Datasheet, Volume 1
71
Thermal Management
5.4.1.1.1
Frequency/Voltage Control
Upon TCC activation, the processor core attempts to dynamically reduce processor core
power by lowering the frequency and voltage operating point. The operating points are
automatically calculated by the processor core itself and do not require the BIOS to
program them as with previous generations of Intel processors. The processor core will
scale the operating points such that:
• The voltage will be optimized according to the temperature, the core bus ratio, and
number of cores in deep C-states.
• The core power and temperature are reduced while minimizing performance
degradation.
A small amount of hysteresis has been included to prevent an excessive amount of
operating point transitions when the processor temperature is near its maximum
operating temperature. Once the temperature has dropped below the maximum
operating temperature and the hysteresis timer has expired, the operating frequency
and voltage transition back to the normal system operating point. This is illustrated in
Once a target frequency/bus ratio is resolved, the processor core will transition to the
new target automatically.
• On an upward operating point transition, the voltage transition precedes the
frequency transition.
• On a downward transition, the frequency transition precedes the voltage transition.
Figure 5-2. Frequency and Voltage Ordering
