New build--Cool-n-Quiet option

[Squigmont]

I 'm in the processof tweaking a new system that I put together with an
Athlon 64 X2 4800+, Asus A8V Deluxe, and 2 GB dual-channel PC3200 (running
with Windows XP Pro SP2.)

I was wondering about the AMD Cool -n- Quiet option and wanted to know if
most folks who have A64 systems are using CnQ. Does it really help, or is it
just a buggy gimmick that ends up being more trouble than it's worth?

It seems to be a pain to install, too. As I understand it, I have to enable
CnQ *and* ACPI 2.0 in the BIOS, "update" the driver for each of the two A64
X2 cores in Device Manager with the CnQ drivers, then activate it via
Display Properties > Screen Saver > Power > Minimal Power Management. Did I
miss anything else, and are there any other gotchas that I should know
about?

 

[Will Dormann]

I was wondering about the AMD Cool -n- Quiet option and wanted to know if
most folks who have A64 systems are using CnQ. Does it really help, or is it
just a buggy gimmick that ends up being more trouble than it's worth?

Why would you think it's a buggy gimmick? Laptops have had frequency
scaling features for quite a while. CnQ is pretty much an extension of
this technique to any system.

I think it works great. When the computer isn't under heavy load, it
slows down the CPU, which makes it run cooler, which in turn allows the
CPU fan to run slower and the system will draw less current.

To enable the feature, you need motherboard and OS support, which
shouldn't be a problem for you. AMD provides a driver for Windows:
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html



-WD

 

[Squigmont]

Why would you think it's a buggy gimmick? Laptops have had frequency
scaling features for quite a while. CnQ is pretty much an extension of
this technique to any system.

I think it works great. When the computer isn't under heavy load, it
slows down the CPU, which makes it run cooler, which in turn allows the
CPU fan to run slower and the system will draw less current.

To enable the feature, you need motherboard and OS support, which
shouldn't be a problem for you. AMD provides a driver for Windows:
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html

Well now, you've made a believer out of me. It works like a charm. In fact,
it works amazingly well.