# [SOLVED] AMD Turbo Core not working

## dolohow

Hello everobody!

I'm usign 3.4.9 kernel with .config:

http://wklej.org/hash/2b7f87af70b/txt/

and turbo core doesn't work on my AMD A6-3500 APU

In bios I switched to enable for turbo core support

and during compilation /proc/cpuinfo showing 2100 MHz and in turbo core mode should be 2400 MHzLast edited by dolohow on Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## Ant P.

Install cpufrequtils and run cpufreq-aperf. What does that print out under load?

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## arabcian

hello it is a problem with cpufreq boosting is internal and not shown by cpufreq information but it is working when needed

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## dewhite

 *Ant P. wrote:*   

> Install cpufrequtils and run cpufreq-aperf. What does that print out under load?

 

Having the same issue with a Phenom II X6 1045T (Thuban Core) that is showing in /proc/cpuinfo as being ~2700 MHz, when it should be running at ~3200MHz in Turbo Mode.

I have it loaded up with a handbrake transcode, and get:

```
black ~ # cat /proc/cpuinfo

processor   : 0

vendor_id   : AuthenticAMD

cpu family   : 16

model      : 10

model name   : AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1045T Processor

stepping   : 0

microcode   : 0x10000bf

cpu MHz      : 2706.035

cache size   : 512 KB

physical id   : 0

siblings   : 6

core id      : 0

cpu cores   : 6

apicid      : 0

initial apicid   : 0

fpu      : yes

fpu_exception   : yes

cpuid level   : 6

wp      : yes

flags      : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt pdpe1gb rdtscp lm 3dnowext 3dnow constant_tsc rep_good nopl nonstop_tsc extd_apicid aperfmperf pni monitor cx16 popcnt lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm extapic cr8_legacy abm sse4a misalignsse 3dnowprefetch osvw ibs skinit wdt cpb hw_pstate npt lbrv svm_lock nrip_save pausefilter

bogomips   : 5412.07

TLB size   : 1024 4K pages

clflush size   : 64

cache_alignment   : 64

address sizes   : 48 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management: ts ttp tm stc 100mhzsteps hwpstate cpb

```

Further, cpufreq-aperf doesn't seem to have anything useful to say:

```
black ~ # cpufreq-aperf

CPU   Average freq(KHz)   Time in C0   Time in Cx   C0 percentage

000   [offline]

001   [offline]

002   [offline]

003   [offline]

004   [offline]

005   [offline]

000   [offline]

001   [offline]

002   [offline]

003   [offline]

004   [offline]

005   [offline]

```

Any thoughts?  Do I have cpufreq misconfigured?

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## wcg

BIOS?

I have a Phenom II X4 965. /proc/cpuinfo is showing

```

cpu Mhz  : 3400.149

```

Just what it should be.

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## dewhite

 *wcg wrote:*   

> BIOS?
> 
> I have a Phenom II X4 965. /proc/cpuinfo is showing
> 
> ```
> ...

 

That stands to reason, as you do not have a turbo capable processor.  One would always expect for it to report 3.4 GHz, unless you were purposefully throttling it down...

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## wcg

So turbo mode is a bad thing? (Just kidding.)

What about the obvious? If you turn off all of the throttling/power-saving options

in BIOS, what do you get for Mhz?

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AMD-Phenom%20II%20X6%201045T%20-%20HDT45TWFK6DGR.html

Which is more likely to be controlling turbo mode,

the BIOS or the kernel? My bet would be on the BIOS.

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## dewhite

I wanted to check back in, and let any interested lurkers know that I got cpufreq-aperf working by configuring into my kernel:

```

Power management and ACPI options  --->

CPU Frequency scaling  --->

x86 CPU frequency scaling drivers  --->

<*> AMD Opteron/Athlon64 PowerNow!

```

After a recompile and reboot, cpufreq-aperf reports the following under no load (oddly a little more than 2.7 GHz expected):

```

CPU   Average freq(KHz)   Time in C0            Time in Cx           C0 percentage

000   2889000         00 sec 001 ms       00 sec 998 ms   00

001   2997000         00 sec 006 ms       00 sec 993 ms   00

002   3132000         00 sec 005 ms       00 sec 994 ms   00

003   2916000         00 sec 001 ms       00 sec 998 ms   00

004   2889000         00 sec 000 ms       00 sec 999 ms   00

005   2835000         00 sec 008 ms       00 sec 991 ms   00

```

And much closer to the standard 2.7 GHz under multi-threaded loading from a Handbrake transcode job:

```

CPU   Average freq(KHz)   Time in C0            Time in Cx                         C0 percentage

000   2673000         01 sec 001 ms       6832127434 sec 705 ms         100

001   2673000         01 sec 000 ms       6832127434 sec 706 ms         100

002   2673000         01 sec 000 ms       6832127434 sec 707 ms         100

003   2673000         01 sec 001 ms       6832127434 sec 706 ms         100

004   2673000         01 sec 000 ms       6832127434 sec 706 ms         100

005   2673000         01 sec 000 ms       6832127434 sec 707 ms         100

```

Still seem to be getting no benefit from Turbo mode.  *scratches head*

I did look through all of the available BIOS options, and turned on extended ACPI 2.0 tables, but not C1E support (if I understand, this is for throttling down, not up).  My understanding of AMD's Turbo mode, was that it should be controlled within the chip, without any need for special BIOS settings, or driver support?

Thoughts, questions, ideas, rants?

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## dewhite

I was looking over my previous post, and had a thought.  The link that was provided to cpu-world.com noted:  *Quote:*   

> Turbo frequency:  3200 MHz (3 cores or less)

 

So, maybe this explains why the cores are ranging from 2.7GHz to just under 3.2GHz at idle.  However, when all six cores are called to full load it flattens out to the base 2.7GHz.  Turbo mode is maybe working exactly as intended: ready to absorb a few single threaded shock loads here and there at increased speeds, but limiting itself to the stable base for sustained multi-threaded demand?

 :Very Happy:  That just makes too much sense...

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## BillWho

dolohow,

Unless I missed something here, with three cores and three threads I'm pretty sure CONFIG_NR_CPUS=3 should be '6'.

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## krinn

It's just called feature  :Smile: 

 *http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/173700,pc-building-intels-turbo-boost-vs-amds-turbo-core.aspx wrote:*   

> Turbo Core works by treating the hexa-core architecture as two tri-core blocks. If up to three cores are under load then the processors will clock the other three down to 800MHz and speed up the block of three that is being used. Like Intel the amount of extra performance is determined by the TDP of the processors.  Unlike Intel this isn't determined on the fly, rather the Turbo Core speed is set by processor model. For example, the top end Phenom II X6 1090T runs at 3.2GHz, but when Turbo Core is active it runs at 3.6GHz with the unused cores running at 800MHz.

 

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## dolohow

 *BillWho wrote:*   

> dolohow,
> 
> Unless I missed something here, with three cores and three threads I'm pretty sure CONFIG_NR_CPUS=3 should be '6'.

 

I have three cores and one thread on one core. I don't have any idea where you got that number. I also running gentoo on Q6600 and I have 4 in that particular option.

 *krinn wrote:*   

> It's just called feature 
> 
>  *http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/173700,pc-building-intels-turbo-boost-vs-amds-turbo-core.aspx wrote:*   Turbo Core works by treating the hexa-core architecture as two tri-core blocks. If up to three cores are under load then the processors will clock the other three down to 800MHz and speed up the block of three that is being used. Like Intel the amount of extra performance is determined by the TDP of the processors.  Unlike Intel this isn't determined on the fly, rather the Turbo Core speed is set by processor model. For example, the top end Phenom II X6 1090T runs at 3.2GHz, but when Turbo Core is active it runs at 3.6GHz with the unused cores running at 800MHz. 

 

Thanks you for this, now I see that when one core is fully load it's clocking up two cores and clocking down one core.

```
000     0945000                 00 sec 062 ms   00 sec 937 ms   06

001     0798000                 00 sec 047 ms   00 sec 952 ms   04

002     2394000                 01 sec 000 ms   8784163844 sec 623 ms   100
```

In parallel operation all three cores working on 2100 MHz.

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## NeddySeagoon

dolohow,

If you install lm-sensors, you can see Vcore being adjusted.

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