[Windows] BOINC & AMD TurboCore

Message boards : Questions and problems : [Windows] BOINC & AMD TurboCore
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cfabw

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Joined: 10 Dec 14
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Message 58595 - Posted: 10 Dec 2014, 16:07:22 UTC

Hi there.

I'm currently running Windows 8.1 x64 and using BOINC 7.2.42 (current stable version of BOINC has a bug where it doesn't let me login to World Community Grid).

My CPU is AMD A10-5750m 2.5GHz (3.5GHz TurboCore).

The issue I'm seeing is when I run BOINC at 100% CPU time, TurboCore will be disabled and my CPU speeds won't go past 2.5GHz.

However if I have it set to use, say 60% for example, my CPU will be able to hit the 3.5GHz turbocore speeds.

60% CPU time is the highest I can run BOINC at before it starts affecting turbocore. I tried running at 70% and only got CPU speeds up to 2.9GHz and at 80% the max CPU speed I could get is 2.7GHz.

Is this a bug or is this supposed to happen intentionally?
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Profile Jord
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Message 58599 - Posted: 10 Dec 2014, 18:14:48 UTC - in response to Message 58595.  

Is this a bug or is this supposed to happen intentionally?

It isn't something that BOINC does, if that's what you're wondering about. Perhaps that it's a side effect of running work through BOINC, but essentially what turbo core does is frequency scale the CPU when work demands it. However, this adds loads of heat, thus if your cooling is inadequate, the CPU will also clock down again, which is what it seems is happening in your case.

Since your system seems to be a notebook, it's impossible to put a better aftermarket cooler on the CPU, which is what is advised all over the web for use of AMD Bulldozer CPUs and a form of overclocking. The other advice I read just about everywhere is to disable turbo core in the BIOS. It's more useless than useful, and if you want to overclock the CPU anyway, to do it manually through the multiplier in the BIOS.
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cfabw

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Message 58603 - Posted: 10 Dec 2014, 18:48:37 UTC - in response to Message 58599.  

Is this a bug or is this supposed to happen intentionally?

It isn't something that BOINC does, if that's what you're wondering about. Perhaps that it's a side effect of running work through BOINC, but essentially what turbo core does is frequency scale the CPU when work demands it. However, this adds loads of heat, thus if your cooling is inadequate, the CPU will also clock down again, which is what it seems is happening in your case.

Since your system seems to be a notebook, it's impossible to put a better aftermarket cooler on the CPU, which is what is advised all over the web for use of AMD Bulldozer CPUs and a form of overclocking. The other advice I read just about everywhere is to disable turbo core in the BIOS. It's more useless than useful, and if you want to overclock the CPU anyway, to do it manually through the multiplier in the BIOS.


It is an HP notebook. Heat isn't an issue, since my CPU normally sticks at 3.5GHz with turbocore while gaming and my temps never go above 50C (the max safe temp is far, far above 50C).

BOINC itself barely makes it even heat up at all, turning BOINC to 100% CPU time my temps are usually ~40C. I just don't understand why turbocore doesn't activate even WHEN the work calls for it.

BOINC at 100% CPU time appears to completely disable turbocore. Doing gaming while having BOINC run at that % and my CPU is still at 2.5GHz and won't go over, even though if I stop BOINC tasks or set it to 60% the turbocore will kick in again.
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Richard Haselgrove
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Message 58604 - Posted: 10 Dec 2014, 19:14:37 UTC - in response to Message 58603.  

Is this a bug or is this supposed to happen intentionally?

It isn't something that BOINC does, if that's what you're wondering about. Perhaps that it's a side effect of running work through BOINC, but essentially what turbo core does is frequency scale the CPU when work demands it. However, this adds loads of heat, thus if your cooling is inadequate, the CPU will also clock down again, which is what it seems is happening in your case.

Since your system seems to be a notebook, it's impossible to put a better aftermarket cooler on the CPU, which is what is advised all over the web for use of AMD Bulldozer CPUs and a form of overclocking. The other advice I read just about everywhere is to disable turbo core in the BIOS. It's more useless than useful, and if you want to overclock the CPU anyway, to do it manually through the multiplier in the BIOS.

It is an HP notebook. Heat isn't an issue, since my CPU normally sticks at 3.5GHz with turbocore while gaming and my temps never go above 50C (the max safe temp is far, far above 50C).

BOINC itself barely makes it even heat up at all, turning BOINC to 100% CPU time my temps are usually ~40C. I just don't understand why turbocore doesn't activate even WHEN the work calls for it.

BOINC at 100% CPU time appears to completely disable turbocore. Doing gaming while having BOINC run at that % and my CPU is still at 2.5GHz and won't go over, even though if I stop BOINC tasks or set it to 60% the turbocore will kick in again.

It might be a total power consumption restriction, rather than a temperature limitation. BOINC itself places very little demand on the CPU, but the science applications that BOINC manages will, if allowed, drive all possible CPU cores at full power. Running a CPU core at 3.5GHz instead of 2.5GHz will draw significantly more power, and the system designers may have deliberately prevented the battery and charging systems from being over-driven.

I'm not familiar with the AMD TurboCore specifications, but the equivalent Intel TurboBoost system allows the highest clock speed only when a single core is loaded: the maximum operating speed drops as loads are added to additional cores.
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Message boards : Questions and problems : [Windows] BOINC & AMD TurboCore

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