How do you get points?

By folding, of course! But there's more to it than just that. Each Work Unit (WU) assigned to you has a maximum number of points, depending on the size. The sooner you complete that WU, the more points you'll get. You can pause the folding process anytime, but the number of points you will receive will decrease slowly. Once the WU is complete, the results will be sent to the collection server, and your total points will be updated every few hours.

To get more points quickly, you'll need a more powerful system that is kept adequately cool. Discrete graphics cards, or GPUs, will also net you many time more points than CPUs, and you can even turn CPU folding off in the FAHControl program to save a significant amount of power and increase general use performance at the cost of some points. If you have multiple PCIe slots (those long slots below the CPU socket), you can even add in more graphics cards of different brands for more folding power.

Make sure your folding system(s) and components are all prepared for 24/7 operation. Monitor the temperatures closely--it is a good idea to keep GPU and CPU temps below 85 C, as every 10-degree C increase in temperature halves the operating lifespan of the processor. An adequately cooled system will also reach higher clock speeds and net more points. If you'd like to know how to do this, please take a look at the FAQ.

The average number of points you'll receive is directly related to your system's performance--more powerful computers will be able to fold more points. However, more powerful systems also receive bigger WUs, so each WU will take roughly the same time to fold regardless of the system's performance. WU count is a more accurate indication of folding dedication.

tl;dr: If you want to get lots of points and WUs, have a powerful dedicated GPU, fold as much as possible, and keep your system well-cooled.