[SOLVED] What does Intel Speed Shift do?

[techflame700]

So, I was poking around in my BIOS and I found the setting Intel Speed Shift Technology and was what it did and wether I should enable it. I noticed it was disabled by default. Thanks!

CPU: Intel i7 7700K
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z270XP SLI

 

[Darkbreeze]

Speed step and Speed shift are part of the power saving features of the Intel architecture. As explained below. Personally, I recommend leaving Speed step enabled (Even on overclocked systems) and leaving Speed shift disabled, because I've rarely seen Speed shift work correctly anyhow, but speed step is an integral part of the power and thermal management operations of the Intel processor architecture.

Speed Shift:

Intel Speed Shift technology also known as HWP (Hardware p-state) or Hardware Controlled Performance delivers quicker responsiveness with short duration performance shifts, by allowing the processor to more quickly select its best operating frequency and voltage for optimal performance and power efficiency.

Speed step:

What is Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology?
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology allows the system to dynamically adjust processor voltage and core frequency, decreasing average power consumption and heat production.

By decreasing power and heat on desktop PCs, system builders can potentially lower acoustics, depending on system configurations. They can also develop more innovative small form factor designs.

The feature also helps address power concerns in companies with sites approaching the limits of bounded electrical infrastructures. Combined with existing power-saving features, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology can provide balance between power production and consumption. It uses design strategies that include the following:

• Separation between voltage and frequency changes. Stepping voltage up and down in small increments separately from frequency changes allows the processor to reduce periods of system unavailability (which occur during frequency change). The system can transition between voltage and frequency states more often, providing improved power/performance balance.
• Clock partitioning and recovery. The bus clock continues running during state transition, when the core clock and phase-locked loop are stopped. Logic remains active. The core clock can also restart more quickly under Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology than under previous architectures.

Because Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology reduces the latency associated with changing the voltage/frequency pair (referred to as P-state), those transitions can be undertaken more often. More-granular, demand-based switching and optimization of the power/performance balance is enabled.

 

[techflame700]

Speed step and Speed shift are part of the power saving features of the Intel architecture. As explained below. Personally, I recommend leaving Speed step enabled (Even on overclocked systems) and leaving Speed shift disabled, because I've rarely seen Speed shift work correctly anyhow, but speed step is an integral part of the power and thermal management operations of the Intel processor architecture.

Speed Shift:

Intel Speed Shift technology also known as HWP (Hardware p-state) or Hardware Controlled Performance delivers quicker responsiveness with short duration performance shifts, by allowing the processor to more quickly select its best operating frequency and voltage for optimal performance and power efficiency.

Speed step:

What is Enhanced Intel Speedstep® Technology?
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology allows the system to dynamically adjust processor voltage and core frequency, decreasing average power consumption and heat production.

By decreasing power and heat on desktop PCs, system builders can potentially lower acoustics, depending on system configurations. They can also develop more innovative small form factor designs.

The feature also helps address power concerns in companies with sites approaching the limits of bounded electrical infrastructures. Combined with existing power-saving features, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology can provide balance between power production and consumption. It uses design strategies that include the following:

• Separation between voltage and frequency changes. Stepping voltage up and down in small increments separately from frequency changes allows the processor to reduce periods of system unavailability (which occur during frequency change). The system can transition between voltage and frequency states more often, providing improved power/performance balance.
• Clock partitioning and recovery. The bus clock continues running during state transition, when the core clock and phase-locked loop are stopped. Logic remains active. The core clock can also restart more quickly under Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology than under previous architectures.

Because Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology reduces the latency associated with changing the voltage/frequency pair (referred to as P-state), those transitions can be undertaken more often. More-granular, demand-based switching and optimization of the power/performance balance is enabled.

Thanks for your reply. Another thing I’ve found is Intel Platform Trust Technology which is also disabled by default. What does this settings do and should I enable it?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Leave it disabled.

Intel PTT is a platform functionality for credential storage and key management used by Windows 8* and Windows® 10. Intel PTT supports BitLocker* for hard drive encryption and supports all Microsoft requirements for firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) 2.0.

 

[techflame700]

Leave it disabled.

Intel PTT is a platform functionality for credential storage and key management used by Windows 8* and Windows® 10. Intel PTT supports BitLocker* for hard drive encryption and supports all Microsoft requirements for firmware Trusted Platform Module (fTPM) 2.0.

Thanks again for your reply. I have two questions left (last ones I promise lol). What does the Windows 8/10 setting do and what does Voltage Optimization do under the Advanced CPU Core Settings?

 

[Darkbreeze]

The Windows 8/10 setting should always be set to Windows 8/10 unless you are running some other older version of Windows or are running an entirely different OS such as some flavor of Linux. It is for setting some options that are not user changeable to ones that are fully UEFI compatble, rather than being a semi-UEFI or legacy configuration like Windows 7. Considering the platform you are running I would hope that you are running Windows 10, and not Windows 7.

Do you mean "Automatic voltage optimization"?

 

[techflame700]

The Windows 8/10 setting should always be set to Windows 8/10 unless you are running some other older version of Windows or are running an entirely different OS such as some flavor of Linux. It is for setting some options that are not user changeable to ones that are fully UEFI compatble, rather than being a semi-UEFI or legacy configuration like Windows 7. Considering the platform you are running I would hope that you are running Windows 10, and not Windows 7.

Do you mean "Automatic voltage optimization"?

The settings is called “Voltage Optimization” and it is located at MIT, Advanced Frequency Settings, Advanced CPU Core Settings.

I found an online PDF of the manual but it offers a very vague description of the setting.
https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_ga-z270xp-sli_e.pdf

Edit: Forgot to mention that I am running Windows 10 not Windows 7.

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you are running Windows 10 then it's normally advisable to have the OS Type set to Windows 8/10 unless you are running legacy hardware like a very old graphics card or other old PCI expansion card hardware.

I would leave the Voltage optimization disabled if it is currently disabled.

There is a brief outline of it as well in my overclocking guide in the section titled CPU voltage configuration.

CPU overclocking guide and tutorial for beginners

Covering the basics If you found your way here it's likely you are looking for help with basic overclocking. Either that or you're a long time overclocker interested in seeing whether I had any eye opening insights that you may have been lacking. Rest assured, I don't. This is only intended as...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[techflame700]

If you are running Windows 10 then it's normally advisable to have the OS Type set to Windows 8/10 unless you are running legacy hardware like a very old graphics card or other old PCI expansion card hardware.

I would leave the Voltage optimization disabled if it is currently disabled.

There is a brief outline of it as well in my overclocking guide in the section titled CPU voltage configuration.

CPU overclocking guide and tutorial for beginners

Covering the basics If you found your way here it's likely you are looking for help with basic overclocking. Either that or you're a long time overclocker interested in seeing whether I had any eye opening insights that you may have been lacking. Rest assured, I don't. This is only intended as...

forums.tomshardware.com

Thanks again for your answers!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Anytime.