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Underclocking

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  • 04-09-2012 10:12pm
    #1
    Lu Tze
    Registered Users Posts: 3,495 ✭✭✭


    Howdy,

    Anybody have any experience with underclocking a cpu? Doesn't look like i'll be gaming/ and or using CAD for a while so my pc will basically be a HTPC for awhile so cpu power requirements are minimal.

    Any benefit to it? Lower power usage? cooler (and hence quieter)? I only have a Pentium G530, in a H61 board so no multiplier but presume the frequency and voltage can be varied?

    With this in mind i presume i can do the same with the (already power frugal HD6770) GPU?

    Cheers for any comment


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    #2
    Monotype
    Registered Users Posts: 6,710 ✭✭✭Monotype


    Modern CPUs will do it automatically. You need speedstep enabled in the BIOS/UEFI (which it usually is) and then you're free to configure it in the OS.
    In windows it's in
    Start menu -> Type in power options and press enter -> Change plan settings -> Change advanced power settings -> Processor Power Management

    You can then pick options for minimum and maximum processor state as a percentage of the full speed. There's probably little point in having a lower maximum as it will be down at the minimum if its near idle and it might be less efficient if it's got heavy work, unless heat is an issue.

    You can open up CPU-Z and see if it's working. I've noticed that the voltage gets dropped as well.

    You could potentially get better results by underclocking yourself but the difference is likely to be minimal and by the time you get your stability tests done, it would hardly be worth it. It could be worth undervolting on a desktop PC that was being used every day at near maximum speed.


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