AMD Turbo Core a.k.a. AMD Core Performance Boost (CPB) is a
dynamic frequency scaling
Dynamic frequency scaling (also known as CPU throttling) is a power management technique in computer architecture whereby the frequency of a microprocessor can be automatically adjusted "on the fly" depending on the actual needs, to conserve ...
technology implemented by
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufactur ...
that allows the processor to dynamically adjust and control the processor
operating frequency in certain versions of its
processors
A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, ...
which allows for increased performance when needed while maintaining lower power and thermal parameters during normal operation.
AMD Turbo Core technology has been implemented beginning with the
Phenom II X6 microprocessors based on the AMD K10 microarchitecture.
AMD Turbo Core is available with some AMD A-Series
accelerated processing units.
AMD Turbo Core is similar to
Intel Turbo Boost
Intel Turbo Boost is Intel's trade name for central processing units (CPUs) dynamic frequency scaling feature that automatically raises certain versions of its operating frequency when demanding tasks are running, thus enabling a higher resulting ...
, which is another dynamic processor frequency adjustment technology used to increase performance, as well as
AMD PowerNow!, which is used to dynamically adjust laptop processor's operating frequencies in order to decrease power consumption (saving battery life), reduce heat, and lower noise. AMD PowerNow! is used to ''decrease'' processor frequency, whereas AMD Turbo Core is used to ''increase'' processor frequency.
Background
To decide a processor's clock speed, the processor is stress tested to determine the maximum speed that the processor can run at before the maximum amount of power allowed is reached, which is called
thermal design power
The thermal design power (TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, is the maximum amount of heat generated by a computer chip or component (often a CPU, GPU or system on a chip) that the cooling system in a computer is designed to dissipate ...
or TDP. It has been reported that customers would complain that the processors rarely consumed the rated TDP, which meant that most consumers do not come close to the power consumed during maximum stress testing.
A parameter called
average CPU power
The thermal design power (TDP), sometimes called thermal design point, is the maximum amount of heat generated by a computer chip or component (often a CPU, GPU or system on a chip) that the cooling system in a computer is designed to dissipat ...
(ACP) is used to address this issue. ACP defines the average power expected to be consumed with regular use, whereas TDP gives the maximum power consumed. Power consumed is an important factor when considering thermal limits and determining
CPU power dissipation Processor power dissipation or processing unit power dissipation is the process in which computer processors consume electrical energy, and dissipate this energy in the form of heat due to the resistance in the electronic circuits.
Power manag ...
.
AMD Turbo Core and similar dynamic processor frequency adjustment technologies take advantage of average power consumed being less than the maximum design limits, allowing frequency (and the accompanying power and heat) to be increased for short periods of time without exceeding design limits.
Features
Advantages of AMD Turbo Core include:
* Up to 900 MHz of additional clock speed available with all cores active, meaning all cores can boost at the same time.
* Potentially even higher boost states available with half of the cores active, since fewer active cores require less power and generate less heat.
* Governed by power draw, not temperature, so that the same performance increase is available in warmer environments, so that maximum frequency is dependent on workload.
With the
Ryzen
Ryzen ( ) is a brand of multi-core x86-64 microprocessors designed and marketed by AMD for desktop, mobile, server, and embedded platforms based on the Zen microarchitecture. It consists of central processing units (CPUs) marketed for mainst ...
processors, AMD has introduced extra auto-overclocking features:
* Precision Boost tries to run the processor at the highest frequency allowed at any moment, constrained by cooling and power supply. It changes frequency in 25 MHz increments.
* Extended Frequency Range unlocks default boost ranges for systems with better cooling.
Processors supporting AMD Turbo Core
*
Opteron
Opteron is AMD's x86 former server and workstation processor line, and was the first processor which supported the AMD64 instruction set architecture (known generically as x86-64 or AMD64). It was released on April 22, 2003, with the ''Sledg ...
*
AMD FX
AMD FX was a series of high-end AMD microprocessors for personal computers which debuted in 2011, claimed as AMD's first native 8-core desktop processor. The line was introduced with the Bulldozer microarchitecture at launch (codename Zambezi), a ...
*
AMD APU
AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), formerly known as Fusion, is a series of 64-bit microprocessors from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), combining a general-purpose AMD64 central processing unit (CPU) and integrated graphics processing unit ...
*
AMD Ryzen
Ryzen ( ) is a brand of multi-core x86-64 microprocessors designed and marketed by AMD for desktop, mobile, server, and embedded platforms based on the Zen microarchitecture. It consists of central processing units (CPUs) marketed for mainst ...
*
AMD EPYC
Epyc is a brand of multi-core x86-64 microprocessors designed and sold by AMD, based on the company's Zen microarchitecture. Introduced in June 2017, they are specifically targeted for the server and embedded system markets. Epyc processors shar ...
* Some
AMD Phenom II
Phenom II is a family of AMD's multi-core 45 nm processors using the AMD K10 microarchitecture, succeeding the original Phenom. Advanced Micro Devices released the Socket AM2+ version of Phenom II in December 2008, while Socket AM3 versions ...
CPUs
See also
*
AMD Cool'n'Quiet (desktop CPUs)
*
AMD PowerNow! (laptop CPUs)
*
AMD PowerTune
AMD PowerTune is a series of dynamic frequency scaling technologies built into some AMD GPUs and APUs that allow the clock speed of the processor to be dynamically changed (to different ''P-states'') by software. This allows the processor to me ...
(graphics)
*
Dynamic frequency scaling
Dynamic frequency scaling (also known as CPU throttling) is a power management technique in computer architecture whereby the frequency of a microprocessor can be automatically adjusted "on the fly" depending on the actual needs, to conserve ...
*
Intel SpeedStep (CPUs)
*
Intel Turbo Boost
Intel Turbo Boost is Intel's trade name for central processing units (CPUs) dynamic frequency scaling feature that automatically raises certain versions of its operating frequency when demanding tasks are running, thus enabling a higher resulting ...
*
Turbo button
On IBM PC compatible computers, the turbo button selects one of two run states: the default "turbo" speed or a reduced speed closer to the Intel 8086 CPU. It was relatively common on computers using the Intel 80286, Intel 80386 and Intel 80486 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turbo Core
Advanced Micro Devices technologies
Computer hardware tuning
X86 architecture