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[Eugenitor]

http://folding.stanford.edu/

Basically, if you're not folding, or running some other distributed-computing project, your CPU and GPU are just sitting there when you're not using them, like a dog in the basement, crying out for action. Think of your poor processor. It wants to cut loose. Give it something to do.

Okay: Fold with the basic CPU client and get ~100-200 points per day.
Better: Use PS3's Life with Playstation and get ~1000 PPD.
Best: Run the GPU3 client on a modern gaming rig and crank that for anywhere from 2000 to some 15k PPD for multiple high-end GPUs. Alternatively, run the advanced/slightly-experimental CPU client which does "bigadv" workunits if you have an 8-core. (I don't know much about that one)
Dwarfy: There's some absolutely gonzo setups out there. We're talking server racks with each motherboard having 3-4 high-end GPUs SLI/Crossfire'd together. PPD ranges from WTF to OMG. Some guy donated the use of 100-400 8-core computers to test the 8-core client and got 3M-9M PPD for it.

I have about 400k points donated on behalf of The Longevity Meme (Team 32461), an organization for immortality, and I'd love it if other people here joined. Someone is probably going to suggest a DF team, but unless we have a whole lot of power behind it, it's not likely to ascend the rankings much.

The general rule for distributed computing is simply "Leave it on". That's it. Nothing fancy, turn it off when you're running something that uses your computer extensively, but at all other times just let that thing cook indefinitely. (And dust out/ventilate your system or it really will cook.)

[smigenboger]

So instead of using zombies, businesses are using a point system for cpu usage?

(Sounds ok, I guess, unless it doesn't cover the cost of electricity)

[Eugenitor]

F@H is nonprofit. It's Stanford University research. The teams and points are just a way of gauging who's done what and serve as an e-peen for various power players.

The only company really financially involved is EVGA, which has been giving small amounts of EVGA Bucks (gift certificates) to folders who can do a certain amount of points per month, just to increase their own prestige. (It's working. That team does more than 10M PPD and they'll be in the top spot before long.)

[Ampersand]

I have an Nvidia GTX 470, and I'm thinking about adding a second one day for SLI mode. But, I'll also have to get a new power supply.

In any case, I don't know where to find the points per day it gets, but it can run a given workunit in about 1-2 hours.

[Eugenitor]

There's a couple of sites out there that process Stanford's raw text dumps. This is me.

[moki]

I installed it now too... seems a nice project. Since my computers running at least 12 hours a day and got little to do most of the time (surfing the internet and stuff doesn't need much processing power), it might as well do something useful. I don't donate often, but "donating" something that'd go to waste otherwise is alright.

I also remember SETI@home... it works similarly, though the computing power was about 1/10 or less of the current machines when it was first launched. I also find folding proteins much more useful than searching for alien life... what good can some aliens a million lightyears away do for me...