System Information Different Than Device Manager

[Matt]

Here's an odd issue I'm having with a Dell Inspiron 600m. The processor is supposed to be 1.4Ghz, which it what it shows in the Device Manager. However, under System Information, it shows the processor as ~598MHz. The reason I found this is because the computer is running extremely poorly (no theres no malware, its never been connected to the internet). When I saw what it said in system information is on the processor, I was very shocked. This would explain the poor behavior. But, it didn't make sense that this $2,000 laptop would have such a crappy processor.

Any thoughts? Does system information show what it is running at? If so, does that mean there's something wrong with the 1.4GHz processor that could be causing it to run at 598MHz?

Thanks,

Matt

[shanenin]

is it a pentium m? I think they will run at a lower clock speed if the processing power is not needed. I actually thought they throttled down to 600mhz.

Edited February 24, 2006 by shanenin

[Matt]

Yes, it is a Pentium M. But by the poor performance, shouldn't it "be needed"? Powerpoint alone can barely run. Is there a way to disable this "powering down" of the processor?

[shanenin]

something seems screwed up. you could try disabling this feature in the bios. I think it is called "Dynamic CPU Frequency Mode"

edit added later//

what is the laptop model?

Edited February 24, 2006 by shanenin

[Matt]

what is the laptop model?

Dell Inspiron 600m bought in late 2003

[shanenin]

I found quite a bit of info about toshiba laptops that got "stuck" at the lower frequency, nothing about yours specifically. It might be worth checking if their is a bios update that will solve the problem.

edit added later//

you may find some useful information here

http://www.bay-wolf.com/speedstep.htm

Edited February 24, 2006 by shanenin

[jcl]

SpeedSwitchXP, mentioned in SpeedStep page shanenin linked, works quite well. I use it to keep our laptop pinned at its minimum frequency most of the time.

[Matt]

something seems screwed up. you could try disabling this feature in the bios. I think it is called "Dynamic CPU Frequency Mode"

Thanks shanenin. I went into to BIOS last night to look around, and yes I saw that. I was going to come home today and see if it would help, but my step-dad had already called Dell and got the problem solved. He said they had him adjust the processor settings and the battery settings in the BIOS. I assuming this is something they did.

Thanks jcl for the link too

So I guess I can now say "problem resolved"

Matt

[xxkbxx]

something seems screwed up. you could try disabling this feature in the bios. I think it is called "Dynamic CPU Frequency Mode"

Thanks shanenin. I went into to BIOS last night to look around, and yes I saw that. I was going to come home today and see if it would help, but my step-dad had already called Dell and got the problem solved. He said they had him adjust the processor settings and the battery settings in the BIOS. I assuming this is something they did.

Thanks jcl for the link too

So I guess I can now say "problem resolved"

Matt

Dang it, I was going to tell you that! On a similar note, I was checking a Toshiba laptop today for the CPU settings and the damn BIOS and CMOS had no settings to alter other than time and date! Just because some stupid kids want to overclock their laptops, companies are forced to sissy-fy their features