CPU scaling nonexistent with Inspiron 5150

[Samuel Kaufman]

Thanks for the help, but... I'm sure that my CPU _does_ support CPU scaling.

2005/6/3, James Wilkinson <ubuntu at westexe.demon.co.uk>:
> Samuel Kaufman wrote:
> > When powernowd starts, I get the following...
> >
> > emrys at cloudy:/sys/devices/system/cpu$ sudo /etc/init.d/powernowd start
> > Password:
> > This processor "Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz" is known
> > _not_ to support power-saving.
> >   * Starting powernowd...
> >   * CPU frequency scaling not supported                                   [ ok ]
> >
> > That's not good. CPU scaling should be supported. According to
> > http://www.finnie.org/linux-dell-5150/, it's supported with the 2.4
> > kernel in Gentoo. (Though he doesn't specify which Gentoo kernel he
> > uses.)
> 
> CPU scaling needs to be supported both in hardware and in software. Not
> all CPUs can scale -- ever, under any OS.
> 
> CPU scaling is supported in software, and it seems to work very well on
> my (desktop) Athlon 64 3200+. The error message you get says that your
> *hardware* won't do power saving.
> 
> Incidentally, your processor is not an ideal laptop processor. It's
> *very* power hungry, needs a big heatsink, and should only be used in
> "desktop replacement" luggable laptops: ones that aren't sold as being
> very portable, nor good at remaining away from a power socket for a long
> time. On the other hand, you should have got a lot of CPU power for the
> price: the alternative would have been a fast Pentium M which I imagine
> would have been considerably more expensive.
> 
> Buying laptops is a trade-off: not just performance and price, like on a
> desktop, but weight, portability, screen size, and battery life. I'm
> afraid it sounds as though you've got one that *isn't* particularly good
> for intercontinental flights.
> 
> Sorry.
> 
> James.
> 
> --
> E-mail address: james | Beneath this stone lies Murphy,
> @westexe.demon.co.uk  | They buried him today,
>                       | He lived the life of Riley,
>                       | While Riley was away.
> 
> --
> ubuntu-users mailing list
> ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
>