Laptop CPU running at less than half speed

Frylock · July 19, 2006, 6:01pm

I bought a new laptop about a month ago. It’s a Compaq, model v2000. Its chip is a Turion ML-34.

The Turion ML-34 is supposed to run at 1.8 Ghz. But I noticed that when I right click on “My Computer,” it reports it’s running at 790 Mhz or so. I downloaded CPUZ onto the laptop, and ran it, and it’s confirmed: The chip is hovering around 795 Mhz.

Back when I first bought the computer, I noticed that “my computer” sometimes returned 790 Mhz, sometimes 1.8Ghz. It now never returns 1.8Ghz. The computer seems to have permanently slowed down.

However, I should note, I have never noticed an actual “feeling” of a slowdown–the computer has never seemed to take any longer to accomplish tasks than it did when I first bought it. So I’m hoping this is some kind of artifact of the way laptops manage power or something.

But, I’m hoping for knowledge, not just hope. So what’s the straight dope? Or anyway, what are dopers’ theories as to what might be causing either a slowdown or the false appearance of one?

-Kris

Jayrot · July 19, 2006, 6:05pm

Yeah, it could be a power saving thing. Try poking around in the Power Settings in the Control Panel.

If you bought this computer only a month ago, it might be a still worth it to go through Compaq’s support channels.

Frylock · July 19, 2006, 6:09pm

I dread this prospect, but… yeah, you’re probably right.

-Kris

leandroc76 · July 19, 2006, 6:09pm

it’s a compaq, what did you expect? I hear they make good striper bait.

Jayrot · July 19, 2006, 6:10pm

More info from here. As usual it’s a feature, not a bug. Apparently it’s called Powernow technology.

In addition, all Turion 64 models incorporate AMD’s Powernow technology. Its principles are simple are well-understood from the Mobile Athlon 64 and AMD’s desktop CPUs - in the latter case, AMD calls this techniques “Cool and Quiet.” Whenever a PC system is working it never requires maximum processor performance at all times. That is why it’s appropriate to manage clock rates and input voltages in narrow ranges associated with specific processor demands. This helps conserve current and lengthens battery life. Lowering power consumption and clock rates produces less waste heat when a processor is running in idle mode, so it’s smart to design this kind of capability into a notebook. The same, of course, is true for desktop PCs as well.

Weekly Competetion

When more computing performance is needed, power levels are increased automatically first, followed closely by jumps in the processor clock rate. If performance demands fall back, both values are likewise reduced and the power intake of the processor substantially diminished. This handling is broken into discrete performance steps for the Turion 64 known as “P-States.” Every P-State may be described in terms of a specific combination of input voltage and clock rate. The Turion’s power intake and thus also, its DC current demand, relat

Whack-a-Mole · July 19, 2006, 6:15pm

AMD uses PowerNow! technology which is akin to Intel’s SpeedStep technology. In order to conserve battery life and heat issues the processor dynamically adjusts its speed. It is supposed to ramp back up when processing power is needed to this may be why you do not see a slow down but see a slower rated speed when idle.

Check this page for AMD power dashboard: http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_13349,00.html

Jayrot · July 19, 2006, 6:22pm

Sorry, one more thing.

Basically you should be able to test this by doing something processor intensive (video gaming, encoding an mp3, etc.) and check the clock speed at the same time. You likely haven’t noticed a slowdown because it doesn’t take 1.8Ghz to surf the Dope!

Dervorin · July 19, 2006, 6:29pm

Yes, it would be good to check, because my Dell laptop was permanently stuck at 600MHz when it should have been at 1.5GHz - it turned out there was a rubber band stuck in the cooling fan, which meant that the CPU was constantly being throttled back to prevent it overheating. I run some fairly CPU-intensive programs, so I immediately noticed the slowing down. Took me a couple of weeks to find the rubber band and remove it, which instantly fixed all the problems. You might just want to check your cooling system - particularly the fan.