SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Technology Stocks : Advanced Micro Devices - Moderated (AMD)
AMD 207.48+2.1%11:00 AM EST
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  
To: andreas_wonisch who wrote (33251)3/24/2001 3:32:50 PM
From: fyodor_Read Replies (1) of 275872
 
Andreas: No, that's a misunderstanding of your part.

No, it isn't - at least not in the way you indicate ;). I'll explain why below...

There are indeed six different general performance levels but the automatic mode is one of them.

In PowerNow! mk1, there are 3 different basic modes of operation:
(http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/mobile/powernow.html)

- High-Performance Mode

- Battery Saver Mode

- Automatic Mode

In automatic mode, the core frequency is determined by the EBF (Effective Bus Frequency Divisor). For the K6-2+ there is a theoretical maximum of 8 such EBF values. I'm fairly sure that I've read that the K6-2+ only has 6 states in practice.

Now, all this is for the mk1 version of PowerNow! and I'll submit that many things can have changed for mk2, which is what is featured in the Palomino. However, if you look at how the CPU frequency is generated, 1MHz increments are NOT a practical possibility. There are two basic "knobs" you can turn - multiplier and FSB. If you don't want to change the actual FSB, you can implement an FSB+X. However, you still end up with a granularity > 1MHz, namely 1MHz * Multiplier. For a Palomino this would be on the order of 10MHz.

-fyo
Report TOU ViolationShare This Post
 Public ReplyPrvt ReplyMark as Last ReadFilePrevious 10Next 10PreviousNext  

HomeMailHotSubjectMarksPeopleMarksKeepersSettings
Terms Of UseContact UsCopyright/IP PolicyPrivacy PolicyAbout UsFAQAdvertise on SI
© 2026 Knight Sac Media.  Data provided by Twelve Data, Alpha Vantage, and CityFALCON News