TPU's WCG/BOINC Team

[Tallencor]

Yup, but since you can get: http://www.ncix.com/detail/kingston-ssdnow-v300-120gb-2-5in-8c-78078-1269.htm

65$ for 120gb, it wouldn't worth it. I was more looking at used, or maybe refurbish that still has some warranty if I could find a 64gb M4, i have one at home

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_1086_218&item_id=073809
$34.99
God only knows about this seller but.
http://knoppix.net/store/Crucial-M4...4ssd2-ssd-Solid-State-Drive_141464042365.html
Then there's this guy.
http://www.my630i.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=6882

 

[xvi]

The USB WiFi adaptor I was using on Karnten (the i7-4770) system broke--does anyone have a suggestion for a cheap replacement?

Depends on the quality you're looking for. For absolute least expensive, I'd check DealExtreme (or DX Soul for faster shipping). Maybe Monoprice too.
I got a Buffalo N150 USB adapter for $10 on sale from Woot/Amazon a while ago that I kind of like. There are no WHQL drivers for it, so it'll take a CD or rather large download (~330 MB) to get drivers installed. Linux supports it out of the box though. There's a smaller version that's a little cheaper too. If it's just there to report WUs, I don't think anything fancy would be necessary.

Check @t_ski 's for sale thread Buy my stuff (I need BEER money!)

I've been eyeballing those myself. I want one for my laptop, but I'd hate to split them up (although I'd definitely find a use for both). There are manufacturer refurb SSDs of the same model for cheaper, but I don't know how trustworthy SSD refurbs are.

 

[Norton]

Not really a bad idea either.
I don't think a strict monthly amount to be included in a plan envelops the idea of helping out someone in need though. Anyone who wants to donate can at anytime by pm'ing the Cap'n. My thoughts were more of hey lets look at system specs and overall situations and if someone could really use a new chip and we knew they would crunch with it and entered all challenges or if all they needed was a mobo or dimms (no extreme gamer style equip) and have fallen on hard times, Then maybe, just maybe the cap'n and board could vote on said part to be sent their way. I think the Challenge prizes should be left as they are with the exception of maybe the Kreij memorial rig if "needed". The cruncher in need fund should be a unique entity in itself. Or if there is enough surplus, look at someones ppd in free dc and help as much as we can to increase their contribution. Some people have been crunching for a very long time with minimal hardware like an old laptop and it would be nice to see them get a little bump from their teammates. It would certainly make their day. If after being told they were chosen to get the part they could decide if they really need it or if the funds could go to someone else they think may deserve it. This is why we need the board and a voting system in place with the Crunchers interests first and foremost.

This conversation seems to be more geared to a Team rather than Challenge thread discussion so let's move it over here

I do have some reservations regarding creating a fund as it can, and probably will, inspire some degree of "drama" as @BUCK NASTY mentioned. Current scenario is based on the goodwill of fellow Team members to kick in and help each other out... as a fund I'm concerned with the lines that may be drawn where we would decide to help one member and not another (we can't help everyone).

 

[stinger608]

I agree @Norton

I'm all for the idea, but want to remind everyone that this initiative is supported by individual Forum members and is not sanctioned by Techpowerup/ w1zzard and therefore TPU cannot be held liable or caught up in any drama related to it. If members would like to see a Mod on the board, I volunteer for this responsibility. I got some extra money in my Paypal that could be put to good use.

I do believe we should have an active WCG TPU moderator on the board.

I like how you included that it is in no way directly associated with Techpowerup. That should go without saying but................Well ya know.

I also think that once this is/if done, there should be one person appointed "treasurer" to be the sole person to disperse any of the funds. This way there is no question on who would be delving out the money.
Wouldn't matter who, whether it be @Norton being captain, @BUCK NASTY being a moderator, or anyone else. It would just be a small additional responsibility to who ever is appointed treasurer.

 

[stinger608]

First, sorry for the double post......

I think its a good plan. I would like to see something typed up with who is the mod and who is on the panel if one is needed. Also some rules/guidelines. Also, and I really don't want to come across as asshole here but how can I/we really prove failure vs I just want an upgrade or a new piece of hardware.

I couldn't agree more Bow! There does need to be some guidelines included for sure. I already figured there would need to be a set of bylaws written up. Something simple however as this really wouldn't be a corporate type board of directors or board of trustee's.

And you have a valid point Bow when you stated "how can I/we really prove failure vs I just want an upgrade or a new piece of hardware."
We would have to have the perspective fund recipient prove somehow that it is in fact a needed piece of hardware.

 

[BUCK NASTY]

I agree @Norton



I do believe we should have an active WCG TPU moderator on the board.

I like how you included that it is in no way directly associated with Techpowerup. That should go without saying but................Well ya know.

I also think that once this is/if done, there should be one person appointed "treasurer" to be the sole person to disperse any of the funds. This way there is no question on who would be delving out the money.
Wouldn't matter who, whether it be @Norton being captain, @BUCK NASTY being a moderator, or anyone else. It would just be a small additional responsibility to who ever is appointed treasurer.

Had to mention the disclaimer up front. Legally anytime someone receives a gift(proceeds) valued at $600.00 or more, they must be 1099'd. So there, we've set the max gift threshold at $599.99 per person, per year.

 

[Tallencor]

Tbh, I didn't think it would take off as fast as it did.

I agree @Norton



I do believe we should have an active WCG TPU moderator on the board.

I like how you included that it is in no way directly associated with Techpowerup. That should go without saying but................Well ya know.

I also think that once this is/if done, there should be one person appointed "treasurer" to be the sole person to disperse any of the funds. This way there is no question on who would be delving out the money.
Wouldn't matter who, whether it be @Norton being captain, @BUCK NASTY being a moderator, or anyone else. It would just be a small additional responsibility to who ever is appointed treasurer.

I agree 100% This will not and can not succeed without trust and faith. It would be a huge undertaking to say the least and is it really even appropriate? There is some support that has been seen for sure. It was a thought with the morning Java and tiz the season of giving. Really though, It will be up to people to donate to fly. If it does not take off or peters away then.................?

 

[Norton]

Had to mention the disclaimer up front. Legally anytime someone receives a gift(proceeds) valued at $600.00 or more, they must be 1099'd. So there, we've set the max gift threshold at $599.99 per person, per year.

So we have about 80 active members... therefore we can fund a maximum of $47,999.20 annually. I can cover the $0.20

Seriously though, funding/donating a couple of rigs a year at challenge times would be relatively easy. A repair/insurance fund may prove significantly more difficult to manage.

 

[Tallencor]

I figure I can swing a few bucks a pay period with minor hiccups here and there. I think however that only hardware (or software o.s.) should be sent. If it is overseas then find a trusted local supplier that uses paypal. As far as there being a$$#oles out there, Sure there are but, The more active the member the easier the voting will be.
Bill pm inbound.
I think I should put this out there as well.
Although this may have been my idea initially. I by no means believe I am qualified to handle any part of handling said funds in any way. I would be honored to be a part of the board in some way if the team sees fit but there are wiser people out there that have been a part of this team way longer than I have.
Now that that's done. lol.
I spend a pile of time reading the forums (wcg mostly) and saw some posts where deserving members could use a helping hand is all.

 

[64K]

Wouldn't there be legal ramifications if you called it an insurance fund that members put money into? Also by calling it an insurance fund it might give the impression that members putting money into it should be covered for hardware if something breaks even if there isn't enough funds to cover everyone that might need to draw on the fund at any given time.

 

[BUCK NASTY]

So we have about 80 active members... therefore we can fund a maximum of $47,999.20 annually. I can cover the $0.20

Seriously though, funding/donating a couple of rigs a year at challenge times would be relatively easy. A repair/insurance fund may prove significantly more difficult to manage.

I volunteer myself to be the "Lab Rat" & 1st recipient of the $599.99 to make sure it's safe for everyone.

In reality, I don't want this process to become too cumbersome, or no one will want to be a Administrator/Treasurer/Board. Were not talking about a large sum of money either, but I'm sure the balance will roll upwards to several hundred dollars or more. Most everyone we know on these forums is ethical/moral or it would have reared it's head by now.

 

[Norton]

Wouldn't there be legal ramifications if you called it an insurance fund that members put money into? Also by calling it an insurance fund it might give the impression that members putting money into it should be covered for hardware if something breaks even if there isn't enough funds to cover everyone that might need to draw on the fund at any given time.

I'll put the air quotes on "insurance fund" right now since whatever direction we decide to go it won't be defined as that. Let's call it CHC (for Crunchers Helping Crunchers) since it really is a discussion of extending/enhancing this pre-existing program imo.

Thanks for the feedback!

I volunteer myself to be the "Lab Rat" & 1st recipient of the $599.99 to make sure it's safe for everyone.

In reality, I don't want this process to become too cumbersome, or no one will want to be a Administrator/Treasurer/Board. Were not talking about a large sum of money either, but I'm sure the balance will roll upwards to several hundred dollars or more. Most everyone we know on these forums is ethical/moral or it would have reared it's head by now.

Agreed. Although funds can get larger than you mentioned. Example- the Kreij Memorial has already built 5 (almost) rigs at a cost/value of much more than a few hundred dollars.

 

[Tallencor]

Wouldn't there be legal ramifications if you called it an insurance fund that members put money into? Also by calling it an insurance fund it might give the impression that members putting money into it should be covered for hardware if something breaks even if there isn't enough funds to cover everyone that might need to draw on the fund at any given time.

Yep. All guidelines should be posted at the start of it's own thread like all other wcg team threads.
Hence the randomness of the person in need, Choice to donate or not at anytime and any amount, Secrecy of the donation and when it happened, The panel of voted in respected members to make the decisions and the choice of said person to announce or not. I donate to the Salvation Army every year and trust that my donation goes to good use.

 

[BUCK NASTY]

Agreed. Although funds can get larger than you mentioned. Example- the Kreij Memorial has already built 5 (almost) rigs at a cost/value of much more than a few hundred dollars.

But that was donated hardware, not funds...correct? I know some funds will be used to purchase some of the hardware for these builds, but the bulk will still be accumulated through hardware donations, correct?

 

[Tallencor]

But that was donated hardware, not funds...correct? I know some funds will be used to purchase some of the hardware for these builds, but the bulk will still be accumulated through hardware donations, correct?

Yeah. I believe that most of the Kreij rigs were hardware with "some" generous cash donations to finish the projects. Some elbow grease with custom cases as well. As for CHC unless someone has a spare room to store a bunch of hardware waiting for it to be cataloged and donated. plus avoiding two way shipping. We should consider cash via paypal. Unless of course there is a better way.

 

[xvi]

I think it needs a fancy acronym like "Techpowerup, A Crunching Organization" (TACO)

There are two very valid points here that I think we should pay a good bit of attention to.

• A system needs to be in place for deciding who is eligible to receive a donation
• A donor should be able to choose what their money goes towards

Combine those two points, add some "Rules and Practices for Donating" and we're basically back to where we are already. Make a post to Crunchers helping Crunchers and see who responds. Having a central account and needing to keep track of how much goes to each cause would, I think, complicate things greatly.

We should consider cash via paypal. Unless of course there is a better way.

If we have a central account, perhaps we simply donate to the account, pay for the order via central account, ship from vendor (Newegg/Amazon/etc) directly to donation receiver. Prevents receiver from simply pocketing the cash and we wouldn't have to ship things twice.

 

[Tallencor]

I think it needs a fancy acronym like "Techpowerup, A Crunching Organization" (TACO)

Wow that near killed me.

If we have a central account, perhaps we simply donate to the account, pay for the order via central account, ship from vendor (Newegg/Amazon/etc) directly to donation receiver. Prevents receiver from simply pocketing the cash and we wouldn't have to ship things twice.

Without being to difficult I would only hope that in excepting a gift the receiver would decline if it is their intent to purchase better equipment sooner than later. If they do however take the donation maybe we could all be proud in thinking that part may end up in Kreij memorial #15

 

[Nordic]

I am all for localized community funds but I could see this sort of "fund" bringing unwanted attention. As I imagine it, it sounds like it would be more of a hassle than it is worth.

 

[xvi]

As I imagine it, it sounds like it would be more of a hassle than it is worth.

I agree. As much as I love the TPU community and the intended idea of this all, I don't foresee this going well.
The only safe way I can see is to take donations on a case by case basis. Submit an issue (e.g. "My hard drive died in my cruncher"), issue is considered by the high council and approved or denied (potential drama), high council notifies team of issue and takes donations on repair. Kind of like a TPU WCG Team Kickstarter.

 

[T-Bob]

First, sorry for the double post......

I agree with @Bow as well, though I still think this initiative could be very successful for the team.

I couldn't agree more Bow! There does need to be some guidelines included for sure. I already figured there would need to be a set of bylaws written up. Something simple however as this really wouldn't be a corporate type board of directors or board of trustee's.

And you have a valid point Bow when you stated "how can I/we really prove failure vs I just want an upgrade or a new piece of hardware."
We would have to have the perspective fund recipient prove somehow that it is in fact a needed piece of hardware.

 

[Norton]

I agree. As much as I love the TPU community and the intended idea of this all, I don't foresee this going well.
The only safe way I can see is to take donations on a case by case basis. Submit an issue (e.g. "My hard drive died in my cruncher"), issue is considered by the high council and approved or denied (potential drama), high council notifies team of issue and takes donations on repair. Kind of like a TPU WCG Team Kickstarter.

Good example!

In the past a Team member would post something like this in the Crunchers Helping Crunchers thread. This would/could be followed by another Team member posting "I have a (insert part name), drop me a PM if interested" or just YGPM.

The thing missing in this process is a group funding initiative but it has happened in the past where two or more members have discussed helping another member and came through for them.

 

[stinger608]

That's right Bill. This has happened several time, with me included.
As a community I vote we stay the way we are now. It has been working for a couple of years at least, and I don't see why we need to change.

 

[Tallencor]

Asking for a new piece of hardware is beyond the scope of what should be taken as serious consideration for a donation for sure.
To be fair if it was 2 sticks of DDR2 that was lost it should be replaced with 2 sticks of DDR2 of equal value, if even considered at all that is.
If a person lost a cooler and has been down for some time, says as much but "expects" a replacement let alone a better performing cooler? It may be a long wait especially if a fan is all that is needed.
If a long serving member with minimal means is handed a new threaded processor just because the "Board" thinks it will benefit not only them but the team as a whole, like during challenges. Then "this" is where we need to make the decision if we as WCG members want to be involved by donating in the first place.
Overall if a person is not comfortable with the notion that an elected board of well respected members (inc a non affiliated during decision time site mod) are able to distinguish between someone just wanting a free ride or if they should be considered then it is their decision whether to donate.
Maybe the board could incorperate "qualify" rules like, been crunching for at least a year, has a total of xxx amount of days contributed, was actively involved in the last 5 or 6 challenges or maybe is one of the go to team members for Tech info and troubleshooting.
A panel of 5 or 6 active peers could make that decision easily. If only the treasurer knew the balance they would then ask if funds are available to gift. If not then it will have to wait. If so then that well deserving member has a deeper sense of our community and knows that we all care.
Should there be a total cap? Maybe. Should we all donate? No. Only if you have the means and feel good about it.
I don't mean to bleed at the mouth here guys, I just think if handled the right way, by the right people, it would just give us one more notch on the best Wcg team out there pole. Not to mention making some of our peers very happy.
Also as mentioned before, during a challenge if a component needs to be had for a Kreij memorial then at that time a call could be made to us members via CHC oops sorry @xvi Taco to help out if we can. Imagine a 4770k or a 970 being the star of one of Kreij's rigs. And having the funds to ship. Again by board vote only and only if after some time some serious surplus has mounted. Baby steps.
I for one am in for seeing someone win something like that. But I would be just as happy knowing that someone got to continue posting points or started posting more points can or does because we care.
Edit: Honestly I have stated my case almost to the point of being annoying. Lol. I leave this to the gods as it were.

 

[stinger608]

I really agree with you @Tallencor !
I have a feeling that doing this would spread very quick throughout the internet..................This could be good and bad. On the one hand it could bring in more great crunchers and team members. However on the other hand it could bring in scammers that stick around for a few short months to try and "scam" the team out of the funds.
However, as you pointed out @Tallencor if a person has been around for a "year" and/or dedicated time in a few of the challenges, then the board would realize that he or she is not going anywhere and not just out for the money.

I wish we had some kind of a sub-forum that this could be discussed in without being completely public. Like a password protected thread?

 

[Tallencor]

I really agree with you @Tallencor !
I have a feeling that doing this would spread very quick throughout the internet..................This could be good and bad. On the one hand it could bring in more great crunchers and team members. However on the other hand it could bring in scammers that stick around for a few short months to try and "scam" the team out of the funds.
However, as you pointed out @Tallencor if a person has been around for a "year" and/or dedicated time in a few of the challenges, then the board would realize that he or she is not going anywhere and not just out for the money.

I wish we had some kind of a sub-forum that this could be discussed in without being completely public. Like a password protected thread?

Mmmm. Good point.