Is my i5-750 running normally?

Raraku

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Apr 18, 2010
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Hello gentlemen,

I've just finished putting together my new computer, but after installing CPUZ there is something that concerns me. I am not overclocking right now, but would like to in the future once I get everything stable and I learn how. However, I installed cpuZ to check on the temperatures and status of my componenets, and I was concerned by the "Core Speed" rating in the bottom left corner. I took a picture, but since I don't seem able to upload it I'll just describe it here:

In the bottom left corner of the CPUZ "CPU" window it says:

Clocks (Core #0)
Core Speed: 1203.8 MHz
Multiplier: x 9.0
Bus Speed: 133.8 MHz
QPI Link: 2407.5 MHz


This doesn't mean that my 750 is running at 1300 MHz instead of the stock 2.67, does it?

My apologies if everything is fine and there's nothing wrong, but I just had to make sure...

Thanks guys.
 

ekoostik

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Everything's fine. Your chip has a power saving feature which drops the multiplier when the CPU is not needed. Google EIST or Intel Speed Step and you'll find plenty of information about it.

Run Prime95 on all cores and you should see your mulptiplier jump to 21. Run it on one core and you should see it hit 24. That's Turbo. Stop everything from running and let your computer idle for a while, the multiplier drops to x9. That's EIST / speed step.
 

Raraku

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Apr 18, 2010
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Ah okay, thank you very much for the clarification ekoostik--that is a relief. I just ran through my first test-run of Bad Company 2 though, and found my frames were slightly lower than expected. I thought maybe this was a result of the prcoessor--but perhaps that was just a placebo affect.

If I start playing a graphically demanding game that only uses 1 or 2 cores, will Turbo also automatically enable itself to boost performance? Would another way of seeing my multiplier go up (without Prime 95) be to start a demanding game?

One last comment: I installed my first ever after-market cooler (Hypermaster 212), and my idle temps hover between 27-31 celcius, depending on the core. Are those pretty good temps? I was worried about my application of the thermal paste, among other things.

Thanks again for the help :).
 

ekoostik

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As soon as you start to put the CPU to work, the multiplier will go up. If your game only uses 1 or 2 cores (and the processor stays within its thermal envelope and nothing else on your system wakes up and starts working - e.g., antivirus software or other back ground apps) your CPU should Turbo up to x24.

For a good review of how Turbo works, read this page: http://anandtech.com/show/2832/5
Followed by this page: http://anandtech.com/show/2832/4
(Or the entire article: http://anandtech.com/show/2832 )

Starting a demanding game while nothing else is running will raise your multipler. If it uses all four cores, the most you will see it Turbo to is +1 more than stock, i.e. x21 or 2.8 GHz.

The temps seem on the high but it largely depends on your ambient temps and case and airflow. I have the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ and my baord idles near ambient temperatures. What's the temperature where your PC sits?
 

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