- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: January 05, 2006
- Total Downloads: 489,632
- Downloads last week: 91
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 116 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
This interesting screensaver doubles as a science experiment. SETI@home (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at Home) uses the idle time of hundreds of thousands of computers to analyze data about radio or light signals emanating from the vicinity of 30,000 sunlike stars that might indicate intelligent life.
The analysis of the data results in a colorful readout on your desktop, with graphs as well as status displays of your computer's part in the project. The graphics don't move, so you might want to set your monitor to power down after a certain amount of time. The allure, of course, is that your computer may be the one to finally make contact with other life forms. Whether the project succeeds or not, this screensaver provides some nice-looking graphics, a way to get involved in science, and a great conversation starter when others look at your desktop.
Publisher's description
From Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at Home :SETI@home is a scientific experiment that harnesses the power of hundreds of thousands of Internet-connected computers in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running this screensaver, which downloads and analyzes radio-telescope data. There's a small but captivating possibility that your computer will detect the faint murmur of a civilization beyond Earth.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.6 stars out of 116 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 39 user reviewsSee all 39 user reviews
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120 out of 131 people found this review helpful
Version: SETI@home 5.2.1
Pros: looks neat
Cons: uses too much CPU, increases CPU core temperatures, diminishes the lifespan of your PC.
DO NOT USE this software. I would very much like to help out in the exploration of space and that is the reason why I tried this out, but this software is not good for your PC. I have a Dual Pentium 3.2GHz CPU, with 5 case fans to keep everything running smoothly. The CPU power consumption of this software is between 50-60% and in a 5 minute test run, the CPU core temperature went up by nearly 30%. If you run this all the time, you'll either fry your CPU and motherboard, or significantly diminish the lifespan of your hardware. Even if you adjust your preferences on the BOINC website it will not help. I read the reviews but was curious and installed the damn thing anyway. It took me 5 minutes to see I should have listened to the warnings, but oh well. Cool idea, but not a good idea. If you want this for the screen saver, you aren't saving anything. I work in the IT field, and this is just a warning for the average user... DO NOT INSTALL !!!
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34 out of 39 people found this review helpful
Version: SETI@home 5.2.1
"Not useful with the average computer"
Cons: This program WAS in its earlier form a very good little prog, before it somehow developed into a monster. Somehow it went from being a very small screensaver/math processing system to something that seems to tax even the best computers available for home use. It is difficult to impossible to get it to connect to its server, it uses up from 45% up of your processing power, and it taxes your computer physically by causing overheating. I would give it a negative star of that were possible.
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5 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Version: SETI@home 5.2.1
Cons: Incomplete uninstallation.
Confusing interface. A lot of projects aren't very useful. Once project starts running, CPU temperature is raised by at least 25% and CPU Usage go up to 100%.
This might overheat the computer/melt the CPU. Don't download.
***Want to help with distributed computing? Try Folding@Home instead!***
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27 out of 31 people found this review helpful
Version: SETI@home 5.2.1
Pros: Server Performance is down more than it is up!
Cons: Causes CPU temps to rise, causing fans to run full rpm all the time!
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9 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Version: SETI@home 5.2.1
Pros: none. couldn't get it to work
Cons: Could never connect to seti server.
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