I use BOINC on about 400 Quad core machines. For about the past few months, the CPU usage on all four cores, pulsates up and down, such that the total CPU usage is never a rock solid 100%, as it used to be. Seems to across all my machines, no matter what version of BOINC is being used.

Thoughts ?

Have you checked your global preferences? If it's set below 100% then you'll see the "pulsating" (e.g. 80% usage = 80% of time at 100%, 20% of time at 0%).

Just checked and no it is set for 100%, on all CPU's.


Is this the default preference? Yes
Processor usage
Do work while computer is running on batteries? Yes
Do work while computer is in use? Yes
Use GPU while computer is in use? Yes
'In use' means mouse/keyboard activity in last 3 minutes
Suspend work if no mouse/keyboard activity in last -
Do work only between the hours of no restriction
Leave applications in memory while preempted? Yes
Switch between applications every 60 minutes
On a multiprocessor system, use at most 4 processors
On a multiprocessor system, use at most 100% of the processors
Use at most 100% of CPU time
Storage and memory usage
Use no more than 100.0 Gb
Leave at least 1.5 Gb free
Use no more than 50% of total disk space
Write to disk at most every 60 seconds
Use no more than 95% of total virtual memory
Use at most 90% of memory when computer is in use
Use at most 90% of memory when computer is idle
Network usage
Connect to network about every 0.25 days
Maintain enough work for an additional 1.5 days
Confirm before connecting to Internet? No
Disconnect when done? No
Maximum download rate: No limit
Maximum upload rate: No limit
Use network only between the hours of no restriction
Skip image file verification? Yes

The only other time I've encountered a similar issue is when running multiple RAM intensive applications and keeping them in memory when suspended. When BOINC would switch between projects there wouldn't be enough RAM to run the other application and there would only be 2 or 3 of the 4 cores actually working. Currently I'm having no issues running v6.6.36 on my quad so I can't be of much more assistance than that. You may want to try over at the BOINC formus as well - http://boinc.berkeley.edu/dev/forum_forum.php?id=10 .

Good luck!

Could this be CPU throttling due to high temperatures? This is set outside of BOINC.

Hi,

Found the issue. In the preference setting for the individual projects, there is a setting for the default % of CPU power used. It was at 60%. I have adjusted it to 100% on my projects and now all my clients are working at 100%. That setting never used to be there and I usually interface to everything through the BAM interface, where it doesn't show up.

Makes sense ?

Glad you figured it out!