Intel points to one maximum frequency of 5.3 GHz which can be achieved by the model Core i9-10980HK through the Intel Thermal Velocity Boost technology. This is a remarkable result, especially considering that this processor operates with a base clock frequency of 2.4 GHz.
How is it possible increase the clock frequency of a processor more than double, albeit for a short period of time, in consideration of the small size of a notebook and the thermal limits that characterize it? To answer this question there is only one place where you can find information: the Intel site, and in particular the technical documentation supporting the processors that the company makes available.
In that specific for the tenth generation Core processors, updated in recent days, we also find information on the new CPUs of the H family intended for the most powerful notebooks. Intel Thermal Velocity Boost technology is reported, but the actual operating principle is not explained in detail. In the documentation we find instead indication of parameters PL1, PL2 and TAU that we have already had the opportunity to analyze referring to Intel desktop processors and which govern the operating principle of Turbo Boost technology.
Intel indicates with the abbreviation PL1 (Power Limit 1) the state of the processor that operates at full load, remaining within its TDP value: in the case of the 10th generation Core CPUs of the H family, this value is equal to 45 Watts. PL2 (Power Limit 2) it is instead the state for which the processor goes, at the beginning of the processing, beyond the indicated TDP value allowing the motherboard to additionally power the CPU so that it can operate stably at a higher clock frequency. The extent of this deviation from the processor’s TDP depends on the value set in the BIOS by the motherboard manufacturer: it is in fact a parameter that is controlled by microcode and can be modified. The TAU, Turbo Time Parameter, on the other hand, indicates the maximum duration of the state of PL2 in which the processor operates beyond the value of TDP.
For the Intel H series processors in versions with 8 cores, integrated GT2 and TDP graphics of 45 Watts, Intel reports a PL1 value equal to 45 Watts, one of PL2 which is 25% higher than that of PL1 (therefore just over 56 Watts) it’s a TAU which by default is 1 second but can vary from 0.01 to 448 seconds depending on the settings chosen by the system manufacturer. The Intel’s recommended value is 56 seconds, with the note that if the notebook’s design cannot support this setting then a 28 second TAU must be set.
However, Intel mentions two other very interesting parameters, referred to as PL3 (Power Limit 3) and PL4 (Power Limit 4): these are higher consumption values in Watts, to which the processor can be brought to further increase the clock frequency. These two default parameters are disabledtherefore, system manufacturers are not required to configure them in order to develop their own system. Their presence, however, suggests that they are of some use.
The operating scheme provided by Intel clearly suggests two things: PL3 and PL4 allow to select peak values for processor consumption higher than PL2, for periods of time that are smaller but that are not specified in detail. In particular for PL4 the documentation indicates the possibility that the power can reach this peak for a period of up to 10 milliseconds.
In the datasheets made available by Intel there is no specific indication of which parameters influence the Thermal Velocity Boost technology, and therefore allow to enable clock frequencies up to 5.3 GHz. We know that to exploit it it is essential that the notebook meets specific requirements related to the cooling system adopted: not all H series processors compatible with this technology can therefore implement it, but only those installed in specific notebooks.
We believe that the PL3 and PL4 parameters are the ones that manage everything that happens in terms of CPU clock frequency beyond the value defined by Turbo Boost 2.0 technology. What is certain is that, if reached, such a high clock frequency is maintained for a very limited period of time: it seems more to mean to be able to obtain a frequency so high that a functionality actually useful as it is exploited for a sufficiently adequate period of time.
But the same could be said of the all core clock frequency, that is the maximum value permanently maintained by the CPU with all the cores exploited at 100% of their potential. This value corresponds to what the system can permanently maintain in PL2 mode, therefore with TDP which according to Intel settings is equal to 56 Watts, for the time frame defined by the TAU value: once that time is reached, the frequency will drop further stabilizing, in how much is passed to the power constraint defined by the PL1 value therefore equal to the processor TDP (45 Watt).
To this analysis we must also add theinfluence generated by Platform Power Control: Intel in fact can monitor, thanks to the collaboration of notebook manufacturers, what is the power dissipated not only by the processor but also by the platform as a whole. In this way, if available, it can be used of the thermal dissipation basin that the system makes available, for example because it is particularly oversized in its own cooling system. This can partially affect the behavior of the CPU, making a high clock rate available for a longer period of time (but we don’t know how much).
Finally, the Configurable TDP technology allows you to increase the processor’s TDP value from the default 45 Watt to 65 Watt: this must obviously take place with an adequate sizing of the processor cooling system, called to dispose of the higher heat given by both the 65 Watt TDP and the higher power value supplied by the CPU in PL2 mode.
In conclusion, understanding what the actual frequency at which these processors operate when exploited to their full potential is not easy, as there are many parameters involved. Intel indicates what is the maximum limit, without defining precisely in its documentation how and for how long this value can be maintained. Much then depends on the choices of notebook manufacturers, not only in terms of cooling systems implemented but also how they will select the parameters of the processors at the BIOS level.
Precisely for this reason it will be very interesting to study the thermal behavior of the new notebooks based on Intel Core processors of the tenth generation of the H family, certainly very powerful on paper but which seem to be decidedly hungry as regards the power they require to be exploited to their maximum capacity. theoretical. And it is for this reason, for example, that in the notebook tests that we carry out in the editorial office we go to monitor CPU temperature and its clock frequency, highlighting how the latter always drops to values very close to those of the base clock when all are used cores available 100%.
