980 on there. Only up to $260 so if someone payed $651 for a 970, they really took a beating....

LOL...I was about to post something similar. The used GTX 980s have gotten quite reasonable, as those who have to have the latest and greatest 10xx cards have been dumping their "obsolete" cards, if you're patient (and cautious about which sellers you deal with). In the last couple months, I've bought 3 of them to upgrade some of my machines, a Gigabyte for $210, an ASUS Strix for $190, and an MSI for $195. All have performed flawlessly. Two are currently in use and the Gigabyte, which I swapped out to test the MSI when it arrived, will probably go back in service sometime this week.

Both of the ones I mentioned can be converted into Hybrids with the Corsair HG10 N980 and the N970, the 970 cards follow two reference sizes, of the 4 adapters, I have two N970 kits to fill, one was adapted for some card the seller told Me, but I don't have any idea which card that was, at least not for sure, it might be an EVGA 970 Classified, if there is such a card or maybe an Asus 970 turbo, the Asus and Zotac is not on the Corsair approved N970 list, PNY, Palit, Gainward, EVGA, Inno3d, and Galax are, though not all cards under these labels are, the EVGA 1970 and 1972 are.

Note: if you can find them, some 760, 670, and 660Ti's are on the list for the N970.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-hg10-n970-gpu-liquid-cooling-bracket

The N980 list is a bit shorter and covers the 970, 980, 980 Ti, and the 12GB Titan X...

The Nvidia GTX 970 uses a 980 pcb, so it's a reference card, it should be on the list, but isn't.

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-hg10-n980-gpu-liquid-cooling-bracket

The Asus 970 Strix is a nice card, but doing that is a bit harder, you'd need an NZXT G10 or a newer G12.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's