AMD Cool N' Quiet - On or off?

[fustercluck]

My computer is pretty loud lately for some reason. The Cool 'N Quiet feature in the bios has been disabled for a long time. I can't remember why I disabled it...I can't remember if it was not wise to use while the CPU was overclocked or if it messes with the voltages to much. I don't remember why. Anyhow, I was thinking about turning it on again, why could this be a bad idea?

 

[f4phantom2500]

you want it off if you're overclocking or else it'll mess with that, i think it might even cause instability because of lowering the voltage. if you're running at stock, might as well leave it on unless you don't want it on for some reason. basically, the only reason i can think of to turn it off is if you're overclocking, and the only reason to turn it on is if you aren't overclocking.

 

[aka1nas]

You can sometimes successfully OC with C&Q on but it you need a board with an "Overvolt by x%" type option as you must keep the Vcore setting on stock for C&Q to work. It will still likely limit your max OC as your voltage tolerances will be a bit finer a that point and the voltage/clock changes might not be stable.

 

[fustercluck]

I'm not currently in the process of overclocking, it's been at 2.7 ghz for over a year. So it's overclocked, but I'm not trying to get it any higher or anything. It's at stock voltage.

 

[betasub]

CnQ drops the multiplier to 5x, and the Vcore to ~1.1V.

For your overclocked system (10x270), it's unlikely that 1350MHz (5x270) is stable at 1.1V (not saying it's not possible, but may cause freezes after booting to desktop).

CnQ tends to stay in the low power state until CPU usage hits >50%, before switching to high power/full speed. This can cause lag, especially in multi-core systems, where CPU can be distributed across the cores to keep it <50%.

 

[soydios]

CnQ should not be used with games. The changes in clockspeeds while the game is running might cause anti-hack software to not like you anymore.

 

[doggyfromplanetwoof]

Originally posted by: soydios
CnQ should not be used with games. The changes in clockspeeds while the game is running might cause anti-hack software to not like you anymore.

CnQ only lowers the cpu when it is not used. Much like nvidia's power saving features. The GPU speeds up when you need it. Slows down when you dont.