Turbo-boosting

jcgriff2

jcgriff2

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If a system is rated @ 2.9 GHz (I would assume this to be the default number) with 3.4 GHz turbo boost, is it then possible for the 3.4 GHz number to show up as the clock speed in the dumps, and noted by the dumps to be over-clocked, even though I guess it really is not?
 
Last edited:
We saw it here recently: see 4th, 5th, 6th posts (click). :smile9:

BTW, it wasn't the dump to say it was overclocked (it was me):

Code: 
~MHz = REG_DWORD [COLOR=#b22222][B]3600[/B][/COLOR]
Identifier = REG_SZ Intel64 Family 6 Model 158 Stepping 9
ProcessorNameString = REG_SZ Intel(R) Core(TM) [B][COLOR=#b22222]i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz[/COLOR][/B]
MSR8B = REG_QWORD[B] [COLOR=#b22222]4200000000 [/COLOR][COLOR=#006400]<--- 4.2 GHz Max turbo boost speed according to intel i7-7700 specs webpage[/COLOR][/B]

Code: 
 Processor Version             Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz
 Processor Voltage             8ch - 1.2V
 External Clock                100MHz
 Max Speed                     8300MHz
 Current Speed                 [B][COLOR=#b22222]4000MHz[/COLOR]
[/B]
 
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Yes turbo boost is the Intel clock speed ramp up when the cpu is not being fully utilized.

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.01 accelerates processor and graphics performance for peak loads, automatically allowing processor cores to run faster than the rated operating frequency if they’re operating below power, current, and temperature specification limits. Whether the processor enters into Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and the amount of time the processor spends in that state depends on the workload and operating environment.
Click to expand...

Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
 
Morning :-)

wether it's overclocked or not is not easy to determine, may be a feature of turbo-boost.

What i observed sometimes, the clock of the running cpu may rise above the given speed intel states.
all other Cores go into idle and one cpu (single-threaded ) may speed up unexpectedly, the mechanism is not clear to me
but i caught up a machine which did this but unfortunately no dump but a pic available:
Code: 
[COLOR=#1e1e1e][Processor Information (Type 4) - Length 48 - Handle 0045h][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Socket Designation            LGA1151[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Processor Type                [/COLOR][COLOR=#1e1e1e]Central Processor[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Processor Family              cdh - Specification Reserved[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Processor Manufacturer        Intel(R) Corporation[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Processor ID                  e3060500fffbebbf[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Processor Version             Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6500 CPU @ 3.20GHz[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Processor Voltage             8bh - 1.1V[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  External Clock                100MHz[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Max Speed                     3600MHz[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  [B]Current Speed[/B]                 3700MHz[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]  Status                        Enabled Populated[/COLOR]

if it is a glitch of windbg (i'm unhappy with the current versions too) or whatever but
the cpu-fan was going up and noisy and the clock may be real :huh:
If even powersettings / savings play a role, i don't know and unfortunately minidumps do not have the info.
Code: 
[COLOR=#1e1e1e][CPU Information][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]~MHz = REG_DWORD 3692[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]Component Information = REG_BINARY 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]Configuration Data = REG_FULL_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,ff,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]Identifier = REG_SZ Intel64 Family 6 Model 94 Stepping 3[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]ProcessorNameString = REG_SZ Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6500 CPU @ 3.20GHz[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]Update Status = REG_DWORD 2[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]VendorIdentifier = REG_SZ GenuineIntel[/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1e1e1e]MSR8B = REG_QWORD [B]8400000000[/B][/COLOR]
that means, it can go up to???
regards
Michael
 
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You may see the current speed being the max frequency of a CPU with turbo boost looking like it's overclocked compared to the base frequency, I prefer to check the specs before judging about if it is overclocked or not.
 
xilolee said:
We saw it here recently: see 4th, 5th, 6th posts (click). :smile9:

BTW, it wasn't the dump to say it was overclocked (it was me):

Code: 
~MHz = REG_DWORD [COLOR=#b22222][B]3600[/B][/COLOR]
Identifier = REG_SZ Intel64 Family 6 Model 158 Stepping 9
ProcessorNameString = REG_SZ Intel(R) Core(TM) [B][COLOR=#b22222]i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz[/COLOR][/B]
MSR8B = REG_QWORD[B] [COLOR=#b22222]4200000000 [/COLOR][COLOR=#006400]<--- 4.2 GHz Max turbo boost speed according to intel i7-7700 specs webpage[/COLOR][/B]

Code: 
 Processor Version             Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz
 Processor Voltage             8ch - 1.2V
 External Clock                100MHz
 Max Speed                     8300MHz
 Current Speed                 [B][COLOR=#b22222]4000MHz[/COLOR]
[/B]
Click to expand...


I'm going to have to wait and get a sample from Windbg as I don't recall seeing a "max speed" in the output.

I just remember looking at the output from Windbg - it actually said "You may be overclocked" then gave an overclock ratio.
 
I wrote this yesterday, but the page was down due to the server movement.......

I've seen many, many instances of TurboBoost in memory dumps.
I have not researched dumps where one of the CPU's cores was overclocked and the others weren't.

TurboBoost is an Intel Technology that Intel specifies is OK to "boost" the CPU to these levels.
As such, when talking with OP's I first see if it's an Intel i5 or i7 Desktop CPU, then I ask about them overclocking.
In general, if they state that they didn't do anything to overclock, then I presume it's the TurboBoost program.
If I don't see an overclock in the dumps, then I presume it's not overclocked.

When it first came out I researched the overclocks that I saw, and found that Intel specifies the maximum that each processor can be overclocked.
Here's the table for the i7 Desktop processor: Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Frequency Table for Intel(R) Core™ i7...
Here's the table for the i5 Desktop processor: Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Frequency Tables for Intel(R) Core™ i5...

Eventually, I gave up checking each one because there was too much work for this with too few significant results.
In short, if it's a TurboBoost system and the OP says they aren't overclocking - then (IMO) there's no problem with that overclock as long as the system isn't showing other symptoms.
This is sort of similar to how we treat video cards that come overclocked from the factory. They're OK unless they show other signs of a problem.

There is nothing wrong with an overclocked processor, it's just that a different set of problems may arise when overclocking.
The "factory overclocks" are, IMO, just a marketing ploy by the manufacturer's in order to sell more stuff. While they may be closer to the "bleeding edge" of technology, they wouldn't be selling them if they weren't reliable enough for them to make money from them.

The point here is that, if there's no problem seen on a system with an overclock - then there's no reason to worry about it.
If there are problems, then normal troubleshooting procedures can be used to isolate the problem - be it hardware or software.

Finally, removing an overclock serves (again IMO) only one purpose - to see if the overclock is causing a problem.
If it's not causing a problem, then it's nothing to worry about.
In the "old" days, overclocking was a wild and unrestrained sport being played with relatively unsophisticated CPU's (and other hardware). These days CPU's (and some of the other devices) are much more able to protect themselves and shut down before damage occurs.
 

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