[ltp] Running SETI@Home (or loading your processor)

[Bill Wohler]

I used to run SETI@Home on my T40p but I stopped when it appeared to
have deleterious effects on my video (horizontal lines). The lines would
go away as the load and temperature decreased.

I recently got the motherboard replaced (under warranty) which fixed
the video problem.

Do you think that running something as intense as SETI@Home for so
long actually caused the downfall of my motherboard, or was it
defective to begin with?

Would you not run CPU-intensive programs on your ThinkPad at all? Does
running such programs limit the lifespan of a computer?

Would you run them part-time to give the board a chance to cool off
occasionally?

Or are the thermal changes worse, are the units designed to tolerate
such heat, and would you just let them run all the time?

I'd like to start running SETI@Home again, but not if I'm going to
have to replace my motherboard every few months (out of warranty)! Any
IBM/Lenovo folks lurking here who have specific numbers?

-- 
Bill Wohler <wohler@newt.com>  http://www.newt.com/wohler/  GnuPG ID:610BD9AD
Maintainer of comp.mail.mh FAQ and MH-E. Vote Libertarian!
If you're passed on the right, you're in the wrong lane.