Folding@Home on the PS3

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KcX78W4zLSA

I reckon this is an awesome idea.

I’ll have to view it later since I’m not home and I’m using my PSP web browser right now.

Give me a break. Firstly, you’d think scientists would have their own break neck speed machines for this kind of research. But no, instead they’re using the PS3?. I guess Sony are really grabbing for all the positive press they can get though so we can’t really blame them.

Give me a games machine that focuses on games please, not one with more bells and whistles attached than a portable toilet from Area 51.

The Folding@Home deal, from what I understand, is similar to SETI@home, where average folks set their computer up to look through all sorts of signals. So many people are involved, that it provides a massive amount of computer power. Some people have PCs (for Folding or SETI) entirely dedicated to these processes. From what I understand, it basically simulates processes.

So, its not a terrible idea, but the PS3 isnt the only thing capable of this, and its not like you’re going to be doing groundbreaking research. Although it can’t hurt to help.

Wow that is rather clever.

The amount of processing power that Folding@Home has access to, for free, in the form of private PCs and consoles would cost dozens of millions of dollars, if they had to build their own super computers for it.

It’s a far better idea (given their limited budget) to get other people to use their equipment and electricty.

The most powerful computer in the world, cost far more than the budget of Stanford’s chemisty department, and it’s about the same speed as the 200,000+ computers running folding at home.

GPU (video card) and Cell (PS3) clients may very well increase the processing power of F@H exponetially, as GPUs (and other purpose built chips, like the combined media processors on the Cell) are dozens of times faster at floating point opterations than general purpose CPUs.

It’s out. I’m doing it. wOOt!