Different speed with Intel Processor Identification Utility

[shaunm]

Hi All,

I am not really sure if this topic fits here. But I hope the moderator could move this to the right topic. 

I purchased this new samsung laptop yesterda with Core i3-3120M CPU @2.50GHz. This is what I get when I right click on the my computer icon on the desktop. But when I check with the 'Interl Processor Identification Utility' software it says that the reported speed is 1.19 GHz while the expected speed is 2.50GHz. 

I checked with various other laptops but the reported speed is par with the expected speed and sometimes more than that. But why do I see 1.19GHz speed with my laptop eventhout it's 2.50GHz? 

Any help would be highly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Best,

B

[Bernard]

Probably EIST is on.

[Prince_Joseph]

What is EIST means?

[Bernard]

 EIST = "Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology".

[TimP]

Perhaps more to the point, if you would start some other application just before starting the processor identification, the CPU should come out of idle power saving state and report the expected clock speed.  You probably have options to set power saving parameters separately for battery and mains power operation.

[Patrick_F_Intel1]

Hello Shaunm,

I'll get in touch with the Intel processor Identification utility to see how they are computing the frequencies. I'll reply back when I hear something. From task manager (resource manager really) it looks like IPIU 'busies up' all the cpus when the IPIU frequency test is running.

Do you have anything else running and keeping the cpus busy while you are running the IPIU frequency test?

Pat

[shaunm]

@TimP, Patrick and Others

Thank you so much for answering on my question. I think you are all correct in some ways. Because this guy ther other day resolved it. Even though it's a dual core processor, the system was only taking the single core and thus the speed of 1.19GHz. He changed the settings to dual core and then the speed went upto 2.5GHz. It's the same with IPIU as well :-) I am sorry I am not a pro to explain what he has done in detail, may be I could ask him again. I hope you all would have already realized what was my problem.

Thanks again!

[SergeyKostrov]

>>...He changed the settings to dual core and then the speed went upto 2.5GHz... It is possible that BIOS settings were changed, or he used msconfig.exe utility and increased numbers of supported CPUs in a BOOT.INI property page.

[Bernard]

Is there a possibility to enable/disable one of cores on multicore cpu?

[SergeyKostrov]

>>...Is there a possibility to enable/disable one of cores on multicore cpu? Yes and it could be done in BIOS settings. For example, on my Dell Precision Mobile M4700 system with Intel Core i7-3840QM ( Ivy Bridge / 4 cores / 8 logical CPUs / ark.intel.com/compare/70846 ) three choices are available: - All - 1 - 2

[shaunm]

@Sergey Kostov

You are correct. He typed in msconfig in the windows default command search and in the screen he chosed BIOS and changed the number of cores from 1 to 2. I can access it myself now. :-)

So, what I was wondering is how did it actually turned to 1 core? As someone mentioned above is that because of the EIST technology that intel uses? Also, I noticed that when I play games in high graphics without putting my laptop in charge it lags here and there (a bit) but when I put it in charge and play the same games it plays very well. 

Does this processor changes the settings automatically based on such kind of things?

Thanks,

[Bernard]

Sergey Kostrov wrote:

>>...Is there a possibility to enable/disable one of cores on multicore cpu?

Yes and it could be done in BIOS settings. For example, on my Dell Precision Mobile M4700 system with Intel Core i7-3840QM ( Ivy Bridge / 4 cores / 8 logical CPUs / ark.intel.com/compare/70846 ) three choices are available:

- All
- 1
- 2

Thanks did not know that.Still using old Centrino based laptop.

[Bernard]

>>>Also, I noticed that when I play games in high graphics without putting my laptop in charge it lags here and there (a bit) but when I put it in charge and play the same games it plays very well. >>>

Because when your laptop is on battery probably power saving policy is throttling speed of your cpu.When your laptop is beign charged different power saving policy is applied.

[Bernard]

>>>Does this processor changes the settings automatically based on such kind of things>>>

Actually OS is controlling the settings and applying it with the help of ACPI driver.

[SergeyKostrov]

>>...Because when your laptop is on battery probably power saving policy is throttling speed of your cpu.When your >>laptop is beign charged different power saving policy is applied... This is not always true ( regarding battery or AC ) especially when Enchanced Intel SpeedStep Technology is supported in some Intel CPU and I'll post two screenshots as an example.

[Bernard]

Agree when EIST is involved.

[SergeyKostrov]

>>...So, what I was wondering is how did it actually turned to 1 core?.. It could be a factory setting or somebody in the store accidently changed it. >>...Does this processor changes the settings automatically based on such kind of things? What settings do you mean? CPU could manage power consumption and OS could change number of active CPUs. Windows 7 could Park some cores ( a kind of a "sleep state" ) if there are no heavy processing by some application(s). For example, on a Windows 7 system with a CPU which has 8 cores usually 4 cores are Parked and 4 cores are Active ( working ). If there is some heavy processing, for example MKL functions do computations, than all 8 cores are working.

[Bernard]

Actually it is more complicated when you take into account for example starved threads  or UI priority boost in such a situation inactive cores will be in "working" state executing these threads.

[shaunm]

@Sergey

I was just referrring to that low battery thing as settings. As you have mentioned somebody might have changed it before I bought it. 

Thank you all for your help.