Centrino Duo CPU Speeds and Power Schemes

On my Dell e1405 w/ t2300e, when I check system information from My Computer, it lists some general system specs:

Dell Inspiron MXC061
Geniune Intel(R) CPU
T2300 @ 1.66GHz
981MHz, 504 MB of RAM

I've seen the second speed rating sometimes at 1.66 GHz, but mostly at 981 MHz, even when plugged in to the AC adapter. Are these speeds anyway related to the power scheme chosen?

I'm on the portable/laptop scheme. Does it automatically switch to Always On when I plug it in, and if it does, why isn't it always at 1.66/1.66. Or is it still auto adjusting CPU speed to usage, even though it doesn't matter when it's plugged in?

 

SpeedStep. When you don't need it, the processor cycles to a lower speed. Saves energy; it helps keep battery consumption at a reasonable level. When you run more intensive programs, it'll use more processor power as needed.

Even plugged in, you probably wouldn't want to be running your processor full bore unless you needed it. Power consumption aside, you'd probably have to be concerned with heat as well.

 

The power scheme you set in Windows isn't changed depending on whether it's plugged in or not (as far as I know).

And like said above, even when it's plugged in, power consumption and heat output still matters, so it might as well turn the speed down a bit.

As long as it can get to 1.66 GHz when needed (and since you've seen it at that rating a few times, it can), you shouldn't worry about it.

 

Cool thanks guys!