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Introduction:
This post is a summary of information I've gathered about how to achieve maximum CPU speed in Windows XP SP2 after upgrading a 600X to a PIII 850MHz.
Some of the information in this post may be of use to those using other CPUs or other operating systems, but from what I can tell, the specific problem that I ran into with my PIII 850MHz does not occur with other CPUs, nor does it appear to occur under Windows 2000 or Windows 98SE. Also, if your 600X did not originally ship with a PIII 650MHz CPU, then you may have additional problems reaching maximum speed with ANY SpeedStep CPU.
A duplicate of this message was posted to the Thinkpad Mailing List. I will be updating this post whenever significant additional information arises in this thread or over on that email list.
I would welcome especially any additional/conflicting information/experiences from others using a PIII 850MHz in their 600X, as I have not been able to determine if my problem is general to all such configurations or specific to something weird I've done to my machine.
Summary of Key Issue:
I have completed testing on two 600X's with upgraded CPUs and am reporting results to the forum. In summary, under some installations of Windows XP SP2, it appears that the "processor" driver needs to be changed if you want to achieve full CPU speed after upgrading to a PIII 850MHz CPU. This driver change does not appear to be required for a PIII 750MHz or a PIII 650MHz. One user from the ThinkPad Mailing list has informed me that they have never run into any such problems with XP SP2 on their PIII 800MHz 600X. It is unknown if the problem applies to all XP SP2 installations or only to some of them. It is also unknown if it applies to XP SP1.
SpeedStep with PIII 650MHz and PIII 750MHz
SpeedStep functions appear to work fully and correctly under all operating systems in any 600X that began life as a PIII 650MHz when you have a PIII 650MHz CPU or if you upgrade the CPU to PIII 750MHz. I tested this with a 600X upgraded to PIII 750MHz running XP SP2. Others have tested it with a standard PIII 650MHz CPU in various operating systems.
SpeedStep with PIII 850MHz
If you upgrade a 600X that began life as a PIII 650MHz by putting in a PIII 850MHz, you may run into problems achieving maximum speed under Windows XP SP2. I used a slipstreamed Windows XP SP2 CD to perform a custom install of Windows XP SP2 and further customized various "services" as suggested by BlackViper's list of services. On this install, my 600X was unable to achieve maximum CPU speed without changing the "processor driver". After changing the processor driver everything worked correctly. I was able to duplicate the problem by re-installing the original processor driver and then was able to remove it again by once again installing the alternate processor driver.
Upgrading the Processor Driver:
To upgrade the processor driver, go to Device Manager -> Processors -> Intel(r) Pentium(r)III processor -> Properties -> Driver -> Update. Select "Install from a specific location." Then select "Don't search. I will choose the driver to install." The next screen should have "Show compatible hardware" selected already. You should then select the appropriate driver from the list that appears like this:
- Intel PentiumIII Processor [this is the default driver]
Intel Processor [this is the one to try if SpeedStep doesn't work already]
Processor [unknown]
Original Processor Driver (This one didn't work on my 850MHz machine):
Intel(r) Pentium(r)III processor
Manufacturer:
Microsoft Corporation
Driver Files:
WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\p3.sys
File Version:
5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2Prtm.040803-2158)
Driver Date:
2004-04-01
File Date:
2004-08-04
Alternate Processor Driver (This one fixed the problem):
Intel(r) Pentium(r)III processor
Microsoft Corporation
Driver Files:
WINDOWS\system32\DRIVERS\intelppm.sys
File Version:
5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2Prtm.040803-2158)
Driver Date:
2004-04-01
File Date:
2004-08-03
Credit:
I found the information about upgrading the processor driver in a message thread from "beatoem" on Wim's BIOS board under the topic:
IBM TP600X SPEEDSTEP AND XP = MICROSOFT BLUNDER WITH CPU [wimsbios.com]
Similar information was also posted here in the Thinkpads.com Forum by the user serverbook in several threads with reference to upgrading a non-SpeedStep 600X. See for e.g.:
600x (non-SpeedStep) with 850mmc-2
My Primary 600X Machine:
ThinkPad 600X
Model: 2645-9WU
BIOS: ITET55WW
CPU: PIII 850MHz
Memory: 576MB
600X Model Info:
There are two general groups of 600X models. One group began life with non-SpeedStep CPUs installed. The other group began life with a PIII 650MHz SpeedStep CPU installed. There appear to be differences between the motherboard support for SpeedStep in these different groups. Some disagreement continues about whether you can get a SpeedStep CPU to run full speed on a machine that began life as a PIII 500MHz model, and in particular, some people using Windows 2000 claim that their machines are running at full (high) speed. It is doubtful in such cases that their SpeedStep functions are all working correctly. To ensure that all SpeedStep functions will work correctly, I would recommend only upgrading a machine that began life as a PIII 650MHz model. For more info, consult:
600x (non-SpeedStep) with 850mmc-2
or
IBM Thinkpad 600X CPU Upgrade
IBM Batteries vs. Generic Batteries and Maximum CPU Speed with SpeedStep CPUs:
In order to achieve maximum speed with ANY SpeedStep CPU in the 600X models, it is important to use an original IBM main battery. Generic batteries seem to cause the SpeedStep CPU to be stuck in low-speed/low-power mode. This has been tested by various members on different lists. I've confirmed this behaviour on my primary 600X machine using both Windows XP SP2 and Windows 98SE. When testing to achieve maximum speeds, therefore, it is vital that an original IBM battery be installed.
SpeedStep and Windows XP:
Windows XP does not have a separate SpeedStep applet like Windows 98SE or Windows 2000 because SpeedStep support is built-in to Windows XP. Unfortunately, it is not clear exactly how to control some of the SpeedStep functions as a result. Many users find it difficult to get even a correctly-working SpeedStep CPU to achieve its highest maximum speed under Windows XP. The most common recommendation in such cases is to recommend changing the Power Scheme settings to "Always On" or to "Home/Office", which according to Microsoft should make a SpeedStep CPU run at full speed. For accurate details about these different settings, check out Bay Wolf's SpeedStep FAQ [bay-wolf.com].
SpeedSwitch Applet:
A fellow named Christian Diefer has created an applet specifically for XP to better control the SpeedStep functions of a mobile CPU. I recommend using this applet with a 600X under XP SP2: not only does it provide better CPU control, it also provides better ongoing battery status information than the Windows battery icon in the system tray. In some cases, I had to reboot my machine to get it to recognize changes to my Power profiles, but once you have them setup and configured the way you want, SpeedSwitchXP appears to work smoothly and correctly:
SpeedSwitchXP [diefer.de]
Testing Your CPU Speed and Confirming SpeedStep Frequency
A variety of tools are available that will provide information about your current CPU speed and what its "maximum" current speed is. It can be a bit of a struggle to figure out exactly how your Windows XP is identifying your processor and whether or not SpeedStep is working properly.
I found that when my Power Scheme was set to Always On, that I could get accurate information by rebooting and then right-clicking My Computer and selecting Properties. When my processor was set to achieve maximum speed, it was properly identified there as an 850MHz CPU (actually 847MHz). When it was set to the lower SpeedStep speed, then it would say 700MHz (actually 698MHz) there. I also used SpeedSwitch, WPCPUID, SiSoft Sandra, and the Intel CPU ID utilities at various points, but I found during testing that it did not make any difference. If you are plugged in to a power outlet and you have your Power Scheme set to Always On, then XP should report 847MHz or 850MHz in the Computer -> Properties. If it doesn't, then if you load up any other utility, it will also show your maximum (not "current" but "maximum") speed as reduced when it shouldn't be.
Most people suggest using a more accurate and reliable tool than Windows XP's built-in utilities to check your maximum CPU speed. Here is a list of all the different tools I've used on different machines and different OSes:
Intel Processor Identification Utility [intel.com]
Intel Processor Frequency ID Utility [intel.com]
SiSoft Sandra [sisoftware.co.uk]
CPU-Z [cpuid.com]
WPCPUID [h-oda.com]
I'll edit this first post in this thread as people offer corrections or additional information: that will save people having to read through the entire thread to follow the latest developments.
That's all for now.
Phil.
