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Running Suse 10 on an AMD Athlon 1GHz / Abit Kv8.
This box is mostly used as a file server and is idle 70% of the time.
Runlevel 3 only.
I'd like to throttle down the CPU freq when it's idle. Unfortunately the CPU doesn't seem to support Powernow. What are the alternatives?
Here's what I get in dmesg:
Code:
powernow: No powernow capabilities detected
Note that I had to force cpufreq to use the powernow-k7 module as it defaulted to powernow-k8 otherwise. So in /etc/sysconfig/powersave/cpufreq I now have:
Code:
CPUFREQD_MODULE="powernow-k7"
(if I leave it empty I get a "kernel: powernow-k8: Processor cpuid 642 not supported", but my CPU is a K7).
Code:
# more /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : AuthenticAMD
cpu family : 6
model : 4
model name : AMD Athlon(tm) processor
stepping : 2
cpu MHz : 1015.686
cache size : 256 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 1
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr syscall mmxext 3dnowext 3dnow
bogomips : 2033.47
it might be that you don't have ACPI, or the powernow-K7 loaded in your kernel. Look at modconf, that will give you a meu list of all the modules in your kernel(I'm assuming you are using a stock kernel, from your distro)
Originally posted by Electro You can use mobile processor or Sempron in place with your processor.
Electro: thanks for the reply. I'm afraid I'm a little slow and not quite following what you are suggesting. Do you suggest I declare my CPU as a Sempron in my config? If so, would you be kind enough to point me to the files I need to modify to do so?
Quote:
Originally posted by Electro Abit does not have any models that states KV8 for K7 processors. They have KV7.
Good catch! Fat finger. Indeed, my MOBO is a KV7 - not a KV8. It's a socket A, VIA KT600.
Yes, the errors in dmesg are what make me thing that it's acpi. Modconf will list all the modules installed and not installed, I believe lsmod only list those that are installed
Originally posted by demoman Electro: thanks for the reply. I'm afraid I'm a little slow and not quite following what you are suggesting. Do you suggest I declare my CPU as a Sempron in my config? If so, would you be kind enough to point me to the files I need to modify to do so?
I mean is physically take out the processor and use either a mobile processor or Sempron processor. If you want me to simplify it even more, buy a new processor.
Originally posted by Electro I mean is physically take out the processor and use either a mobile processor or Sempron processor. If you want me to simplify it even more, buy a new processor.
Duh. Buying a new processor?! Hmm. This whole server is made up of old parts. No plan to buy anything. If I can't get powersave to work I'll just let this CPU runs full-speed until it dies. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Originally posted by microsoft/linux why does he need a new CPU? Is there something about the 1Ghz athlons that they don't support CPU frequency stepping?
That's exactly what I am wondering. This is what the powernow messages seem to indicate. I googled and went to the AMD website but couldn't find any relevant information as to whether this CPU does or not support PowerNow!.
I didn't see anything on the AMD website to suggest that it supports PowerNow!. I know my Athlon XP-M supports it, and is also the K7 chipset. I thought the Athlon series had PowerNow!.
Rezzie - thank you very much. This looks like I needed. My reading of all this is that my Athlon Thunderbird doesn't support PowerNow! and that what you suggest is the only alternative. I'll update the thread once I get around following this how-to.
Originally posted by microsoft/linux I didn't see anything on the AMD website to suggest that it supports PowerNow!. I know my Athlon XP-M supports it, and is also the K7 chipset. I thought the Athlon series had PowerNow!.
Thanks for checking M/L. If anyone has a definite URL for checking what CPU supports PowerNow, please post it.
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