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View Full Version : OSX Supports Intel SpeedStep? No controls?



mobilehavoc
Oct 27, 2008, 07:38 PM
Coming from Windows, one thing I miss is the ability to control or select a power scheme for the CPU when it comes to throttling. i.e. right now I'm sitting on my bed watching MNF and doing some light surfing. I'd prefer if the 2.4ghz C2D in my MB clocked down to 1ghz or so since I'm not doing anything mildly intensive.

However I've read that Macbooks run at full speed all the time even on battery which is bizarre. Is there anyway to configure it so that it's 100% full speed when plugged in and dynamic cpu speed on battery?!?!

Seems odd can't do something this simple out of the box.


flopticalcube
Oct 27, 2008, 07:50 PM
Coming from Windows, one thing I miss is the ability to control or select a power scheme for the CPU when it comes to throttling. i.e. right now I'm sitting on my bed watching MNF and doing some light surfing. I'd prefer if the 2.4ghz C2D in my MB clocked down to 1ghz or so since I'm not doing anything mildly intensive.

However I've read that Macbooks run at full speed all the time even on battery which is bizarre. Is there anyway to configure it so that it's 100% full speed when plugged in and dynamic cpu speed on battery?!?!

Seems odd can't do something this simple out of the box.

Don't think that's right. Pretty sure OSX throttles the CPU as needed. If you look at a program like Coolbook. it adjusts the CPU voltage based on clock frequency so there are speed adjustments being made all the time, plugged in or on battery.
krypticos
Oct 27, 2008, 07:51 PM
im pretty sure that it does it automatically. i know that in windows on my whitebook. windows automatically speedsteps it would go from 2.2ghz to 800mhz. but to confirm that mac does it i dont know.
duffyanneal
Oct 27, 2008, 08:48 PM
You don't have anything to worry about. Check out the link below.

http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3439&p=13
localoid
Oct 27, 2008, 08:56 PM
According to a Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpeedStep) "Mac OS also has SpeedStep built into the kernel, since the release of the Intel version of Mac OS X 10.4 and is already enabled."