i run 4 computers on folding@home (2 of them dual-core)...now, my question is, how does this shorten the life of the processors? this isn't a bitchy-whiny-omg-i'm-gonna-burn-up-my-computer post...i'm just curious as to what the life expectancy of modern CPUs are, and how running them at 100% 24/7/365 might affect the life (going from 20 years to 10 is not a big deal...going from 10 to 1 might be, though)...when i get home, i'm hooking one dual-core up to a watt-o-meter (or whatever you call it) to measure the total amount of electricity the computer consumes running just folding without the monitor on (for my own edification)

no worries, synapse, i'm not shutting any of them down

11/1/2007 5:35:05 PM

The quality control on processors is very high. In the statistical sense, they'll become obsolete before they break so long as they get steady voltage and stay cool.

[Edited on November 1, 2007 at 5:42 PM. Reason : spelling FTL]

11/1/2007 5:42:36 PM

Quote :

"they'll become obsolete before they break so long as they get steady voltage and stay cool."

couldnt of said it any better myself...


regardless of life expectancy (i would say 10+ years with heavy load and oc'ing || 20 normal) you will replace them before they burn out on your own accord

11/1/2007 6:40:41 PM

If properly maintained (as stated above) the processor should be the least of your worries. There are many components on a typical system that I would expect to die LONG before the CPU.

11/1/2007 7:59:11 PM

well, i'm using stock on everything, but my dual-cores never go above 29°C, so i would assume they're good

11/1/2007 8:16:08 PM

Quote :

"but my dual-cores never go above 29°C,"

thats pretty nice, i wish i could say the same. i have a pentium-d on an aftermarket cooler and it gets almost twice as hot as that.

11/1/2007 9:20:16 PM

Dunno much about F@H, but I'd expect the hard drive to die first if it is drive intensive, followed by maybe the power supply, then the memory,then cpu/vid card.

11/1/2007 9:56:48 PM

i still have my school computer built in 1999 (dual 500 celerons/abit bp6 was overclocked while I had it) and it currently runs linux as just a remote desktop machine for my brother who is currently at school and has alot of lab machines to manage. it was my original folding machine tho long ago, probably my first folding WU machine .... i've been through various harddrives, but that is it.

keep your case/fans clean of dust so they don't bind or make hotspots in the case (i clean em out like every 3 months). your probably already ahead of any failure anyway since you already monitor your temperature. just doing that alone will give you a heads up when a component is going bad (especially harddrives these days and the smart data).

[Edited on November 2, 2007 at 12:16 AM. Reason : darkone's post, qft.]

11/2/2007 12:15:45 AM