CPU Frequency Monitor Question

[justin williams]

Hi I have a question about the CPU Frequency Monitor that is an add-on 
for the gnome panel. I slowly trying out the different features of the 
new gnome desktop, and added this feature to my panel. I'm a little 
confused however about the reading I'm getting from it.

First let me say that I have a Dell Latitude D600 Laptop (ubuntu btw is 
the only version of Linux to install with no major trouble or loss of 
something important like sound, video, wireless, etc. and I've tried 
pretty much every major distro multiple times since I purchased this 
dell in May) with an Intel Pentium M 1400 MHz processor (it actually 
listed at 1395.646 in the Device Manager, but I don't think that makes a 
different). 

My problem is that the CPU Frequency Monitor is showing 600MHz most of 
the time, only changing when I'm opening a new program up to rated 1.40 
GHz, than it drops in this order, with exactly a 2 seconds between each 
step. (Yes I actually did time it)

1.40 GHz, 1.20 GHz, 1GHz, 800 MHz, and back finally to 600MHz where it 
will stay until I open a new program.

Anyone have an idea as to why it is doing this...or what it means actually?

Thanks in advance for any help someone can supply.

Namo Dharma,
Justin Williams