Quote:
Originally Posted by chronster
OK, please correct me if I'm wrong, but underlocking the cpu can only draw less energy to a point. I mean, the difference between 19mhz and 200mhz would be the same because the device is still sending the same voltage to the cpu right? Unless the device automatically determines what the cpu needs to function correct (which I highly doubt) you'll need to tweak the voltage somehow also.
Think of it this way: I've got a cpu in a computer running at 4ghz at 1.5v. If I underclock the cpu to 2ghz, the vcore setting is still 1.5v so the same amount of energy is still being sent, just not being used, right?
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Almost, Think of it this way: You're keeping the voltage the same but your throttling the amount of work the processor is allowed to do. In theory the more work a processor is doing the more current its typically going to require. Unfortunately throttling the frequency 50% doesn't cut the current down by 50% which is why lowering the voltage is more effective. You should see small signs of battery improvement only if the processor isn't doing excessive work. For example, If it takes the phone 1 minute to load a program at 19mhz vs 4 seconds normal clock, which one do you think is going to eat less battery? Implementing an auto-throttle would be the most effective (similar to powernow or speedstep technology)