Apologies if this has been asked before, but if so I can't find the thread. I notice that all my SETI CPU tasks run under the Windows 8.05 application, although I do have the 8.08 application downloaded and available. I am sure that when 8.08 was first released for SETI I used to have my SETI tasks running under that. I am also connected to Beta and the occasional task I get from that always runs under 8.08 and produces a good result, so there doesn't seem any inherent reason why SETI doesn't use it as well. Anything I can do to make SETI switch to 8.08 running, or is that a bad idea? Thanks.

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Apologies if this has been asked before, but if so I can't find the thread. I notice that all my SETI CPU tasks run under the Windows 8.05 application, although I do have the 8.08 application downloaded and available. I am sure that when 8.08 was first released for SETI I used to have my SETI tasks running under that. I am also connected to Beta and the occasional task I get from that always runs under 8.08 and produces a good result, so there doesn't seem any inherent reason why SETI doesn't use it as well. Anything I can do to make SETI switch to 8.08 running, or is that a bad idea? Thanks.

You need to look at your hidden computers Gflops processing #. Which ever cpu task that has the highest Gflops # is the fastest task for your setup (currently). If that is 8.05 rather than 8.08 so be it.

If you insist on self section you can use something called the Lunatic distro to control which cpu task you use. You lose the Seti graphics if you do.

Tom

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

The Lunatics distro wouldn't have the stock cpu 8.05 and 8.08 applications. It has its own cpu optimized applications. The OP would need to create an app_info for the anonymous platform to specifically use the 8.08 application instead of the 8.05.

Or save the 8.05 and 8.08 executables offline and install the Lunatics distro, move the 8.08 application back to the project directory and edit the Lunatics distro's app_info to substitute the 8.08 application for the Lunatics one.

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

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Thankyou, the Gflops pointer is exactly what I needed to understand it. The 8.05 version is apparently faster on this PC for Seta main. Though. strangely, on BETA on the same PC 8.08 is recorded as faster (has a higher Gflops figure) than 8.05, which will be why my Beta tasks run that. Another puzzle.

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The mix of tasks you crunched at Beta with the 8.08 application could be sufficiently different than the mix of tasks crunched at Main.
Some tasks are easier than others to crunch and may respond better or worse depending on the application.

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

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Thankyou, the Gflops pointer is exactly what I needed to understand it. The 8.05 version is apparently faster on this PC for Seta main. Though. strangely, on BETA on the same PC 8.08 is recorded as faster (has a higher Gflops figure) than 8.05, which will be why my Beta tasks run that. Another puzzle.

As Keith mentioned, the type of work allocated to a particular application can result in the Manager choosing the wrong one-the range in processing times on my system can be from 30min to 1hr 30min depending on the type of WU.

With your computers hidden there is no way we can tell which one would most likely be best, however according to the applications page the general order from worst to best for the stock applications is

Windows/x86 8.00         32,880 GigaFLOPS 
Windows/x86 8.05         42,594 GigaFLOPS 
Windows/x86 8.08 (alt)  264,752 GigaFLOPS

ie Most stock systems have settled on the 8.08 (alt) application as the best.
The Lunatics AVX application (if your CPU can make use of it) is considerably faster than any of these stock applications, although cooling may become an issue if your system only has the supplied retail cooler on it.

When running Beta, because of the work mix at the time my video card ended up choosing the absolute slowest possible application out of 3.
There really needs to a be a "Retest applications" button on the manager for cases like this (ideally with a CPU retest & GPU retest so you're only re-doing the one you have issues with).

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Grant
Darwin NT

There really needs to a be a "Retest applications" button on the manager for cases like this (ideally with a CPU retest & GPU retest so you're only re-doing the one you have issues with).

Isn't that what happens when you "reset" a project? Or if you got rid of the "wisdom" files?

Tom

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

There really needs to a be a "Retest applications" button on the manager for cases like this (ideally with a CPU retest & GPU retest so you're only re-doing the one you have issues with).

Isn't that what happens when you "reset" a project? Or if you got rid of the "wisdom" files?

No idea.
Would be better if all you had to do was click on a button or menu option to tryout applications again, and not dump all your work & try again, or start deleting files that are in what are by default hidden directories. Keeping it simple would be best.

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Grant
Darwin NT

A more interesting discussion than I thought it might be! I have unhidden the computer, at least for the moment, the one in question is 8001843. I do at (warm) times run it with temperature throttling in effect, I wonder vaguely if that might have some impact on this sort of thing. I could of course make it rerun the benchmarks, but it sounds like that won't help here. I'm reluctant to do a reset. However thankyou all for the splendid information.

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Your Details page for that host spells it all out.
https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/host_app_versions.php?hostid=8001843

The APR for the 8.05 is 28.07 and only 22.17 for the 8.08 Alt application. With that much performance disparity, the scheduler will always be sending you work for the 8.05 application.

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

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)