Pentium systems - throttling question

[Woodman]

As I understand it, when a Pentium 4 processor finds itself running a little hotter than it would like, that it would automatically throttle down it's speed.

My question is whether this feature can be switched off by the user?

 

[Crashman]

I don't think you would want to. The temp for the switch was relatively high as I recall, like 70C (maybe 65C). That would be far higher than what you would want for optimal stability.

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[Ford_Prefect]

Clock throttling cannot be disabled.



Ford

 

[Groveling_Wyrm]

Ford,

I do not think he was meaning that you could disable throttling, but rather that it would be in the better interest to NOT allow the computer to reach the high temperatures required to activate the throttling.

This is because the computer would start becoming more unstable and your risk of losing data or hardware is greatly increased with higher temps.

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[Crashman]

No, I think he wants to disable it so the CPU can be run at a higher temperature!

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[Woodman]

Heh, thanks for the replies guys lol . I don't personally own a P4, but the info is interesting nonetheless.

I just wonder how some of the processor benchmarks around the web takes this into consideration. I mean wouldn't it be in the best interest to use a powerful HSF on the P4 just to get as close to an unbiased benchmark report as possible if throttling can't be disabled?


Again, thanks for the answer, was on my mind for a while & I just had to ask .

 

[Crashman]

They only throttle down when they overheat. They don't overheat when benchmarked. In fact, overheating can cause program errors that would prevent a CPU from completing the benchmark anyway.

What, you thought P4's in normal systems throttle down under normal conditions? No, have you seen the size of the cooler that comes with a P4?

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[Woodman]

They only throttle down when they overheat. They don't overheat when benchmarked. In fact, overheating can cause program errors that would prevent a CPU from completing the benchmark anyway.

Yes I understand heh . Ok another question, lets say that a P4 running an intense application for a lengthy period of time reaches a temperature of about 65C-70C. Would the throttling feature lower the speed to keep it <i>just</i> at or below that temperature, or would it drastically reduce it (to a specific speed perhaps), therefore lowering the temperature far below the 65C-70C mark? Just curious whether the user will be aware of the change .

What, you thought P4's in normal systems throttle down under normal conditions? No, have you seen the size of the cooler that comes with a P4?

Heh, yes I've seen several . Just curious how these things worked heh. Thanks for your answers Crash .

 

[Crashman]

Oh, they slow down considerably, cool off considerably, and cycle back to full speed.

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