[Tfug] Got an odd one: laptop AMD CPU stuck at 800mhz, won't jump to 1, 600

[Malcolm]

I had something like this happen on a Dell desktop. A good cleaning of 
the motherboard took care of it.

On 01/21/2012 11:20 AM, Jim March wrote:
> Folks,
>
> Somebody gave me a Dell Latitude D531, has an AMD CPU (dual-core
> TL-50) that can "speedstep" between 800mHz and 1.6gHz.
>
> I dropped my existing hard disk from another laptop over to it, fired
> it up.  Existing install is Mint 12, 32bit (similar to Ubuntu
> Oneiric).
>
> Seemed ghastly slow on the "new" machine.  I noticed that my CPU
> frequency scaling toolbar thingie that I always run showed it locked
> to 800mHz.  This tool can also show available speeds and if you want,
> lock the CPU to one speed or another.
>
> It would not accept a command to crank it up to 1.6.  Literally wouldn't take.
>
> I tried turning off Speedstep in the BIOS, locking it to high speed.
> No joy - the frequency scaler broke at that point but performance
> testing of, say, flash videos (plus slow boot times and more) showed
> the speed was still stinking.
>
> OK, what the hell?
>
> Has anybody seen anything like this before?
>
> I'm going to try swapping the RAM over (2gig PC5300 on both my old and
> this "new" lappy) and see if that helps?  But...I don't think that's
> it.
>
> What would cause the CPU to be locked into stupid mode?
>
> What else...video card on the old machine (physically falling apart!)
> is an Intel 965/X3100 type, new (the "slow machine") is an ATI 1270.
> The ATI video drivers seem to be working OK (open source Radeon).
>
> Jim
>
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