What does it cost to participate in any global computing project?
The hidden costs for participants of all global computing projects are in short having your computer run and pay for the data transfer: • Hardware: You bought the computer • Systemadministration: You maintain the operating system in a state where it can run a simulator • Cost of having your computer work: As the simulator works only if your computer is on, the following costs and risks arise, if you leave the computer on only for the sake of the simulator: • Electricity: Your computer consumes about as much as a light bulb when left on. • Cooling: Make sure you operate your computer in a room that is not too hot in summertime. • Increased risk of hardware failures coming to surface: A computer either fails to operate correctly in the first weeks after production or it can be expected to work fine for its expected lifetime of 5 years or so. We definitively recommend to run complex simulations continously after buying a new computer, as this is likely to make any problems surface after s
