interesting finding about TURBO BOOST on lid-closed mode

most of the time i used my x201s on the dock, connected with an external 24" monitor and mice/keyboard.

because i smoke a lot, ash/dust makes thinkpad keyboard very durty, then i figured if i close the lid, the keyboard will be cleaner. (there's a power button on the dock, you don't have to open the lid to start up the computer)

then i found something weird:

if the computer works on the dock, lid closed, turbo boost is disabled automatically.



in order to prove it, i ran wPrime 32M test several times: the result is about 28 seconds. i tested it before, previous record is 24 sec (CPU core i7 640LM). because turbo boost is disabled, cpu cannot overlock itself dynamically.

then i open the lid, restart the computer and took another screenshot:



did another wPrime test, got the original score 24 sec.

i guess, lenovo designed it purposely, in order to prevent overheat. because the closed lid will prevent the heat coming out of the keyboard, overlock will generate extra heat.

interesting?

 

I smoke, but I NEVER, ever smoke in my room (where my computer is), and my door is always closed. Do you know that over time smoke can gum up the fans? It's just bad.

The reason why turbo boost is disabled is to help with heating. Believe it or not, with the lid closed, it can actually help heat build up on the inside, you'd be surprised how much heat can escape through the keyboard.

On a side note, I wish there was a way to manually disable turbo boost. I've never been comfortable with overclocking, even a processor that overclocks itself as a "feature" supported by the manufacturer.