In Intel’s CPU parameters, we often see the default frequency, core frequency, overclocking and other parameters. However, when it comes to Turbo, many small partners can easily confuse it with overclocking. So today, what is the meaning of Turbo under the popular science, the difference between Turbo and overclocking, Theencarta brings everyone together to raise knowledge.
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What does Turbo mean? The difference between Turbo and Overclocking
When it comes to Turbo, an inexhaustible word is overclocking. The overclocking English is called “Over Clock”. In short, it is a technical means to improve the main frequency of the chip by adjusting the hardware settings to obtain performance exceeding the rated frequency .
The term overclocking has been around since the “Pentium I” era, when a very small number of enthusiasts began a curiosity journey in pursuit of higher performance. However, in the unintentional, it has created a long-standing “overclocking” topic in the PC field, and has become an important indicator to consider the “physical” of computer processors.
However, overclocking needs to adjust various indicators, such as voltage, heat dissipation, FSB, power supply, BIOS, etc., the barrier to entry for players is still relatively high, but can not hold the pleasure of computer performance after overclocking, so there is still A large number of players rushed to the overclocking road.
CPU limit overclocking
It should be noted that at present, not all products of Intel processors support overclocking. Generally, only mid-to-high-end products with K-end support overclocking, such as i5 8600K, i7 8700K, etc., like Pentium, Celeron series entry processor is basically Overclocking is not supported.
In addition, support for overclocking CPU, but also with high-end motherboards to support overclocking, such as i5 8600K/i7 8700K must be equipped with Z370 high-end motherboards to support overclocking, with the general H310 and B360 motherboards can not overclock, the threshold is relatively high.
Core frequency overclocking
In view of the difficulty of overclocking for ordinary users, Intel officially released Turbo Boost for Volkswagen in 2008 without the need for overclocking.
Turbo and overclocking are very similar, they all increase the frequency, but there is still a fundamental difference between the two . Overclocking is a series of actions that artificially increase the frequency , including boosting the voltage. It usually exceeds the processor’s planning specifications and results in a significant increase in power consumption.
Core frequency relies on the intelligent autonomous processing of the processor , which automatically adjusts the frequency and voltage of the processor to improve performance according to the actual operation, while keeping the processor running within the limited power, current, voltage and temperature range. .
At present, in the Intel processor, in addition to the Celeron/Pentium entry series products generally do not support Turbo technology, the Core series processors generally support Turbo technology, such as i3 8100, i5 8400, etc., in addition to K support overclocking processor At the same time, support overclocking and Turbo technology.
For example, when you run a complicated program, the processor will automatically increase the running speed by 10%~20% to ensure the smooth running of the program. When the task is switched, if there is only memory and hard disk. In the main work, the processor will immediately be in a power-saving state. This not only ensures the effective use of energy, but also greatly increases the speed of the program, which is a two-pronged approach.
Turbo Boost Technology is the biggest player behind this. We know that the performance of a computer processor is related to frequency, IPC (number of instructions per cycle), and number of instructions. Improve the performance of the processor, either to increase the frequency, or to increase the IPC, or to reduce the number of instructions required to execute.
In terms of difficulty, reducing the number of instructions is the most complicated. To improve IPC performance, it is necessary to increase the processor core and improve the architecture. In comparison, the method of increasing the frequency is simpler and more effective.
However, increasing the frequency means increasing the power consumption, especially in the multi-core era. How to ensure the high efficiency of 4-8 cores, while improving the frequency, taking into account the performance, heat and power consumption of the processor, avoiding hitting the power wall. It is especially important, so the original fixed frequency mode is slightly out of date.
So when the Nehalem-based Core processor was released in 2008, Intel introduced the first generation of Turbo Boost acceleration technology, which dynamically adjusts the frequency of different processor cores through advanced algorithms. Its principle is to monitor the active core number, power consumption and temperature of the processor in real time, reduce the processor core that does not need to work to the energy saving state such as C0 and C1, and increase the empty power consumption space to the active core (ie, improve Frequency) for efficient operation.
This technology was a great success in the year, so on the 2011 Sandy Bridge processor, Intel introduced its upgraded Turbo Boost 2.0 acceleration technology. It considers more influencing factors in Turbo Boost, and more importantly, it adds a new frequency dynamic adjustment mechanism!
The processor and the core display share the power consumption. In some application scenarios (such as games), the acceleration requirement for the nuclear display is higher, so it is particularly important to increase the frequency of the nuclear display. Due to the excellent performance of Turbo Boost 2.0 acceleration technology, it has been used in the current eight-generation Core processor.
But in the face of enthusiast-class platforms, such as the Core X Series, higher acceleration frequencies are equally important. So in 2016, Intel introduced Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 for the enthusiast platform.
It can increase the processor’s single-threaded, multi-core performance by more than 15%. In Turbo 3.0 technology, Intel defines 1-2 of the best processor cores as the best performance cores, and then increases their frequency as much as possible to meet the application needs of more complex scenarios. Currently, the technology only supports the consumer X99 and X299 platforms on the hardware.
With Turbo Boost technology, you can make your computer run low-power and long-lasting in idle time (running light application), improve frequency and ensure smoothness in wartime (large-scale applications, games), intelligently handle scenes, and maximize The stability of the processor is guaranteed .
For example, the 8th generation Core i7-8750H with a rated frequency of 2.2GHz and a core frequency of 4.1GHz, for example, when you only use it to run Word documents, 2.2GHz is easy to win; but when you run a large game, it will Instantaneous Turbo frequency to 4.1GHz, with higher frequency to ensure the smoothness of the game, so “i7 will win” is very reasonable!
As Tubro Boost technology becomes more and more intelligent, the frequency of Turbo is getting higher and higher, and it is not necessary for ordinary consumers to toss overclocking. Choose an eight-generation Core PC with a high-frequency frequency blessing to balance performance and power consumption, and avoid the risk of rollover caused by forced overclocking.
Well, the difference between CPU core frequency and overclocking above is mainly for Intel processors. There are similar technologies for AMD processors. For example, AMD Ruilong series processors have default frequency, acceleration frequency, overclocking and other parameters. The acceleration frequency is also intelligently adjusted by dynamic frequency. The principle is similar to that of Turbo.