Pentium M CPU speed dropping blow what its supposed to

[Coolin]

I have a Dell Latitude X1 that has a 1.1ghz ULV Pentium M processor. The Speedstep on this processor is supposed to jump between 600mhz and 1100mhz by modifying the multiplier between 6x and 11x.

However, now I'm starting to get speeds such as 330mhz and 460mhz. The processor is not supposed to ever Speedstep to such a low speed. I checked with CPU-Z and it seems like the processor is dropping the FSB from 100mhz to random lower values such at 52mhz and such.

Does anyone know why the processor keeps dropping the FSB below what its supposed to? Technically the FSB should always stay at 100mhz and only the multiplier changes during Speedstep.

 

[vshah]

i believe it is an error in reporting. i used to use a program called speedswitchXP to lock mine to 600mhz (on a 1.2 ulv). every now and then, it would start reporting things like 99mhz. right click on my computer & check properties. it always used to report 600mhz there.

 

[Coolin]

Thanks for the reply.

However, I don't think it is a problem in reporting, since CPU-intensive tasks such as playing videos start lagging when the CPU reports 310-460mhz. They run fine when the CPU reports 600mhz. As a result, I believe there is actually a CPU speed decrease going on here somewhere. However, I just don't know why its doing it.

 

[vshah]

hmm odd. you should try speedswitchXP...it is a very useful app in any case. extends battery life when you need it and gives you power when you need it. try the "dynamic switching" setting

 

[roguerower]

NOOOOOOO!!!!!

I had this exact same problem. As we speak I am typing on my dell m70 that i just got back from the repair depot. I had a 2.0 Ghz cpu that get reading at 230mhz and i know it wasn't a misread b/c everything slowed down to a crawl.

I had to send it back into dell and they had to put in a new mobo. Hope you have insurance :frown:

 

[Coolin]

That's interesting to hear roguerower. Did the new mobo help?

And was your problem intermittent like mine? Mine stays at full speed 70% of the time, but it often drops down to slower speeds for extended periods of time.

I'm on my 2nd year of a three year warranty, so I'm wondering whether or not I should send it in.

 

[roguerower]

Mine is fixed now. When mine faltered it did it completely and didn't recover unless i shut down and let it sit for a while.

 

[fr]

I had a notebook that would throttle down to 200MHz when the CPU got too hot.