Intel Nehalem processor gets "turbo mode," blinking red lights

Well, one of the two at least. As Extreme Tech reports, Intel let out word of the hereto unheard of "turbo mode" for its Nehalem Core i7 processors at its big Intel Developer Forum this week, with it describing it as an "entirely new process technology for power." More specifically, the mode, or so-called "power gate," turns off cores that would otherwise be left idle when they're not in use, and reroutes the power budget that normally would be applied to those cores to the active cores, which promises to further boost their performance without wasting power. According to Intel, that'll be a standard feature across the entire Nehalem family, including the first mobile versions of the processor that'll be at the center of the Calpella platform, which is on track for a launch sometime next year.

[Via PC Magazine]

[Isaac @ Aug 20th 2008 1:30PM]

I honestly am so confused with these new intel chips I have no fucking idea what is going on.

I'm still gonna buy one because the logo is so cool.

[Andrew @ Aug 20th 2008 2:38PM]

Relax, it's not that bad ... Compared to the EEE wave

[gad get @ Aug 20th 2008 9:58PM]

The logo is cool?

[w00t @ Aug 20th 2008 1:31PM]

Heh, I still keep reading Calpella as Crapella, they should really come up with a better name :)

[CraigJ @ Aug 20th 2008 1:39PM]

Logo still ugly...

[broli @ Aug 20th 2008 1:42PM]

I didn't know logos morph every week.

[CraigJ @ Aug 20th 2008 1:49PM]

They generally don't, but this one should. To something that doesn't look like it was designed in 1985 by Pontiac.

[IceCold @ Aug 20th 2008 1:43PM]

Will they also put the big "Turbo" button on the case like they used to? Makes me nostalgic...

[Striker @ Aug 20th 2008 1:50PM]

If you want a "Turbo" button, check out the IdeaPad Y710, it has a overclocking slider next to the keyboard and above the D-Pad, it goes from "SILENT" to "TURBO" lol, and it also has a customizable screen.

[Rubicon @ Aug 20th 2008 2:43PM]

sigh...the good old days

[dude @ Aug 20th 2008 9:05PM]

Oh for those halcyon days.

[Andrew @ Aug 20th 2008 1:59PM]

I remember the turbo button on my first pc (Packard Bell 'Force' 486SX) - it never seemed to do anything.

[j.d.ripper @ Aug 20th 2008 3:27PM]

yeah, I remember the Turbo button too. I guess it's going to make a come back.

[phanbouy @ Aug 20th 2008 4:14PM]

@jd you must not have played many of the Sierra games, many which ran too fast with turbo on

[pedro @ Aug 22nd 2008 7:49AM]

Whenever I was in a roguh spot playing a game on my Packard Bell DX2 66 I'd turn switch the turbo off and bam! bullet time LOL !

Those were the days..

[sockatume @ Aug 20th 2008 2:00PM]

I think the Centrino 2 platform is meant to do this too. It's more significant on laptops because it allows you to get better performance on single-thread applications for the same power consumption and heat output.

[NoAndThen @ Aug 20th 2008 2:02PM]

Um, freaking sweet.

This would be especially advantageous when running software not optimized for multiple cores. KICK ASS.

Also will be great for laptops, maybe the option to run on just one core on low power when you need to save battery?

[Juxtah @ Aug 20th 2008 2:06PM]

Finally a use for the:
http://www.engadget.com/2005/01/18/the-big-red-button-of-doom/
!

[Vidikron (FU) @ Aug 20th 2008 2:07PM]

I can see how this could save power, but how does it "boost" the performance of the other cores?

[sockatume @ Aug 20th 2008 2:25PM]

Simple overclocking, I imagine.

[Hellaphunt @ Aug 20th 2008 2:08PM]

This is a familiar concept in the automotive industry; shut of half an engine's pistons while cruising to increase MPG.

[Cody @ Aug 20th 2008 3:08PM]

but they don't cram the extra gas into the running cylinders to make it a "turbo" 4cyl....what if I want more power to all cores, all the time, can I do that?

[Passarinhuu @ Aug 20th 2008 2:23PM]

I smell bugs all over this feature...

[CraziestGadgets.com @ Aug 20th 2008 2:25PM]

tell me more about the blinking red light!

[sixth @ Aug 20th 2008 2:40PM]

Why does Intel have to have such wack marketing, all the different CPU names/chipset names and processor CORE names, jeez...it gets confusing fast....NOW they have to throw into the bucket fn i7 and TURBO mode? Come on Intel...enough with your CRAPPY marketing BS...i just want octo processors and high speed interconnects for virtualization in servers....give me that so i can run 20 servers on a box...keep my CTO's happy....enough of this turbo crap.

boss: the servers are running slow.
me: damn i'll have hit the TURBO BUTTON
boss: is that going to use more power and produce more heat?
me: ?
boss: ehhh turn it on...i need BOOST.

[Andrew @ Aug 20th 2008 4:23PM]

It's not a 'TURBO BUTTON'.. It's for POWER EFFICIENCY. The original turbo button simply disabled the cache on the processor so you could play older games without running at 10x the speed of what they should be played at. This is a step in the right direction if we start seeing 8,16,32,64 cores. Why would you want to run all the cores when all they're doing is waiting for instructions to run their calculations?

This isn't a button anyways .. It's software. We already clock down our cores when they're not being used, so why not go one step further?

[stalkythefish @ Aug 20th 2008 8:41PM]

The ORIGINAL Turbo button doubled (or halved, depending on your point of view) the CPU clock speed. You were lucky to have 3 instructions worth of cache in those days!

[ynohtna @ Aug 20th 2008 2:41PM]

I can't wait to buy one

[lamb @ Aug 20th 2008 3:02PM]

This isn't new. Core 2 Duo Mobiles have had this in Dynamic Acceleration Tech...

[Raymond @ Aug 20th 2008 7:24PM]

Yup, it sounds the same to the IDA feature of Santa Rosa,
I too, don't see why this is "unheard" of

[nmes @ Aug 20th 2008 3:21PM]

AMD Overdrive

[ivanotter @ Aug 20th 2008 5:54PM]

@Michael Witt

Oh come on. p3? that... SOO many generations back most of those computers are failing.

You fail at that argument. And, for the record? the p3 I DO have 8.04 installed on runs it pretty sh*tty. with 512MB ram no less. (Lattitude C400) and ran the XP install marginally better.

[Iridium @ Aug 20th 2008 3:36PM]

So the chipset turns off cores that it isn't using, which in a 6 core chip would be 4 nearly all the time, and sends the power that would go to the other cores to the cores that are in use.

?????????????

SO the chip overclocks itself on cores that it is using to boost performance or sends the power to more cores which normally would boost performance.

So power use is the same, but scenario 1 has 2 cores running at 1.8ghz and scenario 2 has 4 cores running at 1.5ghz. I don't get it, not at all.

Wait I figured it out -

Engineer says, "Guys we've made a chip that has six cores, theoretically it is very fast"

Other engineer says, "Yeah but there is barely any software that takes advantage of dual cores, not that many games even"

"Well what are we going to do with our fancy 6 core chips, we've got to sell them to people for more money than 2 core chips, let's talk to marketing"

Marketing guy says, "Hey we know that nobody will be able to use a 6 core chip but we'll sell them and tell people that the chip will disable cores you aren't using and send the power from those other cores to the ones they do use. That way we can say that the chip will be more efficient, everybody wants more efficient today, and will still have the power when they need it, even though only 5% of computer users need it. But hey we don't make chips to sell to 5% do we guys, huh right"

Engineer says - "Do you think people will fall for that, I mean we're just trying to make more powerfull chips to keep the guys upstairs happy."

Marketing guy - "People bought the hell out of Core Duos didn't they. How many of them ever know that the second core doesn't do anything 99% of the time. Besides its Microsoft's fault that they can't program a proper OS that can use multicore systems."

[Bob Mc @ Aug 20th 2008 4:11PM]

Just like we had in the early 90s!

[Jason @ Aug 20th 2008 7:43PM]

reminds me of some new car models that shut down cylinders when not needed-- V6 down to 3 cylinders for cruising, then opens them back up for more power when it's needed. I think my cousin's Honda does that.

[Greg @ Aug 20th 2008 10:24PM]

Nehalem sounds way too biblical for my taste. I liked it better when their chip names made me think of wine.

[DENgerous @ Aug 21st 2008 9:34AM]

This reminds me good old times of IBM PC AT with "Turbo" button on front panel ;)

[Jayk @ Aug 21st 2008 2:59PM]

My God. We're catching up with Kryten.

"By re-routing his circuitry, and channelling all his runtime through a single CPU, I've managed to restore his intelligence, at the cost of reducing his operational lifespan."

[Nate DiDonato @ Mar 3rd 2009 3:27PM]

smegheads unite!