I5-3570K Core Speed with CPUZ and RealTemp?

[fizzle22]

I've recently upgraded to an i5-3570K and an ASRock Z77 Extreme4 mobo (Windows 7 64bit), other system specs in my signature. I have it clocked at 4.0GHz with a simple CPU ratio change (BCLK untouched at 100).

My conundrum is as follows. I am using both CPU-Z v1.60 and RealTemp v3.70 for monitoring purposes, however I am getting drastically different readouts in terms of core speed. As I am typing this CPU-Z reports my speed is at about 1.617GHz with very minor fluctuations while RealTemp ranges from 3GHz to 3.6GHz. When under load both programs report speeds of 4GHz.

If I had to pick I would trust CPU-Z over RealTemp, but why the drastic difference between the two and which one is correct? Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

RealTemp is just updating more often and CPU-Z is actually pretty slow at updating. Totally normal. If the load on the CPU stays high enough for long enough, CPU-Z catches up because it finally updates.

 

[unclewebb]

CPU-Z is designed for MHz validation purposes. When a CPU is lightly loaded, it sacrifices accuracy for consistency.

RealTemp follows the Intel recommended monitoring method as outlined in their November 2008 Turbo White Paper. CPU-Z does not.

If you go into the Control Panel Power Options and set your Minimum processor state to a low number like 5% you might see the real multiplier start to drop. Also try turning off the various C states in the bios like C3-C6. If RealTemp is telling you that your multiplier is not steady at 16 then I guarantee you that it is not.

It has nothing to do with the update speed. It only has to do with doing things correctly, or not.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

CPU-Z is designed for MHz validation purposes. When a CPU is lightly loaded, it sacrifices accuracy for consistency.

RealTemp follows the Intel recommended monitoring method as outlined in their November 2008 Turbo White Paper. CPU-Z does not.

If you go into the Control Panel Power Options and set your Minimum processor state to a low number like 5% you might see the real multiplier start to drop. Also try turning off the various C states in the bios. If RealTemp is telling you that your multiplier is not steady at 16 then I guarantee you that it is not.

It has nothing to do with the update speed. It only has to do with doing things correctly, or not.

Did you really NEED to make it THAT technical? lol Whether update speed has anything to do with it or not, it might as well be because it has that same effect. It seems to update slower, so therefore it basically DOES, no matter the actual reasoning behind it.

 

[fizzle22]

CPU-Z is designed for MHz validation purposes. When a CPU is lightly loaded, it sacrifices accuracy for consistency.

RealTemp follows the Intel recommended monitoring method as outlined in their November 2008 Turbo White Paper. CPU-Z does not.

If you go into the Control Panel Power Options and set your Minimum processor state to a low number like 5% you might see the real multiplier start to drop. Also try turning off the various C states in the bios like C3-C6. If RealTemp is telling you that your multiplier is not steady at 16 then I guarantee you that it is not.

It has nothing to do with the update speed. It only has to do with doing things correctly, or not.

I have tried disabling all C states and it made my speed stay at 4.0GHz so I enabled them again. The mobo manual does not explain what these functions do, I have only read or been told to disable them when OCing.

Just went into the Control Panel Power Options and noticed ASRock Extreme Utility Tuner as the selected power plan. My previous mobo was a Gigabyte z68 which featured a similar Windows tuner (EasyTune 6) but it didn't have it's own power plan. Changing to the Balanced power plan resulted in an an immediate drop to 1.6GHz.

Problem solved I guess. I will try to disable C states again and see what happens. Thanks guys!

 

[unclewebb]

If you are interested in saving power then by all means keep the C States enabled. I just wanted you to be able to figure out that what RealTemp was telling you is accurate. CPU-Z has decided to fudge the data when a CPU is lightly loaded which only confuses users.

It's not that CPU-Z updates slower, it simply doesn't update at all.

 

[fizzle22]

Best answer selected by fizzle22.

 

[Geekoid]

I just stumbled into this thread, but the Use of C states specifically ideals down the processor. So how is CPU-Z in accurate? those readings reported by CPU-Z is exactly what they should be with C states enabled.

I have never used the other program, but what it is reporting sounds like it just reporting the maximum GHz regardless of actual current GHz.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/intelligent-systems/piketon/core-i7-800-i5-700-desktop-datasheet-vol-1.html?wapkw=i5+enhanced+halt+mode

"Frequency and core voltage based on workload. Each frequency and voltage operating point is defined by ACPI as a P-state. When the processor is not executing code, it is idle. A low-power idle state is defined by ACPI as a C-state. In general, lower power C-states have longer entry and exit latencies"

Also, different thread in the CPU can ask for different C-States so yeah, it can fluxuate some. If you don't understand C-States, and do not have a very specific reason for turning them off, leave them on. the i series responds to demand extremely well and extremely fast.