[SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

axelectrik · 2014-05-28 00:43:11

I've been like a month or so with really low fps on WoW (I have a post about this)
After making a lot of testing I noticed the clock ratio on cpu is always at 1.6-1.8 GHz when playing, compiling or doing anything.
When I changed the governor with cpufreq to performance it was an amazing boost, fps on WoW went from 30 to 68 in just one second.

This makes me think that somehow the powersave governor is nto allowing the CPU to use turbo, or increase the clock at all.
As you know, linux-ck only has performance and powersave overnor (userspace could not be activated even if modprobing it)

I'd like to know if someone has the same issue, or why could I be having it?!

Thank you

Last edited by axelectrik (2014-05-28 04:29:40)

graysky · 2014-05-28 00:47:55

Aren't you using pstates? If not, how does the stock kernel compare wrt your multipliers while playing the game?

axelectrik · 2014-05-28 00:52:49

Well as far as I know it should be active automatically, it just can be disabled in the kernel command line and of course I didn't disable it.
Is there a way to check if its running?

graysky · 2014-05-28 00:55:19

I7z

WonderWoofy · 2014-05-28 01:09:59

cpupower should also report the governor in use. Though if you really want accurate information about the processor clock speeds and C-States, then i7z would be much better.

axelectrik · 2014-05-28 01:23:48

OK, well the output of i7z is

cpuinfo might be wrong if cpufreq is enabled. To guess correctly try estimating via tsc
Linux's inbuilt cpu_khz code emulated now
True Frequency (without accounting Turbo) 3400 MHz
  CPU Multiplier 34x || Bus clock frequency (BCLK) 100.00 MHz

Socket [0] - [physical cores=4, logical cores=4, max online cores ever=4]
  TURBO ENABLED on 4 Cores, Hyper Threading OFF
  Max Frequency without considering Turbo 3500.00 MHz (100.00 x [35])
  Max TURBO Multiplier (if Enabled) with 1/2/3/4 Cores is  40x/40x/39x/38x
  Real Current Frequency 1606.87 MHz [100.00 x 16.07] (Max of below)
        Core [core-id]  :Actual Freq (Mult.)      C0%   Halt(C1)%  C3 %   C6 %   C7 %  Temp
        Core 1 [0]:       1606.08 (16.06x)      69.5    62.9    3.18    1.16       0    57
        Core 2 [1]:       1606.87 (16.07x)      67.3    62.2    3.76    2.28       0    53
        Core 3 [2]:       1606.30 (16.06x)      55.9    58.7     5.4    9.47       0    53
        Core 4 [3]:       1604.83 (16.05x)      46.1    53.7    6.39    18.2       0    56

And this was while playing the game, when I'm not playing is the exact same output.
The governor in use is powersave, when using performance everything is perfect (except for the fact that I don't always need the processor to be working at the maximum frequence, just when I play)

About ptstate, I tried putting just to be sure it was active

intel_ptstate=enable

Still, setting it enabled or disabled the result is the same.

axelectrik · 2014-05-28 04:28:33

Sorry I was mistaken, I had misspelled "intel_pstate" but disabling it makes the trick.
I don't love that since intel_pstate seems really cool BUT also using acpi_cpufreq powersave NEVER increases the ratio, so at all powersave governor is the problem :S
Well I guess I'll have to wait for (if someday) the ondemand or conservative governors be available fot intel_pstate.

Still, thank you a lot guys

WonderWoofy · 2014-05-28 23:34:47

acpi_cpufreq's governers have nothing to do with the intel_pstate ones. Powersave and performance do entirely different things between the two, and pretty much zero direct comparison can be made.

axelectrik · 2014-05-30 04:00:02

Ok, no comparission, I really don't know much about governors but what I can tell is that powersave in acpi and pstate won't let my processor go above 1.8GHz
Any way to configure it or something?

Arch Linux

#1 2014-05-28 00:43:11

[SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#2 2014-05-28 00:47:55

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#3 2014-05-28 00:52:49

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#4 2014-05-28 00:55:19

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#5 2014-05-28 01:09:59

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#6 2014-05-28 01:23:48

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#7 2014-05-28 04:28:33

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#8 2014-05-28 23:34:47

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

#9 2014-05-30 04:00:02

Re: [SOLVED] Linux-CK not using Turbo on Intel i5

Board footer