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    Intel Turbo Boost Technology

    Department of ECE, MBCCET, Peermade Page 1

    INTRODUCTION

    INTEL TURBO BOOST TECHNOLOGY is the fascinating technology which

    automatically provides performance on demand. Intel Turbo Boost Technology is one of

    the many exciting features that Intel has built into latest-generation Intel

    microarchitechture codename Nehalem processor cores to run faster than the base

    operating frequency if it's operating below power, current, and temperature specification

    limits. Intel Turbo Boost technology, as the name suggests, helps boost the performance

    of your computer's multi-core processor. The program, in its most simple terms, operates

    by increasing the speed of each core on a system's chipset, drawing power away from

    parts of the CPU not currently being used while providing that extra power to the chip's

    active processors.

    Basically, if the current application workload isn't keeping all four cores fully busy

    and pushing right up against the chip's TDP (Thermal Design Power) limit, Turbo Boost

    can increase the clock speed of each core individually to get more performance out of the

    chip.

    It's easy to see how this works when just one or two cores are being actively used;

    whatever power the other two or three cores would have consumed can be redirected over

    to the active cores, allowing them to run at higher speeds. Basically, if the current

    application workload isn't keeping all four cores fully busy and pushing right up against

    the chip's TDP (Thermal Design Power) limit, Turbo Boost can increase the clock speed

    of each core individually to get more performance out of the chip.

    It's easy to see how this works when just one or two cores are being actively used;

    whatever power the other two or three cores would have consumed can be redirected over

    to the active cores, allowing them to run at higher speeds.

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    The quad-core mode of Turbo Boost is a little more subtle; it works when the four cores

    aren't running a worst-case workload--for example, integer-heavy processing, since it's

    generally floating-point calculations that consume the most power--so they aren't

    bumping into the TDP limit. Turbo Boost can increase the frequency of all four cores

    until they're running as fast as they can for the current workload.

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    MICROPROCESSOR

    The microprocessor is one of the important components of a digital computer. It acts as

    the brain of the computer system. Before going to the detailed description of the

    microprocessor, let us see what a digital computer is. A digital computer makes

    processing of numbers.

    Computers are the most powerful tool man has ever created. A digital computer is a

    programmable machine. Its main components are: cpu, memory, input device and output

    device. The schematic diagram of a digital computer is shown below:

    Schematic diagram of a digital computer

    The CPU executes the instructions. The input device is used to feed programs and

    data to the computer. The memory is a storage device. It stores programs, data and result.

    The output device displays or prints the data or results according to the instruction given

    to the computer. The central processing unit built into a single IC is called

    microprocessor. A digital computer in which only one microprocessor has been built to

    MEMORY

    CPU

    OUTPUT DEVICEINPUT DEVICE

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    act as the CPU is called the microcomputer. A desktop computer and portable computers

    like laptop, notebook, palmtop, etc. contain one microprocessor to act as the CPU and

    hence they come under the category of microcomputer.

    MULTICORE PROCESSOR

    In computing, a processor is the unit that reads and executes program instructions, which

    are fixed-length (typically 32 or 64 bit) or variable-length chunks of data. The data in the

    instruction tells the processor what to do. The instructions are very basic things like

    reading data from memory or sending data to the user display, but they are processed so

    rapidly that we experience the results as the smooth operation of a program.

    Processors were originally developed with only one core. The core is the part of the

    processor that actually performs the reading and executing of the instruction. Single-core

    processors can only process one instruction at a time. (To improve efficiency, processors

    commonly utilize pipelines internally, which allow several instructions to be processed

    together, however they are still consumed into the pipeline one at a time.)

    A multi-core processor is a processing system composed of two or more

    independent cores. One can describe it as an integrated circuit to which two or more

    individual processors (called cores in this sense) have been attached.[1] Manufacturers

    typically integrate the cores onto a single integrated circuit die (known as a chip

    multiprocessor or CMP), or onto multiple dies in a single chip package. A many-

    core processor is one in which the number of cores is large enough that traditional multi-

    processor techniques are no longer efficient this threshold is somewhere in the range

    of several tens of cores and probably requires a network on chip.

    A dual-coreprocessor contains two cores, a quad-core processor contains four cores,

    and a hex-core processor contains six cores. A multi-core processor

    implements multiprocessing in a single physical package. Designers may couple cores in

    a multi-core device together tightly or loosely. For example, cores may or may not

    share caches, and they may implement message passing or shared memory inter-core

    communication methods. Common network topologies to interconnect cores include bus,

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    ring, 2-dimensional mesh, and crossbar. Homogeneous multi-core systems include only

    identical cores, unlike heterogeneous multi-core systems. Just as with single-processor

    systems, cores in multi-core systems may implement architectures

    like superscalar, VLIW, vector processing, SIMD, or multithreading.

    Multi-core processors are widely used across many application domains including

    general-purpose, embedded, network, digital signal processing (DSP), and graphics.

    The amount of performance gained by the use of a multi-core processor depends very

    much on the software algorithms and implementation. In particular, the possible gains are

    limited by the fraction of the software that can be parallelized to run on multiple cores

    simultaneously; this effect is described by Amdahl's law. In the best case, so-

    called embarrassingly parallel problems may realize speedup factors near the number of

    cores, or beyond even that if the problem is split up enough to fit within each processor's

    or core's cache(s) due to the fact that the much slower main memory system is avoided.

    Many typical applications, however, do not realize such large speedup factors. The

    parallelization of software is a significant on-going topic of research.

    Advantages

    The proximity of multiple CPU cores on the same die allows the cache

    coherency circuitry to operate at a much higher clock-rate than is possible if the signals

    have to travel off-chip. Combining equivalent CPUs on a single die significantly

    improves the performance ofcache snoop (alternative: Bus snooping) operations. Put

    simply, this means that signals between different CPUs travel shorter distances, and

    therefore those signals degrade less. These higher-quality signals allow more data to be

    sent in a given time period, since individual signals can be shorter and do not need to be

    repeated as often.

    The largest boost in performance will likely be noticed in improved response-time while

    running CPU-intensive processes, like antivirus scans, ripping/burning media (requiring

    file conversion), or searching for folders. For example, if the automatic virus-scan runs

    while a movie is being watched, the application running the movie is far less likely to be

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    starved of processor power, as the antivirus program will be assigned to a different

    processor core than the one running the movie playback.

    Assuming that the die can fit into the package, physically, the multi-core CPU designs

    require much less printed circuit board (PCB)space than do multi-chip SMP designs.

    Also, a dual-core processor uses slightly less power than two coupled single-core

    processors, principally because of the decreased power required to drive signals external

    to the chip. Furthermore, the cores share some circuitry, like the L2 cache and the

    interface to the front side bus (FSB). In terms of competing technologies for the available

    silicon die area, multi-core design can make use of proven CPU core library designs and

    produce a product with lower risk of design error than devising a new wider core-design.

    Also, adding more cache suffers from diminishing returns.

    Disadvantages

    Maximizing the utilization of the computing resources provided by multi-core processors

    requires adjustments both to the operating system (OS) support and to existing

    application software. Also, the ability of multi-core processors to increase application

    performance depends on the use of multiple threads within applications. The situation is

    improving: for example the Valve Corporation's Source engine offers multi-core support,

    and Crytekhas developed similar technologies forCryEngine , which powers their

    game, Crysis. Emergent Game TechnologiesGamebryo engine includes their Floodgate

    technology which simplifies multicore development across game platforms. In

    addition, Apple Inc.'s latest OS, Snow Leopard has a built-in multi-core facility

    called Grand Central Dispatch for Intel CPUs.

    Integration of a multi-core chip drives chip production yields down and they are more

    difficult to manage thermally than lower-density single-chip designs. Intel has partially

    countered this first problem by creating its quad-core designs by combining two dual-

    cores on a single die with a unified cache, hence any two working dual-core dies can be

    used, as opposed to producing four cores on a single die and requiring all four to work to

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    produce a quad-core. From an architectural point of view, ultimately, single CPU designs

    may make better use of the silicon surface area than multiprocessing cores, so a

    development commitment to this architecture may carry the risk of obsolescence. Finally,

    raw processing power is not the only constraint on system performance. Two processing

    cores sharing the same system bus and memory bandwidth limits the real-world

    performance advantage. If a single core is close to being memory-bandwidth limited,

    going to dual-core might only give 30% to 70% improvement. If memory bandwidth is

    not a problem, a 90% improvement can be expected. It would be possible for an

    application that used two CPUs to end up running faster on one dual-core if

    communication between the CPUs was the limiting factor, which would count as more

    than 100% improvement.

    Diagram of a generic dual-core processor, with CPU-local level 1 caches, and a shared,

    on-die level 2 cache is shown above.

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    OVERLOCKING OF MICROPROCESSORS

    Simply put, overclocking refers to running a system component at higher clock speeds

    than are specified by the manufacturer. At first blush, the possibility of overclocking

    seems counter-intuitiveif a given chip were capable of running at higher speeds;

    wouldn't the manufacturer sell it as a higher speed grade and reap additional revenue?

    The answer is a simple one, but it depends on a basic understanding of how chips are

    fabricated and sorted.

    Chip fabrication produces large wafers containing hundreds if not thousands of individual

    chips. These wafers are sliced to separate individual dies, which are then tested to

    determine which of the manufacturers offered speed grades they can reach. Some chips

    are capable of higher speeds than others, and they're sorted accordingly. This process is

    referred to as binning.

    There's considerably less demand for faster chips than for slower ones, though. The Core

    2 Extreme QX9650 may be the fastest CPU Intel can produce, but with street prices

    hovering around $1200, it costs quite a bit more than most folks are willing to spend on a

    CPU. The Core 2 Quad Q6600, which sells for less than $300, is in much higher demand

    because it fits within the budget of a greater number of consumers. And demand for low-

    end chips is even greater still.

    Chipmakers often find themselves in a position where the vast majority of the chips they

    produce are capable of running at higher clock speeds, since all chips of a particular

    vintage are produced in the same basic way. So chipmakers end up designating faster

    chips as lower speed grades in order to satisfy market demand. This practice is of

    particular interest to overclockers because it results in inexpensive chips with "free"

    overclocking headroom that's easy to exploit. That's the magic of binning: it's often quite

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    generous. A great many of the CPUs sold these days, especially the low-end and mid-

    range models come with some built-in headroom.

    Overclocking can do much more than exploit a chip's inherent headroom, though. It's also

    possible to push chips far beyond speeds offered by even the most expensive retail

    products. Such overclocking endeavors usually require more extreme measures, such as

    extravagant cooling solutions, so they're a little beyond the scope of what most folks will

    want to tackle.

    The most important ingredient in any overclocking endeavor is a good chip. If you're

    looking to exploit the "free" overclocking headroom made possible by binning, you're

    best off looking at lower speed grades. If you're after the maximum overclock, you'll

    probably want to pick the number of cores and the amount of cache that you want, and

    then select the lowest speed grade available with those characteristics. If you have a

    choice between chips with different front-side bus speeds, it's probably best to pick the

    chip with the lower default bus speed. A slower front-side bus can make life easier for the

    motherboard, and you may even be able to overclock the processor without pushing the

    board beyond its specifications.

    Overclocking forums are also rife with discussions of specific CPU stepping and batch

    numbers that have higher success rates than others. If you're willing to do a little

    researchand if you can coax retailers into giving you more detailed information on

    chips they have in stockyou can increase your chances of success. Gathering stepping

    and batch information is particularly useful if you intend to push clock speeds well

    beyond any binning freebies.

    Success is never guaranteed with overclocking. Your mileage will a most certainly vary,

    and you might even end up with a complete dud incapable of running more than a few

    MHz faster than its stock speed.

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    Just because we're focused on processor overclocking doesn't mean that other system

    components aren't important. A system's motherboard, cooling system, power supply, and

    even memory can affect the success of an overclocking attempt. These don't necessarily

    need to be expensive high-end partsthat would defeat much of the value proposition

    behind overclockingbut you'll be better off with quality components from reputable

    manufacturers. On the motherboard front, you want to ensure that the BIOS has ample

    overclocking options, including the ability to manipulate bus speeds and system voltages.

    The more control we have over system variables, the more freedom we'll have to tweak

    settings carefully in pursuit of higher clock speeds. Motherboard cooling becomes more

    important when you turn up clock speeds, as well. You don't need a mess of heat pipes

    snaking every which way on the board, but try to stay away from boards with tiny chipset

    coolers that don't offer much surface area to dissipate heat. Depending on how far you

    intend to push clock speeds, you may also want to consider beefing up your system's

    CPU cooling. Overclocked chips tend to run hotter than those at stock speeds,

    particularly when you start increasing the CPU voltage, and you don't want a stock cooler

    holding your system back. Aftermarket coolers designed for overclocking feature

    significantly more surface area than the stock coolers AMD and Intel bundle with their

    processors. Aftermarket coolers also tend to have much larger fans to generate more

    airflow, often while making less noise. Decent coolers can be had for as little as $30, so

    they won't put a big dent in your budget.

    We always recommend that users spend a little extra to get a quality power supply for

    their systems, and this goes double if you want to overclock. Our concern here isn't

    getting gobs of extra wattage, but ensuring that the PSU delivers clean power to the

    system.

    Fancy memory isn't always necessary if you're looking to overclock a processor, but

    DIMMs rated for operation at higher frequencies can give you a little more freedom when

    playing with clock speeds. Memory module manufacturers often guarantee their products

    to run at higher clock frequencies, even if those speeds aren't officially endorsed by the

    JEDEC standards body that governs system memory.

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    Even more important than individual component choices is having a completely stable

    system before you dive into overclocking. If you're building a new system from scratch,

    stress test it at stock speeds to ensure that everything is working properly. The last thing

    you want is to burn an afternoon trying in vain to overclock a system hampered by a

    faulty component that isn't even stable at stock speeds.

    Theobligatory warning

    Overclocking will probably void your warranty, and it has the potential to damage not

    only the hardware being overclocked, but other system components, as well. This is

    where The Tech Report absolves itself of any responsibility for damaged hardware,

    voided warranties, puffs of magic smoke, core meltdowns, and bruised egos that may

    result from unsuccessful overclocking attempts. Or, heck, even successful ones. We

    should also warn you that this guide covers overclocking through the motherboard BIOS.

    If you're not comfortable poking around in the BIOS, you probably shouldn't be

    overclocking in the first place. Before you begin overclocking your CPU, you shouldstart by making a backup of any important data on your system. You may even want to

    consider using a disk imaging program like Symantec Ghost to make a complete image of

    your boot partition. We've seen more than one OS installation rendered unbootable by

    file corruption caused by an unstable processor in the midst of an overclocking attempt.

    The trial-and-error process of seeking a stable overclocked configuration necessarily

    involves some risk on this front, so make provisions ahead of time.

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    OVERVIEW OF INTEL TURBO BOOST TECHNOLOGY

    Intel Core Microarchitechture (Nehalem) based processors incorporate a new feature:

    Intel Turbo Boost technology. Under some configurations and workloads, Intel Turbo

    Boost technology enables higher performance through the availability of increased core

    frequency. Intel Turbo Boost technology automatically allows processor cores to run

    faster than the base operating frequency if the processor is operating below rated power,

    temperature, and current specification limits. Intel Turbo Boost technology can be

    engaged with any number of cores or logical processors enabled and active. This results

    in increased performance of both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. It is

    possible for BIOS to contain a set-up option to enable or disable Intel Turbo Boost

    technology and it operates under operating system (OS) control by engaging when the OS

    requests the highest performance state (P0). For ACPI aware operating systems, no

    changes are required to support Intel Turbo Boost technology.

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    The maximum frequency is dependent on the number of active cores and varies based on

    the specific configuration on a per processor number basis. The amount of time the

    processor spends in the Intel Turbo Boost technology state will depend on workload and

    operating environment.

    Intel Turbo Boost technology is available only on supported processor versions. With

    Intel Turbo Boost technology, the processor is capable of maximizing core frequency

    while ensuring that it does not exceed its electrical and thermal specifications. This

    means workloads that are naturally lower in power or lightly threaded may take

    advantage of headroom in the form of increased core frequency. Continual measurements

    of temperature, current draw, and power consumption are used to dynamically assess

    headroom.

    DEPENDENCIES OF THE TECHNOLOGY

    Intel Turbo Boost technology core frequency upside availability is ultimately constrained

    by power delivery limits, but within those constraints, it is limited by the following

    factors:

    The estimated current consumption of the processor

    The estimated power consumption of the processor

    The temperature of the processor

    The number of active cores at any given instant dictates the upper limit of Intel Turbo

    Boost technology. For this discussion, a core is considered active if it is in the C0 or

    C1 state; cores in the C3 or C6 state are considered inactive. The upper limits

    will vary on a per processor number basis. For example, one particular processor may

    allow up to two frequency steps (266.66 MHz) when just one core is active and one

    frequency step (133.33 MHz) when two or more cores are active. Therefore, higher deep

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    C-state residency (C3 or C6) on some cores will generally result in increased core

    frequency on the active cores. The upper limits are further constrained by temperature,

    power, and current. These constraints are managed as a simple closed-loop control

    system. If measured temperature, power and current are all below factory-configured

    limits and the OS is requesting P0, the processor automatically steps up core frequency

    (+133.33MHz) until it reaches the upper limit dictated by the number of active cores.

    When temperature, power or current exceed factory configured limits and you are above

    the base operating frequency, the processor automatically steps down core frequency (-

    133.33 MHz) in order to reduce temperature, power and current. The processor then

    monitors temperature, power, and current and continuously re-evaluates.

    Note: When Intel Turbo Boost technology is requested by the OS, the processor will

    commonly operate between the max Intel Turbo Boost technology frequency and the base

    operating frequency.

    All active cores in the processor will operate at the same frequency. Even at frequencies

    above the base operating frequency, all active cores wil run at the same frequency and

    voltage. Due to the way the BIOS and OS communicate Intel Turbo Boost technology,

    software may never detect core clock frequencies above the base operating frequency.

    This is not reflective of actual core frequency.

    OPERATING FREQUENCY

    Due to the methods used by BIOS to transparently expose Intel Turbo Boost technology

    functions to the operating system, software that wishes to calculate (and/or display) the

    current operating core frequency may need to be updated.

    Most currently available software that calculates frequency relies on the ACPI P-state

    structures that are provided by the BIOS or calls an application programming interface

    (API) that relies on these structures. The frequency field in the P0 ACPI _PSS object

    does not reflect actual Intel Turbo Boost technology frequencies. Instead, it always shows

    the P0 frequency as P1 frequency plus 1MHz. Due to this, software that uses the P state

    structures, directly or indirectly, will not properly display Intel Turbo Boost technology

    frequencies.

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    NOTE: Operating Systems may also be impacted and may not report accurate frequency.

    The algorithm below can be used to estimate the current operating frequency of a

    processor. The algorithm will calculate the average frequency of the active cores over a

    1-second window. The time window can be adjusted if increased monitoring is desired.

    DYNAMICALLY INCREASING PERFORMANCE

    Intel Turbo Boost Technology is activated when the Operating System (OS) requests the

    highest processor performance state (P0).

    The maximum frequency of Intel Turbo Boost Technology is dependent on the number of

    active cores. The amount of time the processor spends in the Intel Turbo Boost

    Technology state depends on the workload and operating environment.

    Any of the following can set the upper limit of Intel Turbo Boost Technology on a given

    workload:

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    Number of active cores Estimated current consumption Estimated power consumption Processor temperature

    When the processor is operating below these limits and the user's workload demands

    additional performance, the processor frequency will dynamically increase by 133 MHz

    on short and regular intervals until the upper limit is met or the maximum possible upside

    for the number of active cores is reached.

    As an independent and complementary feature, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

    (Intel HT Technology) increases performance of both multi-threaded and single

    threaded workloads.

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    FREQUENCYALGORITHM

    The following are the general steps to implement the frequency-monitoring algorithm.

    1. Compute and save the reference frequency. Bits 15:8 of the PLATFORM_INFOMSR (0CEH) are the Base Operating Ratio. Multiply by the bus clock

    frequency (BCLK) to get the base operating frequency. The standard bus clock

    frequency is 133.33 MHz

    2. Enable fixed Architectural Performance Monitor counters 1 and 2 in the Global

    Performance Counter Control IA32_PERF_GLOBAL_CTRL (38FH) and the

    Fixed-Function Performance Counter Control IA32_FIXED_CTR_CTL (38DH). Repeat

    this step for each logical processor in the system. Fixed Counter 1

    (CPU_CLK_UNHALTED.CORE) Counts the number of core cycles while the

    Core is not in a halted state. Fixed Counter 2 (CPU_CLK_UNHALTED.REF) counts the

    number of reference (base operating frequency) cycles while the core is not in a halted

    state.

    3.Configure an auto-rearming timer with 1- Second duration using an OS API.

    4.Repeat steps 5 through 10 until the Application exits.

    5. Wait for the 1-second timer to expire.

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    6. Read the Fixed-Function Performance Counter 1 IA32_FIXED_CTR1 (30AH)and the Fixed- Function Performance Counter 2 IA32_FIXED_CTR2 (30BH).

    Repeat this step.For each logical processor in the system.

    7. Compute the number of unhalted core cycles and unhalted reference cycles thathave expired since the last iteration by subtracting The previously sampled values

    from the currently sampled values.

    8. Compute the actual frequency value for each Logical processor as follows: Fcurrent =

    Base Operating Frequency * (Unhalted Core Cycles /Unhalted Ref Cycles)

    9. Update with GUI to display the newly Computed values (for accurate display, choose

    the maximum frequency of all logical Processors).

    10. Save Unhalted Core Cycles and Unhalted RefCycles for use in the next iteration.

    NOTE: Step 9 is required due to the fact that idle Cores will be woken up to read their

    frequency and that will change the results of those idle Cores. For displaying the

    frequency of the active Cores, ignore these lower results.

    What is Intel Turbo Boost Technology and how does it work?

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    Intel Turbo Boost Technology is a way to automatically run the processor core faster than

    the marked frequency if the part is operating under power, temperature, and current

    specification limits of the Thermal Design Power (TDP). This results in increased

    performance of both single and multi-threaded applications.

    Whichprocessor familiessupport Intel Turbo Boost Technology?

    y Intel Core i7 mobile and desktop processorsy Intel Core i7 processor extreme editiony Intel Core i7 mobile processor extreme editiony Intel Core i5 mobile and desktop processors

    What factors influence Intel Turbo Boost Technology operation?

    While Intel Turbo Boost Technology availability is independent of the number of active

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    cores, the operation is dependent on having headroom (cores operating under TDP)

    available in one or more cores. The amount of time the system spends in turbo boost will

    ultimately depend on workload, operating environment, and platform design.

    How is Intel Turbo Boost Technology enabled or disabled?

    Intel Turbo Boost Technology is usually enabled by default by a switch in the bios where

    you can either enable or disable operation. Other than this, there are no user controllable

    settings to change Intel Turbo Boost Technology operation either in the hardware settings

    or operating system. Once enabled, Intel Turbo Boost Technology works automatically

    under operating system control.

    Isturbo frequencythesame forallactivecoresintheprocessor?

    Yes.

    Can Intel Turbo Boost Technologybeenabledordisabledbycore?

    No. You can sometimes disable cores in the bios but this is not recommended unless

    there is a specific reason you need to do this.

    Istherea waytospecifythemaximum Intel Turbo Boost Technology

    frequency?

    There is no way to specify the maximum frequency. Once the system is in turbo boost,

    the processor automatically determines the maximum frequency it can operate at based

    on operating conditions.

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    Whatmodesofoperationareavailable with Intel Turbo Boost

    Technology forthe Intel Corei7-900processorseriesandthe Intel Core

    i5-600processorseries?

    y 1 bin (+133 MHz) across one active corey 2 bins (+266 MHz) across one active corey 1 bin (+133 MHz) across two active coresy 1 bin (+133 MHz) across three active cores

    How can I tellif Intel Turbo Boost Technologyis working?

    The Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitor is a tool that will show you Intel Turbo Boost

    Technology in action.

    Intel Processor Identification Utility will be able to show you that it is working at the

    highest Turbo Boost frequency if you disable the other cores in the bios. If you set theamount of cores to one in the bios and run the Intel Processor Identification Utility, it will

    show the highest Turbo Boost frequency. Make sure that you reset the switch in the bios

    to reactivate all cores in the bios if you made that change.

    How importantissystemintegrationandsystemdesigninregardto

    Intel Turbo Boost Technology?

    Since Intel Turbo Boost Technology runs when the processor is operating under the

    power, temperature, and current specification limits of Thermal Design Power (TDP),

    good system integration and thermal design becomes more important than ever to extract

    the benefits of Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

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    INTEL TURBO BOOST TECHNOLOGY MONITOR

    Intel turbo boost technology monitor is a simple sidebar gadget for Windows Vista and

    Windows 7. It lets developers and users check the microprocessor's application of Turbo

    Boost. It is a simple gadget that lets you answer the question: What is Intel Turbo Boost

    Doing?

    The idea of overclocking a microprocessor to higher frequencies when it is under a heavy

    workload isnt a new one. There is a whole industry providing sophisticated hardware

    capable of pushing each new microprocessor model to its overclocking limits. However,

    there is a great difference between dynamic overclocking at a microprocessor level and

    Intel Turbo Boost Technology. The latter works at a physical core level, by overclocking

    one or more physical cores, specifically the active cores.

    If you want to check the status of Turbo Boost in real-time in Windows, you can install

    the Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitor and add the gadget to your desktop. Its

    installation is very easy; you just have to download TurboBoostSetup.exe, run the

    installer and add the gadget to your desktop.

    When one of the active cores runs faster, taking advantage of the Turbo mode, a blue bar

    appears in the gadget and displays the current frequency for the active core(s). If the blue

    bar doesnt appear, it means that the Turbo mode isnt working, as in Figure 1. However,

    the frequency for some of the cores could be less than the nominal frequency shown in

    the gadget.

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    Figure 1: Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitor withoutthebluebar. The Turbo

    modeisnt working.

    When the Turbo mode is activated and one or more cores increase their frequency, the

    blue bar will appear in the gadget and it will display the new frequency, as in Figure 2.

    Figure 2: Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitordisplayingthebluebarandthe

    new frequency fortheactivecores, 2.13 GHz insteadofthebase frequency, 1.73

    GHz.

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    Watching the gadget you will understand the way the Turbo mode increases and

    decreases the frequency as more cores get active or the conditions change. By default, the

    gadget animates the blue bar and will display the new frequencies.

    The gadget is really helpful to understand the behavior of this dynamic overclocking

    feature. The frequency displayed corresponds to the more active cores. Nonetheless, as

    more cores require processing power, the effect of the Turbo mode could be dissipated.

    Figure 4 displays the results of running an application that uses the processing power

    available in all the cores, monitored using All CPU Meter. As you can see, the Turbo

    mode disappears because all the cores are under heavy load at the same time.

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    NEHALEM MICROARCHITECTURE

    Since the introduction of Intel Core microarchitecture in 2006 and its 2007 45nm

    enhancementsthe Intel Core microarchitecture (Penryn) family of processorsthe

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    blistering performance and energy efficiency of Intel microprocessors have delivered

    unprecedented capabilities to computer users. Now a new microarchitecture named

    Nehalem (the foundation of the Intel Xeon processor 3500 and 5500 series) builds on

    these earlier microarchitectural marvels, rewriting the book on processor scalability,

    performance, and energy efficiency.Intel microarchitecture (Nehalem) is a dynamically

    scalable and design-scalable microarchitechture. At runtime, it dynamically manages

    cores, threads, cache, interfaces,and power to deliver outstanding energy efficiency and

    performance on demand.At design time, it scales easily, enabling Intel to provide

    versions optimized for each server, desktop, and notebook market.Intel will deliver

    versions differing in the number of cores, caches, interconnect capability, and memory

    controller capability,as well as in the inclusion of an integrated graphics controller. This

    allows Intel to deliver a wide range of price, performance, and energy efficiency targets

    for servers,workstations, desktops, and laptops.Intel microarchitectures (Nehalems)

    energy efficiency and performance comes at a critical crossroads in computing. In the

    past, when a computers energy efficiency wasnt a concern, nearly every architecture

    feature that could improve processor performance would be included without

    worrying about the power cost. But in an age of increasing concern for limited

    resources and increased energy costs,every segment (server, workstation,desktop, and

    mobile) is power-constrained and designing a microarchitecture requires a different

    approach. Processor manufacturers must consider the power cost for whether the

    processor is intended for the home, data center, or ultra-light laptop. Intel weighed every

    architectural feature added to Intel microarchitecture (Nehalem) against a strict

    power/performance efficiency threshold. If the feature couldnt add more than a one

    percent performance gain for a less than three percent power cost, Intel wouldnt add it.

    By measuring the benefit of the performance gain against the power cost, Intelwas able to design Intel microarchitecture (Nehalem) to deliver greater power

    efficiency at any power envelope.

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    A good example of how Intel microarchitecture(Nehalem) enables the scaling of energy

    efficiency and performance can be seen in the Intel Xeon processor 3500 and 5500 series.

    These two server/workstation processor series incorporate a number of Intels innovative

    technologies to deliver intelligent performance.

    Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

    This technology delivers performance on demand, allowing processors to operate above

    the rated frequency to speed specific workloads and drop back down to reduce power

    consumption during low utilization periods.

    Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

    This well-known Intel innovation provides more performance for applications designed

    for parallel, multi-threaded execution by reducing computational latency and making

    optimal use of every cycle. Intel Hyper-Threading Technology benefits from this latest

    Intel microarchitectures larger caches and massive memory bandwidth, delivering

    greater throughput and responsiveness for multi-threaded applications.

    Intel QuickPath Technology.

    This new, scalable, shared memory architecture integrates a memory controller into each

    microprocessor and connects processors and other components with a new highspeed

    interconnect. It speeds traffic between processors and I/O controllers for bandwidth-

    intensive applications, delivering up to 3.5 times the bandwidth for technical computing.

    Intel Intelligent Power Technology.

    This feature enables policy-based control that allows processors to operate at optimal

    frequency and power. Operating systems can make this determination automatically, or

    administrators can designate which applications require high-frequency processing and

    which should be executed at lower frequencies to conserve power.

    Intel Virtualization Technology.This latest generation version of Intel Virtualization Technology enhances virtualization

    performance by up to 2.1 times 5 with new hardware assist capabilities across server and

    workstation element.

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    TERMS TO BE EXPLAINED

    1.BIOS

    In IBM PC Compatible computers, the basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) , also known

    as the System BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface.

    The BIOS of a PC software is built into the PC, and is the first code run by a PC when

    powered on ('boot firmware'). The primary function of the BIOS is to load and startanoperating system. When the PC starts up, the first job for the BIOS is to initialize and

    identify system devices such as the video display card, keyboard and mouse, hard disk,

    CD/DVD drive and other hardware. The BIOS then locates software held on a peripheral

    device (designated as a 'boot device'), such as a hard disk or a CD, and loads and executes

    that software, giving it control of the PC. This process is known as booting, or booting

    up, which is short for bootstrapping.

    BIOS software is stored on a non-volatile ROM chip built into the system on the mother

    board. The BIOS software is specifically designed to work with the particular type of

    system in question, including having a knowledge of the workings of various devices that

    make up the complementary chipset of the system. In modern computer systems,

    theBIOS chip's contents can be rewritten allowing BIOS software to be upgraded.

    A BIOS will also have a user interface (or UI for short). Typically this is a menu system

    accessed by pressing a certain key on the keyboard when the PC starts. In the BIOS UI, a

    user can:

    configure hardware set the system clock enable or disable system components select which devices are eligible to be a potential boot device

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    set various password prompts, such as a password for securing access to the BIOS UIfunctions itself and preventing malicious users from booting the system from

    unauthorized peripheral devices.

    The BIOS provides a small library of basic input/output functions used to operate and

    control the peripherals such as the keyboard, text display functions and so forth, and these

    software library functions are callable by external software. In the IBM PC and AT,

    certain peripheral cards such as hard-drive controllers and video display adapters carried

    their own BIOS extension ROM, which provided additional functionality. Operating

    systems and executive software, designed to supersede this basic firmware functionality,

    will provide replacement software interfaces to applications.

    The role of the BIOS has changed over time; today BIOS is a legacy system, superseded

    by the more complex Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI), but BIOS remains in

    widespread use, and EFI booting has only been supported in x86 Windows since 2008.

    BIOS is primarily associated with the 16-bit and 32-bit architecture eras (x86-32), while

    EFI is used for some 32-bit and most 64-bit architectures. Today BIOS is primarily used

    for booting a system, and for certain additional features such as power management

    (ACPI) and video initialization (in X.org), but otherwise is not used during the ordinaryrunning of a system, while in early systems (particularly in the 16-bit era), BIOS was

    used for hardware access operating systems (notably MS-DOS) would call the BIOS

    rather than directly accessing the hardware. In the 32-bit era and later, operating systems

    instead generally directly accessed the hardware using their owndevice drivers.

    2.Advanced Configurationand Power Interface (ACPI)

    In computing, the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification

    provides an open standard for unified operating system-centric device configuration

    and power management. ACPI, first released in December 1996, defines platform-

    independent interfaces for hardware discovery, configuration, power management and

    monitoring. The specification is central to Operating System-directed configuration and

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    Power Management(OSPM); a term used to describe a system implementing ACPI,

    which therefore removes device management responsibilities from legacy firmware

    interfaces. The standard was originally developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba, and

    last published as "Revision 4.0a", on April 5, 2010. As of 2010, developers of ACPI also

    include HP and Phoenix

    ACPI aims to consolidate and improve upon existing power and configuration standards

    for hardware devices. It provides a transition from existing standards to entirely ACPI-

    compliant hardware, with some ACPI operating systems already removing support for

    legacy hardware. With the intention of replacing Advanced Power Management,

    the Multiprocessors Specification and the Plug and Play BIOS Specification, the standard

    brings power management into operating system control (OSPM), as opposed to the

    previous BIOS central system, which relied on platform-specific firmware to determine

    power management and configuration policy. The ACPI specification contains numerous

    related components for hardware and software programming, as well as a unified

    standard for device/power interaction and bus configuration. As a document that unifies

    many previous standards it covers many areas, for system and device builders as well as

    system programmers. Some software developers have trouble implementing ACPI andexpress concerns about the requirements that byte code from an external source must be

    run by the system with full privileges. Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel, once

    described it as "a complete design disaster in every way", in relation to his view that

    "modern PCs are horrible".

    Microsoft Windows 98 was the first operating system with full support for ACPI,

    with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Linux and PC versions

    of SunOS all having at least some support for ACPI.

    3. OSPM RESPONSIBILITIES

    ACPI requires that once an OSPM-compatible operating system has activated ACPI on a

    computer, it then takes over and has exclusive control of all aspects of power

    management and device configuration. The OSPM implementation must expose an

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    ACPI-compatible environment to device drivers, which exposes certain system, device

    and processor states.

    Power States

    Global states

    The ACPI specification defines the following seven states (so-called global states) for an

    ACPI-compliant computer-system:

    G0 (S0): Working G1, Sleepingsubdivides into the four states S1 through S4:

    S1: All processor caches are flushed, and the CPU(s) stop executing instructions.Power to the CPU(s) and RAM is maintained; devices that do not indicate they

    must remain on may be powered down.

    S2: CPU powered off S3: Commonly referred to as Standby, Sleep, orSuspend to RAM. RAM remains

    powered

    S4: Hibernation orSuspend to Disk. All content of main memory is saved to non-volatile memory such as a hard drive, and is powered down.

    G2 (S5), SoftOff: G2 is almost the same as G3MechanicalOff, but some componentsremain powered so the computer can "wake" from input from the keyboard,

    clock, modem, LAN, or USB device.

    G3,MechanicalOff: The computer's power consumption approaches close to zero, tothe point that the power cord can be removed and the system is safe for dis-assembly

    (typically, only the real-time clock is running off its own small battery).

    Furthermore, the specification defines aLegacy state: the state on an operating systemwhich does not support ACPI. In this state, the hardware and power are not managed via

    ACPI, effectively disabling ACPI.

    Device states

    The device statesD0-D3 are device-dependent:

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    D0 Fully-On is the operating state. D1 and D2 are intermediate power-states whose definition varies by device. D3 Offhas the device powered off and unresponsive to its bus.Processorstates

    The CPU power states C0-C3 are defined as follows:

    C0 is the operating state. C1 (often known as Halt) is a state where the processor is not executing instructions,

    but can return to an executing state essentially instantaneously. All ACPI-conformant

    processors must support this power state. Some processors, such as the Pentium 4,also support an Enhanced C1 state (C1E or Enhanced Halt State) for lower power

    consumption.

    C2 (often known as Stop-Clock) is a state where the processor maintains all software-visible state, but may take longer to wake up. This processor state is optional.

    C3 (often known as Sleep) is a state where the processor does not need to keepits cache coherent, but maintains other state. Some processors have variations on the

    C3 state (Deep Sleep, Deeper Sleep, etc.) that differ in how long it takes to wake the

    processor. This processor state is optional.

    Performancestates

    While a device or processor operates (D0 and C0, respectively), it can be in one of

    several power-performance states. These states are implementation-dependent, but P0 is

    always the highest-performance state, with P1 to Pn being successively lower-

    performance states, up to an implementation-specific limit ofn no greater than 16.

    P1 less than P0, voltage/frequency scaled

    Pn less than P(n-1), voltage/frequency scaled

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    ADVA

    NTA

    GES

    1. Intel Turbo Boost Technology is a way to automatically run the processor corefaster than the marked frequency if the part is operating under power,

    temperature, and current specification limits of the Thermal Design Power (TDP).

    2. This results in increased performance of both single and multi-threadedapplications..

    3. Once the system is in turbo boost, the processor automatically determines themaximum frequency it can operate at based on operating conditions.

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    CONCLUSION

    Intel Turbo Boost Technology one of the latest technologies present in the Nehalem

    microarchitecture based microprocessors. Nehalem microarchitecture incorporate several

    other features such as Intel Hyper threading Technology, smart cache etc. Turbo Boost

    technology is actually a secured way for overclocking. It increases the speed of the

    Multicore processors if some predefined conditions are satisfied. While Intel Turbo Boost

    Technology availability is independent of the number of active cores, the operation isdependent on having headroom (cores operating under TDP) available in one or more

    cores. The amount of time the system spends in turbo boost will ultimately depend on

    workload, operating environment, and platform design.

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    REFERENCES

    1. www.intel.com/technology/support

    2. www.wikipedia.com

    3. www.eHow.com

    4. www.cnetnews.com

    5. www.cpubenchmark.net