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