The new Development version of BOINC 8.0.0 enables AVX-512 detection. This is a feature on some CPU's.

Bill F

This developmental version will allow Windows users to get some of the new Asteroids@home AVX-512 tasks assuming that they have one of the AMD or Intel CPU's that have AVX-512 capability. And are willing to load a Developmental version of BOINC

I have been running version 8.0.0 on 4 systems for quite a while with no issues but none of my systems have AVX-512 capabilities.

Bill F

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we have decided to detect available features by the app instead of having multiple apps and relying on what the boinc client reports. Once (hopefully soon) we release a new version, this boinc feature won't be relevant to us anymore.

btw Primegrid has used the same technique for a long time. http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=10534

until then, there's still an option to run optimized versions on Windows via anonymous platform (if your hardware supports it). Compared to FMA it's up to 20% faster on Intel and slightly faster on AMD (Zen 4). There are rumors that Zen 5 will improve the AVX512 performance, which might be interesting.

we have decided to detect available features by the app instead of having multiple apps and relying on what the boinc client reports. Once (hopefully soon) we release a new version, this boinc feature won't be relevant to us anymore.

btw Primegrid has used the same technique for a long time. http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=10534

until then, there's still an option to run optimized versions on Windows via anonymous platform (if your hardware supports it). Compared to FMA it's up to 20% faster on Intel and slightly faster on AMD (Zen 4). There are rumors that Zen 5 will improve the AVX512 performance, which might be interesting.

It would be interesting to hear if a Windows user with a AVX-5112 capable CPU and BOINC Version 8.0.0 can download a 102.15 (avx512_win10) Task. Anyone out there have a success story ?

Bill F

we have decided to detect available features by the app instead of having multiple apps and relying on what the boinc client reports. Once (hopefully soon) we release a new version, this boinc feature won't be relevant to us anymore.

btw Primegrid has used the same technique for a long time. http://www.primegrid.com/forum_thread.php?id=10534

until then, there's still an option to run optimized versions on Windows via anonymous platform (if your hardware supports it). Compared to FMA it's up to 20% faster on Intel and slightly faster on AMD (Zen 4). There are rumors that Zen 5 will improve the AVX512 performance, which might be interesting.

It would be interesting to hear if a Windows user with a AVX-5112 capable CPU and BOINC Version 8.0.0 can download a 102.15 (avx512_win10) Task. Anyone out there have a success story ?

Bill F

Is that new version out yet?

I just turned on a windows 11 pc with a Xeon(R) W-2135 which has AVX-512 support and is on boinc version 8.0.2

First tasks it automatically downloaded are 102.20 (win10). If anyone wants to follow along: https://asteroidsathome.net/boinc/show_host_detail.php?hostid=777191

Would be nice to know whether the latest 102.20 app is the "universal" app allowing this host to run the avx-512 SIMD instructions or whether it was the move to Boinc 8.0 that allowed it.

Your host is showing this now:

<core_client_version>8.0.2</core_client_version>
<![CDATA[
<stderr_txt>
BOINC client version 8.0.2
Application: period_search_10220_windows_x86_64__win10.exe
Version: 102.20.1.1
CPU: Intel(R) Xeon(R) W-2135 CPU @ 3.70GHz
RAM: 63.57 GB
Using AVX512 SIMD optimizations.
17:59:54 (2480): called boinc_finish(0)

</stderr_txt>
]]>

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