Cpu Speed tests are different.

[Big_Al]

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000. 2.0 ghz processor with 1gig memory. XP
SP3.

It performs well, I've reloaded it now and then so its not the original
factory load, but yet I have the original CD's that came with the system
and have all the drivers and utilities from their download pages based
on my service tag. Also have the driver CD's too, but I like the
downloaded files. There are no ! items in the device driver list.

I have downloaded several cpu speed tests and oddly they all seem to
display different speeds. The Bios shows 800mhz min to 2.0ghz max
and current speed of 2.0ghz. But when I run some of these tests they
show 300mhz, 768mhz, and one really showed 1998.7mhz.

Seeing as the bios shows 'current speed 2.0' and speed step is on, I'm
not too worried, but more curious as to why are some tests so off?
Actually I'm looking to expand memory from 1g to 2g and that got me
poking around. Below are the links. I know the "you get what you pay
for" comment so lets not go there. I just wonder if different programs
are measuring different things?

http://www.cpuspeedpro.com/ this one was off 700mhz I think.
http://cpuinfo.visualware.com/ this one was right on at 1998.7.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/wizcpuspeed.html this was way off like
300mhz and even put up a stupid note like "didn't think they still made
these".

 

[Paul]

I have a Dell Inspiron 6000. 2.0 ghz processor with 1gig memory. XP
SP3.

It performs well, I've reloaded it now and then so its not the original
factory load, but yet I have the original CD's that came with the system
and have all the drivers and utilities from their download pages based
on my service tag. Also have the driver CD's too, but I like the
downloaded files. There are no ! items in the device driver list.

I have downloaded several cpu speed tests and oddly they all seem to
display different speeds. The Bios shows 800mhz min to 2.0ghz max and
current speed of 2.0ghz. But when I run some of these tests they show
300mhz, 768mhz, and one really showed 1998.7mhz.

Seeing as the bios shows 'current speed 2.0' and speed step is on, I'm
not too worried, but more curious as to why are some tests so off?
Actually I'm looking to expand memory from 1g to 2g and that got me
poking around. Below are the links. I know the "you get what you pay
for" comment so lets not go there. I just wonder if different programs
are measuring different things?

http://www.cpuspeedpro.com/ this one was off 700mhz I think.
http://cpuinfo.visualware.com/ this one was right on at 1998.7.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/wizcpuspeed.html this was way off like
300mhz and even put up a stupid note like "didn't think they still made
these".

First, for EIST (SpeedStep), you'd need to

1) Enable EIST in the BIOS. That may be the default.
For a certain number of poorly designed motherboards (like mine),
you may actually need a different BIOS to get it to work.

2) In WinXP, set the power scheme in the Power control panel,
to the Minimal choice. The choice used by the OS installation,
selected a higher power setting. So in my case, the Power
setting needed to be changed.

A good application to use for speed measurement is CPUZ.
This is used by enthusiasts world wide, to get readouts
of their CPU and memory characteristics. It doesn't disturb
the system when making the measurement of CPU speed, which
updates every so often.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

There is nothing to install. Unzip the download on the upper left of
that web page, then execute cpuz.exe. The tab you need will open by
default on the screen. It will show the CPU speed.

When my desktop is idle, my multiplier drops to 6x, and 6x200 = 1.2GHz
is displayed.

When my desktop is busy, my multiplier increases to 13z, and 13x200 = 2.6GHz
is displayed in CPUZ. And that is the rated speed for my E4700 Core2 processor.
The 200MHz fundamental, comes from FSB800 divided by 4 (the Intel quad pumped
front side bus).

To load the CPU, I use this. The Prime95 Torture Test. This is a good
test that your CPU is error free, as it does a math calculation with a
known answer. If your computer is stable, you'll be able to run this
for four hours or more, without the program stopping on an error.
This heats up the CPU a bit, and will also result in SpeedStep using
the top value of the multiplier for the CPU (13x200 in my case).

http://majorgeeks.com/Prime95_d4363.html

(The site that developed the software

http://www.mersenne.org/ )

If a measurement program uses too many cycles itself, it can cause
the OS to change power states, while the speed measurement is being
made.

Have fun,
Paul

 

[Big_Al]

Paul said this on 3/1/2009 2:35 AM:

First, for EIST (SpeedStep), you'd need to

1) Enable EIST in the BIOS. That may be the default.
For a certain number of poorly designed motherboards (like mine),
you may actually need a different BIOS to get it to work.

2) In WinXP, set the power scheme in the Power control panel,
to the Minimal choice. The choice used by the OS installation,
selected a higher power setting. So in my case, the Power
setting needed to be changed.

A good application to use for speed measurement is CPUZ.
This is used by enthusiasts world wide, to get readouts
of their CPU and memory characteristics. It doesn't disturb
the system when making the measurement of CPU speed, which
updates every so often.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

There is nothing to install. Unzip the download on the upper left of
that web page, then execute cpuz.exe. The tab you need will open by
default on the screen. It will show the CPU speed.

When my desktop is idle, my multiplier drops to 6x, and 6x200 = 1.2GHz
is displayed.

When my desktop is busy, my multiplier increases to 13z, and 13x200 =
2.6GHz
is displayed in CPUZ. And that is the rated speed for my E4700 Core2
processor.
The 200MHz fundamental, comes from FSB800 divided by 4 (the Intel quad
pumped
front side bus).

To load the CPU, I use this. The Prime95 Torture Test. This is a good
test that your CPU is error free, as it does a math calculation with a
known answer. If your computer is stable, you'll be able to run this
for four hours or more, without the program stopping on an error.
This heats up the CPU a bit, and will also result in SpeedStep using
the top value of the multiplier for the CPU (13x200 in my case).

http://majorgeeks.com/Prime95_d4363.html

(The site that developed the software

http://www.mersenne.org/ )

If a measurement program uses too many cycles itself, it can cause
the OS to change power states, while the speed measurement is being
made.

Have fun,
Paul

Thanks. I upgraded the version of CPUZ that I was running, only from
1.48 to 1.50, but I'm able to see the cpu step from 798 mhz to 2ghz.
Without a stress test. It only does it infrequent but I do see it
happen. I have some internet program in the background this time
which might cause a tad bit of activity and thus be the reason it steps
up now and then. I've never seen that happen, not sure if the 1.48
version didn't work or I just didn't have the right conditions. But
now I see what I guess the PC is supposed to do per the BIOS wording is
jump from 800mhz min to 2ghz max on demand.

 

[MS News]

Paul said this on 3/1/2009 2:35 AM:

<snip>

I like AMD's Cool'n'Quiet (equiv. to Intel SpeedStep). After installing XP
Home ed. SP3 / motherboard drivers etc. into a system box for my Brother:-
Antec 80+ 430w psu / Asus M3N78 / x2 6000 Windsor / 2x1gb Crucial 4-4-4-12 /
2 x Seagate 80gb SATAII hd's ...
....Cool'n'Quiet + the required xp minimal pwr management setting shows that
cpu is at 1000mhz when not doing very much.
System box and 19" LCD monitor use approx 170 watts (UK mains 230/240volts),
during hd format / XP install - until all is installed, and when
Cool'n'Quiet is working - 60 - 80 watts
Similar mains pwr consumption on my 2nd PC Asrock NF6G / x2 6000 Windsor,
....and I notice that the Asus M3N78 is much swifter than my old Asrock
NF6G-VSTA

The Intel Speedstep in my 'main' PC, ("old" Connroe865PE - D935), doesn't
seem so good i.e. cpu drops from multiplier x16~2x3194.6 mhz, to just
x12~2395.6mhz
i.e. x2 6000 drops 2ghz, and D935 only drops 1ghz

regards, Richard

 

[RJK]

....wondered who I was for a minute - name re-corrected from 'MS News' to
'RJK'

regards, Richard