Is there a way to enable Turbo Boost on my Late 2012 Mac Mini all the time? Also how do we know if it will ever utilize Turbo Boost for anything? Is it just a marketing gimmick?
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Enable Turbo Boost all the time?
- Thread starter EvilEvil
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Turbo boost is an automatic temporary overclock. It only activates when you would benefit from the extra speed and only for as long as it can cool itself.
In the mini, there are other bottlenecks that need addressed anyway, like the hard drive.
In the mini, there are other bottlenecks that need addressed anyway, like the hard drive.
It is correct. Turbo Boost needs to be enabled in say the UEFI/EFI/BIOS which is the case of any Mac. When Turbo Boost is enabled the system can use it to throttle cpu power. There is no way to influence this as it is an automatic system (there is 1 influence: the software you run). The same can be said for the power saving options of the cpu (although there is some more influence the user has: you can put the machine in standby/sleep/etc. which will cause components such as the cpu to change power saving modes).
Part of what you need to understand, is that Turbo boost is directly related to how many cores you are using at any given time as well. So you can't just have it "ON" and get 3.3ghz at all times unless you are willing to disable all but 1 core.
It would probably help to familiarize yourself with the functionality as it probably would have made this thread completely unnecessary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Turbo_Boost
Apparently it is possible to monitor it on Windows machines, It wight work with Bootcamp...
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=19105
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=19105
I can confirm at least that this program does not work in windows 8 on parallels 8. I tried it a few months back on my 2012 i7. Understandable though.
I wish there was a mac app to dynamically monitor the frequency of the CPU. You would think if iStat pro can graph it that it could put MHz/ghz numbers to it.
Turbo Boost does throttle the cpu. What you are explaining here is exactly what throttling is
It isn't the only throttling the cpu does. You could also use the word "scaling". Intel uses brand names: Intel SpeedStep and Intel Turbo Boost. They both scale/throttle up when you need power and back down when you don't. The way they do it is different. They complement each other.Hold on now. The definition of throttle is to "choke" or "restrict". Turbo boost does exactly the opposite. For example, the 2.6ghz quad core has a "normal" frequency of 2.6ghz. Turbo boost will allow it to run all the way up to 3.6ghz depending on the situation (i.e. only one core maxed out). How is that throttling? Now Speed step is throttling. It will reduce or "restrict" the speed of the processor when it isn't needed in order to reduce the amount of power needed.
http://thesaurus.com/browse/throttle
Are you confusing the phrase of "Full Throttle" (which usually means super speed) with throttling? Maybe you don't understand the origination of what a Throttle is in a combustion engine? If it helps, a Throttle is actually a device in old carbureted engines that actually reduced the flow of fuel to the engine. By going "Full throttle" you actually opened the Throttle the whole way so maximum gas flow was released.
Thanks. It looks like it measures watts and not MHz but it looks interesting. Worth a look.
No, depending on the CPU, it works with two (or more) cores active as well as a single one. I often hate to cite them as a reference, but see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Turbo_Boost
Not trying to say your all wrong, but this Intel App (Intel Power Gadget) shows my 2012 mini i7 2.6 Ghz Quad cranking along at around 3.20 to 3.45Ghz when I run Handbrake and Aunsoft iMedia together each coding a 1080P 30GB mkv to ATV3 (i.e. I am maxing out my CPU). It hits 3.45 for the first few minutes and settles to 3.20 to 3.30 once the heat is stabilised at around 100 'C. Handbrake and iMedia together uses all 4 cores at 100% so can someone explain why the Intel Power Gadget is showing my CPU is capable of that Ghz peak load (sustained) instead of 2.6 Ghz as the max when all cores are running. I am not talking about 1 core maxing at 3.20 - 3.45 Ghz on Turbo Boost. The whole quad is running according to my understanding of Handbrake and what iStat says.
Is the Intel app misleading? It definitely shows the thin static 2.6 Ghz line with the dynamic line running well above around 3.30.
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Yes to be fair it can but that would require Mac Pro cooling. The chip would get to hot to quick in any other mac line.
Some of the higher end Ivy Bridge i7s used in the Mac line have Turbo Boost 2.0 and do utilize it accordingly for sustained periods of time.
Not quite, those are only 2 of the definitions. I was more thinking along the lines of throttling up and down like with rockets and such or opening and closing the throttle to speed up or slow down a car (people forget that it goes the opposite way as well). Merriam Webster has some more definitions where you can find the one I'm using as well: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throttle The rocket/car meaning also shows exactly what Turbo Boost and SpeedStep do: they control (this verb is given as a synonym on the link you gave) the speed of the processor. On other sites I find similar information that says my usage of throttle is correct in this context.
Did you even read the definition you provided here?
a : to decrease the flow of (as steam or fuel to an engine) by a valve
b : to regulate and especially to reduce the speed of (as an engine) by such means
c : to vary the thrust of (a rocket engine) during flight
Without a throttle ALL engines would run at FULL speed/RPM. There would be no restriction to the amount of fuel entering the engine which means your car (for example) would run at maximum RPM at all times. Now newer engines use fuel injectors, but those do not have a "throttle". Instead the injectors are turned off and off releasing fuel.
Don't give me the bull about how you meant a "rocket car", because that's baloney. What you found is the only way to even sorta prove you could on the fringe be right. The meaning of throttle is to restrict. A throttle is naturally in the off position almost completely restricting the flow of fuel. You have to force it out of its natural state in order to allow for an engine to increase in rpm. This is the normal and accepted definition. Some obscure definition for rocket engines it is not.
Again Turbo boost is the complete opposite of Throttle. I would recommend you take combustion engines 101 before you argue with me again on this. I'm going to assume you have never worked on a combustion engine of any type since you clearly do not understand the definition of Throttle.
Turbo Boost 2.0 or newer (available in Sandy Bridge and newer) supports all cores. Your processor, the i7-3720QM supports up to 3.6 GHz.
Yes, I know all that. But The max with all cores running should only be 2.6 Ghz I thought.
See this thread. There seems to be conflicting postions on this.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1562501/
Quote paulrbeers: "Basically one core can do 3.6, then two cores something like 3.3 (there's actually a table somewhere that actually spells it out), then 3 cores maybe 2.9 and all for at 2.6."
So are you are saying all four cores can max out to 3.6 Ghz if the temp is ok? That seems to be different to what is said in this thread?
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