AMD FX-8120 Bulldozer underclock itself when idling

[#4]

Recently I have bought a new motherboard for my AMD Fx-8120 Bulldozer 8-core processor. I want to overclock it to 4.5. So far I didn’t touch to this level yet but I have done a slight amount of stable overclocking. But then I have noticed that this processor under-clock itself when idling. It does down about 3.5-3.6. What could be the problem? Is it the default behavior? Am I missing any step over here?

[Nabhanyu]

The FX-8120 stock speed is 3.10 and it has a turbo mode (This turbo mode can take the processor up to 4 GHz when under load). I think that you have disabled this thing. So due to this processor kicking back to the stock speed. Enable the turbo mode and see what can happen.

[TBina]

I would not expect the small bulldozer cut into the efficiency much better than the big ones. Right now you can as a normal person just recommend Intel, for example, a 2100T. I always buy the other, just which provides the best P / L ratio, at the moment AMD offers the latest generation CPU but nothing for me personally.

[Delisa]

In my case the CPU goes to 1 GHz when it is at rest: support (especially when the system starts and preload applications), it automatically goes back to 1.8 GHz. It is therefore very unlikely that this affects performance. In your case I think that the processor automatically triggers the Cool'n quiet. Even if it is disabled in the BIOS and when the CPU reaches maximum performance mode, it can underclock when comes to the critical temperature

[Kabilan]

According to AMD news would have sent an email asking you to correct characteristics new Bulldozer FX processors, namely the number of transistors, replacing the now known value of 2 billion in "only" 1.2 billion transistors.

This entire product after several weeks since the launch of the new CPU seems like a hoax, but if confirmed in many might suspect in a negative way, thinking of a deliberately false statement by parted AMD. One such news would explain why the Bulldozer processors have not proven their convincing performance with fast acceleration and consumption is lower than expected.

[chitti r]

With the AMD Cool'n'Quiet software you can also see what the CPU does at half. In my case I am using the Athlon 64 which gets set the multiplier (to 5) and lowers the V-core voltage when the CPU is at idle. When the application starts running or open, the processor advances power and clocked back up to full power. This method is to save power and reduce the temperatures.