[SOLVED] AMD Athlon XP driver

[NicholasNCE]

Hello, I have installed Debian a few months ago and while I am very pleased with my computer overall performance, I have noticed that the processor(AMD Athlon XP) top frequency is 800 MHz, half the processor documented speed of 1,6GHz, what can I do about this?? I have searched the web for a AMD linux driver but I didn't find anything.

Any help is appreciated

[HROAdmin26]

There is no "CPU driver" to install.

What does cpuinfo show?

cat /proc/cpuinfo

Example results:

processor : 1
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 15
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @ 2.66GHz
stepping : 11
cpu MHz : 2000.000
cache size : 4096 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 2
core id : 1
cpu cores : 2
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 10
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm syscall nx lm constant_tsc pni monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 cx16 xtpr lahf_lm
bogomips : 5320.02
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:

Notice the current frequency shows 2GHz, because the CPU can change speeds based on load.

If you have it installed, you can check cpufreq-info:

system:/root # cpufreq-info
cpufrequtils 0.4: cpufreq-info (C) Dominik Brodowski 2004
Report errors and bugs to linux@brodo.de, please.
analyzing CPU 0:
driver: centrino
CPUs which need to switch frequency at the same time: 0
hardware limits: 2.00 GHz - 2.67 GHz
available frequency steps: 2.67 GHz, 2.33 GHz, 2.00 GHz
available cpufreq governors: ondemand, userspace, powersave, performance
current policy: frequency should be within 2.00 GHz and 2.67 GHz.
The governor "ondemand" may decide which speed to use
within this range.
current CPU frequency is 2.00 GHz (asserted by call to hardware).
analyzing CPU 1:
driver: centrino
CPUs which need to switch frequency at the same time: 1
hardware limits: 2.00 GHz - 2.67 GHz
available frequency steps: 2.67 GHz, 2.33 GHz, 2.00 GHz
available cpufreq governors: ondemand, userspace, powersave, performance
current policy: frequency should be within 2.00 GHz and 2.67 GHz.
The governor "ondemand" may decide which speed to use
within this range.
current CPU frequency is 2.00 GHz (asserted by call to hardware).

[i92guboj]

Hello, I have installed Debian a few months ago and while I am very pleased with my computer overall performance, I have noticed that the processor(AMD Athlon XP) top frequency is 800 MHz, half the processor documented speed of 1,6GHz, what can I do about this?? I have searched the web for a AMD linux driver but I didn't find anything.

Any help is appreciated

First of all, as someone said, there's no such thing as a cpu driver.

Also, note that Athlon XP 1600+ doesn't mean that the cpu works at 1600 mhz (if my memory serves I think it should do around 1400 or so).

Anyway, that's not the problem.

How are you measuring the frequency in first place?

[NicholasNCE]

This is the result of

cat /proc/cpuinfo

nicholas@Nicholas:~$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : AuthenticAMD
cpu family : 15
model : 8
model name : AMD Athlon(tm) XP Processor 3000+
stepping : 2
cpu MHz : 797.954
cache size : 256 KB
fdiv_bug : no
hlt_bug : no
f00f_bug : no
coma_bug : no
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 1
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 syscall nx mmxext 3dnowext 3dnow ts fid vid ttp
bogomips : 1597.02

This is the result of

 cpufreq-info

nicholas@Nicholas:~$ cpufreq-info
cpufrequtils 002: cpufreq-info (C) Dominik Brodowski 2004-2006
Report errors and bugs to linux@brodo.de, please.
analyzing CPU 0:
no or unknown cpufreq driver is active on this CPU

Thank you very much for your help up to now

[HROAdmin26]

That looks completely whacked to me...Everything I see says that the Athlon XP 3000 is a 2.167GHz proc and has 512K L2 cache.

Your listing shows 256K cache.

I can see the clock speed being thrown off by power supply issues or incorrect motherboard jumpers/settings/voltages (like this), but I'm not sure how you'd lose half the L2 cache.

AMD's docs show the highest rated XP with 256K cache was the 2400.

You can look into your motherboard jumpers/settings/voltages, but the info you're getting on your CPU doesn't look consistent. It may simply be a failing component.

[i92guboj]

That looks completely whacked to me...Everything I see says that the Athlon XP 3000 is a 2.167GHz proc and has 512K L2 cache.

Your listing shows 256K cache.

According to the relevant technical doc, this info is correct.

See here:

AMD Athlon XP Tech Docs

Pick the link that says:

AMD Athlon™ XP Processor Model 8 Data Sheet

Model 8 is the correct one just like the info of his /proc/cpuinfo tells us. According to that pdf:

T h e A M D A t h l o n X P p r o c e s s o r m o d e l 8 f e a t u re s a
seventh-generation microarchitecture with an integrated,
exclusive L2 cache, which supports the growing processor and
system bandwidth requirements of emerging software,
graphics, I/O, and memory technologies. The high-speed
execution core of the AMD Athlon XP processor model 8
includes multiple x86 instruction decoders, a dual-ported
128-Kbyte split level-one (L1) cache, an exclusive 256-Kbyte L2
cache, three independent integer pipelines, three address
calculation pipelines, and a superscalar, fully pipelined,
out-of-order, three-way floating-point engine. The floating-point
engine is capable of delivering outstanding performance on
numerically complex applications.

So, the 256k l2 cache is correct. The theoretical speed range is ok as well. The only problem is why has been that speed crushed in such a way. Maybe the problem is the bus and not the cpu itself. Maybe it's power related (either a software or hardware issue). I don't really know what to think.

[HROAdmin26]

Take a look at page 22 and 23 of the Model 8 doc - you'll see there is no XP 3000 part. It stops at the XP 2600.

Other CPU "review" sites mentioned that the XP 3000 debuted with 512K cache. If the CPU was released with 512K cache, I wouldn't expect a later *gimped* version of it to still be called an XP 3000 if it has 256K cache (not saying it couldn't happen.)

Regardless, I don't see anything in the Model 8 doc that covers this CPU. I also just searched the Model 8 doc for "3000" and got no hit. Please enlighten me as to where the doc mentions the XP 3000 proc.

Edit: One sure way to identify the CPU is to pull the heatsink off and read the serial/stepping info. Also - is this a laptop? It could be a one-off/gimped build sold to OEM's.

Yep, looks like a mobile chip - this is the only 3000 with 256K cache and was renamed to the Mobile Sempron. And the proc speed is 1.6GHz. While cpufreq-info isn't showing it, I'd say it's likely the CPU is speeding up/slowing down as needed.

[i92guboj]

Take a look at page 22 and 23 of the Model 8 doc - you'll see there is no XP 3000 part. It stops at the XP 2600.

Maybe. But as far as I see it it's the model and stepping which counts.

Other CPU "review" sites mentioned that the XP 3000 debuted with 512K cache. If the CPU was released with 512K cache, I wouldn't expect a later *gimped* version of it to still be called an XP 3000 if it has 256K cache (not saying it couldn't happen.)

Each model has lots of speed ranges. Maybe of them overlaps, that's nothing that should serve you as a guide. Only the model and stepping are clear marks of WHAT exact processor do you have.

Regardless, I don't see anything in the Model 8 doc that covers this CPU. I also just searched the Model 8 doc for "3000" and got no hit. Please enlighten me as to where the doc mentions the XP 3000 proc.

Erm.... Sorry, but the fact that this cpu is model 8, and that doc is for model 8 is enough. At least for me.

Edit: One sure way to identify the CPU is to pull the heatsink off and read the serial/stepping info. Also - is this a laptop? It could be a one-off/gimped build sold to OEM's.

The model and stepping info can be read on cpuinfo as well.

This is the way I see it. I am not here to argue as it would be pointless anyway. But, as I said, this is a model 8, and that was the only manual for model 8, so I think that the manual matches the cpu, even if the latest speed ranges have not been included there.

[HROAdmin26]

Sorry, the "Model 8" PDF is not this CPU. I didn't post the AMD docs without reading them. As an EE, I used to write and read these docs. AMD doesn't "forget" to update their tech docs when they release a new CPU. I am sure if we dig up the XP-M or Sempron Mobile tech docs, we'll find the exact specs.

What is annoying is that AMD's PR machine labeled these as Athlon XP-M (AKA Mobile Sempron), but the underlying "core identifier" just references "Athlon XP." It's the only "3000" series with 256K cache and the freq rating matches at 1600. The fact that the CPU is scaled way back to 800MHz for mobile use also makes sense, as a desktop CPU (from 4-5 years ago) wouldn't freq scale at all, let alone going from 2.167Ghz => 800 MHz (2.167 being the desktop XP 3000 speed.) My point simply being that none of the CPU's listed in the model 8 doc match the characteristics/properties of this chip.

But, once the XP-M is taken into account, the CPU frequency and scaling matches up and the 800MHz being seen *makes sense.*

As is commonly done, you have the same "core" changed/reworked for another purpose. In this case, a mobile chip with a *much* higher FSB (333 vs 800MHz Hypertransport) vs. the earlier version (different voltages, pinout, etc.)

[NicholasNCE]

Edit: One sure way to identify the CPU is to pull the heatsink off and read the serial/stepping info. Also - is this a laptop? It could be a one-off/gimped build sold to OEM's.

Yep, looks like a mobile chip - this is the only 3000 with 256K cache and was renamed to the Mobile Sempron. And the proc speed is 1.6GHz. While cpufreq-info isn't showing it, I'd say it's likely the CPU is speeding up/slowing down as needed.

you are right, it is a laptop: Compaq Presario R3304EA, however I ran Windows on it for 4 years with no problem and the processor frequency was then of 1.6GHz. I will open it up a take a look at the processor's references.

Thank-you again for your help.