Microsoft's console not as capable as PS3 when it comes to folding proteins.
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Basically we have the proteins sequences of all the human protiens (pretty much) but we do not know what they do because it is the 3D structure that matters.
The F@H effort shows great scientific promise (and they have publications in the most prestigious journhals to prove that) because simulating the process of protein folding, that happens quandrillions of times inside our cells each second is almost an impossible problem to solve computationally. If we could do it we might be able to eventually not have to do experiments but similate the functions of each cell solely on the computer. Also determining the structure of a single protein can take months or years of work and for some of the most important proteins this is impossible (membrane proteins that are some of the most important drug targets out there). Furhermore you usually get a static snapshot and not the dynamic "live" picture of what the protein does.
Alzheimer's disease is important because it literally is a disease of protein folding. A protein which I think is called alpha-amylase has a low probability of assuming a misfolded state that causes is to stick to other similar proteis. This forms like a crystallization nucleus that causes more and more proteins to stick together and eventually form such a big clump that it kills surrounding brain cells and so your get a brain that is full of holes. You spend often years as a vegetable until you eventually die.
F@H looks at the dynamics of alzheimer protein folding trying to eventually devise a drug that would prevent the formation of the aberrantly folded alpha-amylase proteins (aberrant conformations). This would prevent the formation of plaques in indicviduals that were predetermined to be at risk either based on family history or genetic testing. It might even dissolve already formed plaques, although this woukd be a lot more difficult. Patient might eventually even regain the use of some brain functions they have lost (which is common in people with brain damage).
Do F@H is high quality basic science (perhaps highest quality of all the public computing projects). And it might eventually save lives.
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The reason a client for the 360 hasn't happened at the moment is that Sony provided the push and the resources to create the PS3 client and Microsoft has shown no interest in doing so for the Xbox360. The university that runs all this stuff doesn't have the resources to do it on the 360, itself, at the moment - it would have to be deeply integrated with MS's online environment and would need their help.
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LOL!!
I tried playing MotorStorm while sleeping in bed but found not being able to see the screen from under the covers proved difficult. I then tried playing Resistance from work, but my blue-tooth controller lost it's signal about halfway to the office.
Unfortunately, it seems that playing my PS3 24hrs a day 7 days a week is just not possible. Well, either I can just turn the darn thing off when I am not around it or I guess I could just leave it on and run Folding@Home and contribute my super computer ... er ... Playstation 3 to a good cause.
some people are just plain ignorant and are a waste of valuable skin. PS3 owners, don't listen. Keep helping the good cause.
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3.2 x 3.0 = 9.6 GHz
1PPU + 6SPUs = 3.0 + (6.0 x 3.2) = 22.2GHz.
So why is he a fanboy?
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and the folding@home GPU trial is specifically for ATI cards at the moment but they have used Nvidia cards in the past. The new batch concentrate on stream processors. The Cell is a general purpose fancy stream processor itself, as is the 8800GTX. Vijay already stated that the Xenon/Xenos combination is not as useful in this case. No harm no foul. Still, the April 27 release of more optimised Cell code has tripled the output of the F@H client on the PS3. thats amazing!!! :O
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the 360 is more suited to running game code than the ps3. ps3 is more suited to running apps like this.
just depends on which type of app you prefer your £400 quid box to run!
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I would like to see an X-box 360 version because at present it has a larger user base than the PS3. That said, for the particular calculations needed for protein folding the Cell proccesor is more efficient then the 360 CPU. We've already seen the Cell processor more then triple the projects outputs (I wish I could have a Cell CPU instead of my AMD 3800 X2 running my PC :P). More then anything however, I'd like to see them using the GPU's of both consoles, although they're developing a program to make use of ATI based chips which would likely have a greater effect then solely programming for CPU's.
As a gamer, we obviously haven't seen the power of the PS3 utilised appropriately for games. I think we may have to wait and see MGS4 and FF13 (PS3 exclusives?) before we start to see its full gaming potential. As for me, I'm gonna stick with my PC for the time being as I just bought a GeForce 8800GTS :P
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The title is : Xbox 360 not as useful as PS3 for Folding@home
People a flaming each other and bashing at one console or the other in a way that has not even the slightest relevance to the topic!
The best imho was the comment from a user claiming Vijay Pande doesn't know what he's talking about.
After almost falling off my chair due to the 'laughing flash' I suffered, I wondered if that comment reflects the IQ of some users and came to the conclusion that it obviously does.
VP is the head at Stanford and he and his crew surely know best WHAT a system is capable of and WHAT not. Do you think they work(ed) with names like ATI, Nvidia, Microsoft (just to name a few) cause they don't know 'sh*t from shine-all' ?
To users not seing the potential and benefit of helping a cause like curing diseases: Go back to your console and splash some blood but leave US who DO CARE alone with your unqualified and abstruse comments.
Thank you!
Carsten
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It's not about HOW MANY consoles are on the market but WHAT you can do with it and HOW MUCH work it would cost. There are folding clients for numerous platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux...) so VP can't be branded 'any brand's lover'.
Haven't you thought about the possibility that Microsoft is NOT eagerly keen to develop the program for their X-Box and the WHY SO's ?
Could it be that THEY (MS) realized that their console is NOT CAPABLE enough to stand up to a direct comparism to the PS3 when it comes to folding ?
Microsoft has been involved in the development of the clients for almost all the pc's from the start.
Now if THEY saw any chance to get a marketing freebie as Sony did, they would have jumped on board asap.
As they didn't, what does that imply in your opinion ?
A fact is that the X-Box has a serious temperature problem which would exponentially increase when using CPU heavy applications as folding (the scientific core maxes out the cpu) and I can see the THOUSANDS of users sueing MS for their melted boxes. To avoid that MS would have to reduce the workload on the cpu and thus it would become inefficient.
MS has nothing to gain but all to loose in this case, so.....
You people want to inform yourself BEFORE stating crap in the public and thus making a fool out of yourselves.
CarstenLast edited on Sat 26 May 2007 by ceemosp
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