Processor Speed Query

I'm hoping that somebody can clear up something for me. When I built my M17x r4 on the Alienware website, I chose the I7 3720QM processor which is described on the site as having a speed of up to 3.6ghz w/turbo boost.

When i check my processor in Alien Autopsy it says I've got the I7 3720QM but gives the speed as 2.6ghz.

I'd be really grateful if somebody could clear up this apparent inconsistency for me please?

Thanks very much.

 

You will only get 3.6ghz with apps that use a single core.

John.

 

Thanks for the reply. So at least I know I've got the right processor then. Is the 'turbo boost' to 3.6 automatic on single core use apps? Or does it need a change of settings?

 

should be automatic

 

Yep, it's automatic.

1 core - 3.6Ghz
2 cores - 3.5Ghz
3 or 4 cores - 3.4Ghz

When idle, it clocks down to save power and dissipate heat.

 

That's great thanks. So just out of interest, why in that case does the hardware description of the processor in the system details say it's 2.6Ghz?

 

I think that's the base clock that it sits idle at?

 

b/c that's how fast the processor runs WITHOUT turboboost

WITH turboboost up to 3.6 just as advertised

there's a setting in bios to enable/disable turboboost

 

If you desire more CPU power, the i7-3720QM can be slightly overclocked. In BIOS, there's a page called performance options or similar, where you can enable "extreme edition" (works with this processor as well). You can then set the multiplier to a maximum of 40/39/38/38 (single, dual, multicore load). If thermals and power draw allow, the processor will thus clock to a maximum of 4.0 GHz instead of 3.6 GHz. Base freq remains unchanged, though. However, even when running a stress test like Prime95 or similar, it will clock to at least 3.4-3.5 GHz. This is a pretty speedy one, after all.