Processor not running at full speed with speedstep OFF

[Rangerjoe]

I have a dell Latitude d800, with an Intel M rated for 1.7GHz. it has sat around for a while because I lost the power adapter. now that I have a replacement I cannot seem to get it running right. mostly, with speedstep turned on it runs at 209 MHz, and with speedstep disable it tops out at 599 MHz. since it is a Dell, the BIOS are limited in what I can change. the FSB and clock rate are definitely NOT configurable. any ideas as to what I should start smashing with a mallet are appreciated. ;-)

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Have you tried putting the CPU under load ? Say running prime 95 before checking the speed ?

 

[hypocrisyforever]

Yeah, im not familiar with the Dell laptops, is it possible it is thermal protection kicking in?

 

[dwellman]

Interesting. . . .

How are you checking the processor speed?

How are you enabling / disabling SpeedStep? Generally, unless you have a BIOS option to explicitly disable it, it can't be disabled, per se.

 

[geofelt]

In control panel/power options/plan settings/advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state should be 100%

 

[Rangerjoe]

I have prime 95 running to ensure it is under load, I am using Everest home edition to see the live processor speed, and there is a BIOS option to enable/disable it. I'm not sure that it is a heat issue as the fan seems to cycle normally and the laptop feels no warmer than it usually does.

 

[dwellman]

Which OS are you using? Scuttlebutt arounf the 'tubes is Speedstep for the 855PM and the Banias is "broken" in Vista and Windows 7.

 

[Rangerjoe]

I am using windows XP home edition with SP3.
but I think I have found the problem. my power supply is not rated for the full amount of power my laptop needs. Everest is showing my proc at .98 watts instead of the 1.3 it is supposed to use. thanks for all the replies, but I think I just need a new power supply.

 

[dwellman]

Hmm. . the Dell isn't supposed to boot with the wrong power supply, or maybe that's just the P4 version? But I'm not sure that what Everest is telling you necessarily means you need a beefier PSU. Then again I think for that particular Lattitude / Inspiron series it's supposed to be 90 watts. The previous generation (P3 based) used 75, I think. I'm guessing. I don't know for sure. Not gonna look it up either. I've got Christmas presents to order!