How to see current CPU clock speed on older MacBook Pro models

[Poki]

Since the Intel Power Gadget doesn't work on Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, is there any way to see the current speed the CPU in a mid 2009 MacBook Pro runs at?

I heard that Apple is supposed to slow down the CPU to 800 MHz when the battery status is "Service battery" I'd be interested to know if my machine is affected. It's obviously not fast (it's almost 9 years old after all), but if it was three times faster just by putting in a new battery this would certainly be interesting.

 

[Core 2 Duo]

Yes in Windows you can run CPU-Z and it will tell you everything you would like to know...

 

[cruisin]

you can get a benchmark tool (like GeekBench) and compare it against other machines. Don't know of another way (other than the mentioned Bootcamp option).

I believe it halves the frequency. For some reason every MacBook for a few years will use the battery for extra power (then throttle everything and let the battery catch up), as the adapter doesn't supply the full power needed. If you cover the middle pin of your charger with tape (pre-USB-C), it will give power but not change the battery. The battery percent will still go down if you are using lots of power (like high brightness, secondary GPU engaged, fans struggling to keep up).

 

[Poki]

Sorry for the late reply, MacRumors for some reason didn't notify me of your respones.

Just did a Geekbench 4 64 bit run and got 1760 / 2994 points (single / multi core), which is above average for my CPU. Seems like it's not throttled yet, so the kinda slow feeling OS probably is only due to the age of the chips. Having said that, I can still perfectly use this notebook, while my first gen iPad was pretty much useless just three years after release.

 

[Core 2 Duo]

My MacBook Pro 2,2 Intel Core 2 Duo is still very useable, Whenever I have problems with my desktop I use my MacBook Pro 2,2 as my desktop and run my LCD TV with the HDMI cable with a HDMI to DMI adapter and it can do everything I usually do with my desktop, Just not as much all at the same time...