This thread contains findings on how to view and set kernel parameters related to power management. Although there is no kernel source for One X, some information can be obtained from Transformer Prime kernel sources (also a Tegra 3 device), and from the device itself via sysfs interface.
sysfs files related to CPU power management:
/sys/kernel/debug/tegra_hotplug/max_cpus - maximum CPUs to use. User-configurable, default 4. This is not touched by the Android OS, and will remain in whatever state we set until reboot.
Set this to "1" to make the phone a lot less power-hungry and overheating.
At the cost of performance, of course.
*NOTE: second core will activate sometimes if this is set to "1", but 3rd and 4th cores are disabled for sure.
/sys/kernel/debug/tegra_hotplug/min_cpus - minimum number of CPUs to use.
This _is_ touched by the OS, and can not be set reliably.
/sys/kernel/debug/tegra_hotplug/stats - time each core spent active. Including 5-th "low-power" core.
e.g.:
Code:
cpu: G0 G1 G2 G3 LP
transitions: 26 12 0 0 25
time plugged: 3110 1222 0 0 95122
time-stamp: 4296183486
/sys/kernel/debug/cpuidle/lp2 - another stats interface.
/sys/module/cpu_tegra/parameters/cpu_user_cap - Max frequency cap for all cores. Default 1500000 (1.5GHz), can be set to any lower value to underclock.
But it is often set by the OS different values (most frequently, back to it's maximum). Maybe, changing this string in libhtc-opt2.so via hex editor can prevent system from changing it?
/sys/kernel/cluster/active - currently active CPU cluster. "LP" for low-power core, "G" for generic (normal) cores.
Can be changed manually, but is also modified by the system at will.
All above values can be changed from root shell via "echo 'value' > /sys/path/to/file"
Maybe, this will come handy to some ROM or CPU-monitoring app developers.
References:
Asus Transformer kernel source
[DEV] Enable 2D GPU rendering in HTC One X & about build.prop tweaks
some findings by phirenz
is there any way to request more use of the companion core?
In case anyone's wondering, I just found out that /sys/kernel/cluster/active must be opened as root even for reading; opening the file as any other user will not succeed.
The other files seem to allow reading as a standard user, however.
It woulod be great is someone created an app for setting number of CPUs. It is useful sometimes to set it to 1 when you are traveling and want to get max possible battery.
It would be even better if it was possible to disable all 4 cores and force system to use LP core only. It would be brilliant max power saving mode.
I've modified OS Monitor to support Tegra 3's stuff (temperature, number of cores and determining whether it is low power/general CPU in use) and my experience is that there's no or very little battery gains to be had because the other 3 cores are off most of the time anyway (when idle)
I'm using stock 1.28. The low power core doesn't seem to like being activated for more than a few seconds at a time, too.
I've modified OS Monitor to support Tegra 3's stuff
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can u share the apk here...xD???
thanks to the OP.....I don't have a One X but this info helped me to force all 4 cores of my Asus TF300T go online and offline as i wish.
schriss said:
It woulod be great is someone created an app for setting number of CPUs. It is useful sometimes to set it to 1 when you are traveling and want to get max possible battery.
It would be even better if it was possible to disable all 4 cores and force system to use LP core only. It would be brilliant max power saving mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use core control or francos kernel updater works for every custom kernel also stock kernel and you can choose how many cores...but battery life is not better with deactivated cores and soemetimes even worser -.-
I used to be able to do this, but now I'm using n3o kernel and I can't find the tegra_hotplug folder inside sys/kernel/debug. Help?
joeystar said:
I used to be able to do this, but now I'm using n3o kernel and I can't find the tegra_hotplug folder inside sys/kernel/debug. Help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man ask this in kernel thread not here....-.-
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
THE WAY IT MEANT TO BE PLAYED
if you use the solutions in this guide you will be amazed by your One X Tegra 3 abilities
Seeing is believing! checkout the gameplay videos in here
This guide is split in four parts, GAMING BOOST APP, PERMANENT METHODS, QUICK METHODS - Scripts, MANUAL METHODS and FACTS
GAMING BOOST APP METHOD - This app by wilkyyy, henk2484 and myself, does everything in this guide with a single click, a simple, easy and elegant solution, the best and one solution to rule them all
PERMANENT METHODS - These methods will set everything in this guide, using a single init.d script, the boost will stick on your HOX after reboot
QUICK METHODS - Scripts will help you achieve results with the least amount of effort, this should be enough to achieve this guide's goals, for users who like more control
MANUAL METHODS - Will show you how to do things yourselves and tries to explain it along the way, for more advanced users who like to understand how things work and why the performance is capped by default
FACTS - Tries to reveal everything you need to know about Tegra 3 as well as all the related topics, i strongly recommend to at least to have a look at this part to better understand how your One X functions
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CHANGING ANDROID RESOLUTION METHOD - last updated 14/10/2013
Change Android's Native Resolution, using Scripts (for both Android 4.2.2 and 4.3)
Change Android's Native Resolution on the fly, using Tasker by @neuTrue
How To Easily reduce your OS resolution in order to boost GPU / gaming performance (via ADB)
Thanks @neuTrue for his excellent work, more info about resolution scaling here
Use in combination with Gaming boost below
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GAMING BOOST APP METHOD - Stock Jelly Bean ROM - last updated 19/2/2013
This is currently the best method of them all, these apps will does everything in the guide for you in one click and unleash you One X to its full gaming potential with one click, you can turn it off once your are done gaming to conserve battery
Interactive Governor Method
Requirements:
- ROOT
and one of the following CPU apps:
- [APP Paid] SetCPU for Root Users
- [APP Free] System Tuner
Recommended Kernels:
- XM-Kernel #106 (GPU520, Quad unlock 1500, UV support, S2W, Interactive quad fix and best "linear" quad usage in all games thanks to the MPDECISION driver, more info here)
For the above custom kernel you can use permanent interactive governor instead of gaming boost, set at boot the governor to interactive and the following governor values in your CPU app (more info here):
Interactive:
go maxspeed load 85
boost factor 0
max boost 0
io is busy 0
sustain load 0
min sample time 30000
timer rate 20000
input boost 0
boost 0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ondemand Governor Method:
Requirements:
- ROOT
and one of the following apps:
- [APP Free] RENOVATE Gaming Boost JellyBean v1.0 (Requires Sense Framework and HTC's default CPU governor Settings)
- [APP Paid] GameBooster 2 ★ Root (On stock kernel it requires quad lock, review here)
Recommended Kernels:
- KozmiKKernel 002 or XM-Kernel #41 (GPU520, Quad unlock 1550, UV support, S2W, cooler Nvidia CPU quiet driver and latest Tegra patches, more info here)
- Trip's ENRC2B 3.1.10 Kernel (GPU520, Quad unlock 1500, Interactive quad fix and latest Nvidia drivers, One X+ based, review here)
Simply enable game boost before you start a game and disable it once you finish to preserve battery life.
The following notes are related to HTC's Stock JB 3.18.401.1 kernel (more info here)
Free gaming boost no longer works on this kernel
The kernel now resets governor values few minutes after changing them, it's recommended to either use game booster 2 in ultra mode (performance governor) or switch to a custom gaming kernel
The following notes are related to HTC's Stock JB 3.14.401.24/32 kernel (more info here)
PowerSaver mode
With HTC powersaver's CPU mode turned off, the device will use up to 1500mhz single and 1400mhz quad core, sadly for some rare quad enabled games like shadowgun this might cause random performance drops when the game calls the single core 1500 step
Enabling HTC powersaver's CPU mode will lock the device to 1300mhz quad core, effectively its a quad lock but slightly slower with less heat and battery consumption
Experiment with your game to find which mode works best along with game boost
Locking the quad
Simply set the CPU clock to 1400 on boot and it will stick, the powersaver mode will switch between 1300 and 1400, both quad modes without the buggy single core 1500 step
Place the attached 99CPU1400.txt script in etc/init.d folder, remove .txt extension and set all permissions, reboot
If this doesn't work or you are using a kernel without init.d support, simply use SetCPU, change the clock to 1400 and set on boot
Aggressive Performance tip
You can go further if you want to force max possible performance, unlike ICS, JB kernel allows the performance governor to use full quad, so you can enable boost ON and then switch to performance governor using your favorite SetCPU app, with powersaver off the device will use up to 1400mhz quad cores and idle around two cores 1200mhz, with powersaver on it will use up to 1300mhz quad cores and idle around two cores 1200mhz, naturally this tip will cause extra heat and battery drain, once you are done disable game boost and you will switch back to stock ondemand governor
That's it! it's all you need! but you can learn more about the other methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in the rest of this guide
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GAMING BOOST APP METHOD - Stock ICS ROM - last updated 15/10/2012
This is currently the best method of them all, this app will does everything in the guide for you in one click and unleash you One X to its full gaming potential with one click, you can turn it off once your are done gaming to conserve battery
Requirements:
- ROOT
- [APP] RENOVATE Gaming Boost v2.1
Recommendations:
- DieHard or HardToKill patch
- Custom 2.17 Gaming Kernel, Faux 011 or Franco R21 Currently the best kernels for gaming because of the following features: unlock the GPU to its full 520mhz speed, lock the quad at full speed, latest HTC 2.17 drivers and the latest Nvidia drivers from their NV 3.x repo
warning! due to HTC code, on stock ICS kernels, turning off the screen will reset two vital parameters set by the app so you have to make sure not to turn off the screen between boost and playing a game, the issue is not present on stock JB kernel, Faux or Franco
If you are a Gameloft fan check these extra tips: [FIX] Wild Blood Full Effects v1.0.7 Performance + other GameLoft games - Root
That's it! it's all you need! but you can learn more about the other methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in the rest of this guide
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PERMANENT METHODS - last updated 15/10/2012
These two methods will do everything for you and unleash you One X to its full gaming potential for good
How to set the gaming boost mode permanently using init.d scripts for custom kernels
Requirements:
- ROOT
- any ROM with init.d support
- Custom gaming kernel, choose one of the recommended above
How to set the gaming boost mode permanently using SetCPU 3.x for any Kernel
Requirements:
- ROOT
- Any Kernel including Stock
That's it! it's all you need! but you can learn more about the other methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in the rest of this guide
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QUICK METHODS - Scripts - last updated 15/10/2012
Use the listed kernel of your choice repacked for your current ROM, use supercharger in order to free more RAM/set proper application priorities and apply the recommended scripts to boost your CPU
Current tested kernels for gaming with their recommended methods, custom kernels are faster than stock in games:
Faux kernel version 011 + Supercharger & DieHard Patch + Optimized Ondemand Scripts
Franco kernel version R21 + Supercharger & DieHard Patch + Optimized Ondemand Scripts
Stock kernel for base 2.17.401.2 + Supercharger & DieHard Patch + Optimized Stock Ondemand Scripts (stock kernel from this base has a broken multicore in interactive governor)
Stock kernel for base 1.29.401.11 + Supercharger & DieHard Patch+ Optimized Interactive Scripts
That's it! it's all you need but you can learn more about the methods and the One X/Tegra 3 performance related issues/information in the rest of this guide
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MANUAL METHODS - Obsolete
Fixing the severe frame rate dips - Optimized CPU governor - The Way it meant to be played
For base 2.17.401.2 stock kernel and Faux kernels :
- You can use these scripts to simplify the entire process
or do it manually with the following steps:
- Download SetCPU 3.x or System Tuner
- Interactive governor have multi-core trouble on these kernels so leave it with the much improved onDemand
- Go to the governor tab and optimize your onDemand values
For base 1.29.401.11 stock kernel or custom kernels based on 1.28 source:
- You can use these scripts to simplify the entire process
or do it manually with the following steps:
- Set your CPU governor to Interactive using SetCPU 3.x or System Tuner
- Optimize your interactive governor behavior by checking the instructions in here, this is the most important step and will give the best results and completely fix scaling issues
- keep the clocks as they are so not to cause needless heat/consumption, this governor is much more suited for gaming as you start gaming it maintains higher clocks, during normal use i advice to return to onDemand for much better battery consumption and wake up speed, do not run in performance governor otherwise you loose 2 cores
- You can automate this process and set game profiles using SetCpu 3.x, read the instructions in the linked post
This tip is enough for the most part but more memory heavy games like Sonic 4 Episode II and NOVA3/Asphalt7 might need so further memory management tips as described below
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Reducing stutter and background processes - SuperCharger Method - Best choice
- You can use Supercharger to optimize your memory management and app priorities permanently
- Install DieHard Supercharger's service.jar patch follow the tutorial on how to use the script
- Using the script set the minfrees, use the most agressive minfrees if you want to optimize for gaming like option 9 but go for little less if you are using SetCPU profiles so not to kill SetCPU background process, you can always change minfrees on the fly, they don't require a reboot
- You can add script manager widgets to switch between your multitasking minfrees values on the fly, using supercharger power-shift scripts
- Play for a while to let the game settle in memory, the more you play the better the performance will get
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Reducing stutter and background processes - System Tuner Method - Second best
- If you don't want the complex supercharger method
- You can use System Tuner to quickly set your multitasking minfrees, simply go to the Auto-Kill section and load the most aggressive minfrees, when done gaming you can always restore whatever multitasking values you find best, changing these values happens on the fly and do not require reboot
- Play for a while to let the game settle in memory, the more you play the better the performance will get
this method does not attempt to fix the priorities.
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Reducing stutter and background processes - Developer Options Method - Most extreme method and least favored
This is my least favored method since its impractical and the constant reloading of everything might actually cause its own set of trouble but its the only method for non rooted users
- Go to Developer options choose don't keep activities and background process limit to 1, don't set the process limit to non or sometimes games won't load
- Wait for Sense launcher to reload (which means its working since it killing Sense launcher)
- Immediately run your Game
- Play for a while to let the game settle in memory, the more you play the better the performance will get
Some games will not work with this method and fail to boot like MC3
The negative aspects of this trick is that your phone functions are limited during gaming and the battery will drain a bit more on every sense reload, this why you should restore your settings to normal when you are done
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Always remember the Following
- Always remember to kill heavy tasks before launching your game, leaving system tuner running in the background probing the CPU might cause stutter
- Remember to restore your Developer options to default, if you want a normal working phone
- Remember to restore the governor to onDemand once you are done to save your battery or rely on SetCPU profiles
- Remember to restore your Minfrees if you want more multitasking, you add script manager widgets to switch minfrees on the fly using the supercharger power-shift scripts
- You can also place an auto sync widget and disable accounts sync during gaming, this helps in reducing the chance of interference with games
- Never game while the phone is charging! unless you want to kill your battery and overheat your device, discharge might happen
- Never lock the minimum clock! unless you want to kill your battery and overheat your device
- If it's On, Disable Force GPU Rendering in Developer options, it might cause issues with some games and apps
Read the following facts to better understand how your One X and Tegra 3 works
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The Facts
Using tegrastats you can see games like Glowball immediately requests and enables the full speed quad mode
On the other hand Sonic 4 Episode 2 fails to run beyond 2 cores and 640/1000mhz which means its not actually demanding full power, in part it's the stock governor but also it's the app's fault, another example is temple run brave which runs around 800-1000mhz sadly this means a low clocked GPU too since the GPU is coupled to the CPU speed on Tegra3
Tegra3 is a quad core 1.5ghz 40nm SOC and so learn to accept its operational temperatures i.e: 45c Battery and 75c CPU during heavy use
Tegra3 is a variable SMP design i.e: It's meant to go in and out into it's thermal maximum and so we should not OC this SOC
No chipset is a created equal, so depending on the yields of Tegra3 you might end up with a cooler or hotter running chip
There is a reason why iOS have a very limited multitasking and consoles have barely any, multitasking is always at the cost of optimal performance, lots of apps in the background will increase heat, battery drain and affects gaming performance on the One X
GPU
The Geforce ULP GPU included in the One X's Tegra 3 (AP33) runs up to 416mhz by default but the clock is linked to the CPU speed i.e: when the CPU clock ramps down so does the GPU
however AP33's GPU is rated 520mhz and so it can be unlocked to it's full speed using custom kernels like Faux and Franco R21
CPU clocks work in the following modes on the One X:
Single core = max 1.5ghz
4 cores = max 1.4ghz will scale down to 1.2ghz after a specified CPU temperature limit
the 1500mhz single core step is the main reason for lag in games since sometimes the CPU governor mistakenly locks into this step causing heavy lag, the method in this guide attempts to bypass this issue
The available CPU governors, each using the cores differently:
onDemand governor
The stock CPU governor on the One X tweaked for better battery life and temperature, however it often ramps down the CPU clocks during game-play which is the one of the causes of bad frame rate, interestingly it seems to have a faster wakeup speed than Interactive governor.
This is the most stable for phone operation and can use all the quads but its suffer in keeping the high clocks in games.
You can control the ondemand scaling behavior and use it to insure higher clocks check this explanation in this post
Interactive
Similar to onDemand but responds to your interaction, as long as your using the device it ramps up to full speed.
You can control the interactive scaling behavior and use it to insure higher clocks check this explanation in this post
This governor is supposed to be the best governor for gaming sadly it's bugged on stock kernel, it keeps getting stuck in single core mode, so stick to optimized ondemand or switch to custom gaming kernels
Performance governor
Locks 2 cores to 1400mhz and disable 2 cores for safety, perfect for non mp optimized games like GameLoft's but gives reduced performance in quad optimized apps like Glowball and Shadowgun THD
Starting with JB stock kernel, full quad now works in performance governor
Powersave and Conservative
The best to save battery life and ofcourse they mean compromised performance
They are bugged and sometimes cause reboots in stock kernel
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Custom kernels for JB
Finally we have a lot of choices for gaming kernels on JB, check the above recommended kernels in gaming boost app method.
Stock Kernel for JB
HTC's stock 3.14.401.31 kernel fixed quad in the performance and improved GL performance, sadly the interactive governor still can break the quad core and the single core 1500mhz step is still there, however the new powersaver mode locks the phone to 1300mhz quad, check the review here
GameLoft Games
Gameloft games are rarely optimized for Tegra 3 devices, check the following tips
[FIX] Wild Blood Full Effects v1.0.7 Performance + other GameLoft games - Root
Performance governor for non optimized games
You can try the performance governor which locks at 2 cores and 1400mhz for games that don't use the quad core
Locking the clocks
For certain games you might might want to lock the performance you can raise the minimum clock to 1.0ghz for such games but always remember this risks more heat and to always restore the minimum clock if you dont want to fry your One X
Instead of locking the clocks simply use the gaming boost app/scripts or the safer dual core performance governor
Automating this process
SetCpu 3.x has profiles per app where you can choose a governor for you game, check this post
You can also try Tasker to simplify much of this process, thanks to AJerman for this tips and instructions in here
Rom Cleaner
If you are on stock based ROMs like ARHD and don't care much about all the Sense bloat, you can use Rom Cleanerhttp://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1589949 to de-bloat your ROM, this will free more RAM for gaming and reduce background noise, some users reported few extra fps in benchmarks
Cyanogenmod 9/10
Alternatively if you want your One X totally optimized for gaming, try AOSP ROMs, many games might run smooth without any tweaking, this probably due to the dramatically less bloated ROM and better default CPU configuration, but of course it all depends how you bloat it yourself, you can still use the above tips
If anyone can find more tips about Tegra3 gaming please post!
Very nice tip, I'll give it a try. Thanks a lot man.
Will this increase the performance in GTA3? It's horrible now.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
well it should improve any game
I just tried CM9 and to be honest
you won't see what tegra 3 can realty do.unless you try CM9
without any tweaking all THD games ran liquid smooth includin S4E2
hamdir said:
well it should improve any game
I just tried CM9 and to be honest
you won't see what tegra 3 can realty do.unless you try CM9
without any tweaking all THD games ran liquid smooth includin S4E2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came to know this a while ago . Every game ran atleast 5-10 fps higher on CM9
Though I'm still sticking with sense for now atleast, not sure I want to switch
yup this trick totally fixed gaming for me
60fps in riptide gp stable
still s4e2 was a little smoother in CM9 but its definitely impressive now
loving tegra3 best decision I've made, but we need to tame the beast
ok adjustment to this trick just set the minimum clocks to 1ghz and it will be as good or better, much better temps too
sonic 4 episode 2 is the best mobile game ever made for me, the most pleasent surprise with the one X
ok one more update
stock kernel:
min clock 1.0ghz, max clock 1.5
governor interactive
supercharger script at 512HP Super UL memfrees
holy smokes i love T3
very smooth frame rates on Shadowgun THD, RipeTide and S4E2!
I have used cm9 for a while and tbh I couldn't tell if games were better on it. I'm on pkmn Rom now with Franco's kernel and they seem the same.
robt772000 said:
I have used cm9 for a while and tbh I couldn't tell if games were better on it. I'm on pkmn Rom now with Franco's kernel and they seem the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did u try the clocks trick?
Yep and they run like a charm
robt772000 said:
Yep and they run like a charm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the clock trick is enough, actually even better then the kernel and cm9 tip
I only suggested Franco's kernel and cm9 for those who can't b bothered settings pre gameplay
hamdir said:
the clock trick is enough, actually even better then the kernel and cm9 tip
I only suggested Franco's kernel and cm9 for those who can't b bothered settings pre gameplay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mass effect: Infiltrator runs in Quad mode with Franco's kernel, it's ultra smooth
Nubzori said:
Mass effect: Infiltrator runs in Quad mode with Franco's kernel, it's ultra smooth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't get mass effect. Must be my location.
how did you get infiltrator? I tried to buy it but it says that its incompatible with my device.
hamdir said:
T
- to kill the last possibility of a random OS caused stutter, use supercharger script and set the mem frees to 512HP Super UL values
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found 1000HP more responsive. Also Nitro Lag Nullifier script, and few Build.prop I found from TP Forum.
Code:
ro.kernel.checkjni=0
ro.kernel.android.checkjni=0
com.qc.hardware=true
windowsmgr.max_events_per_sec=300
debug.performance.tuning=1
persist.sys.composition.type=gpu
dalvik.vm.execution-mode=int:jit
ShyamSasi said:
I found 1000HP more responsive. Also Nitro Lag Nullifier script, and few Build.prop I found from TP Forum.
Code:
ro.kernel.checkjni=0
ro.kernel.android.checkjni=0
com.qc.hardware=true
windowsmgr.max_events_per_sec=300
debug.performance.tuning=1
persist.sys.composition.type=gpu
dalvik.vm.execution-mode=int:jit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't go with nitro, I tried kernelizer n disabled 2 cores lol n nitro I would expect it to cause issues
of course 1000hp is better that's very aggressive and no multi tasking, ill try ur build.prop values but some of them r needless like jit
Drefsab said:
how did you get infiltrator? I tried to buy it but it says that its incompatible with my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird, works fine for me, although crashes on certain cutscenes
Alright i have an update for you guys
first of all my method in the OP of the minimum clock locking will heat up the device
i found better ways
i've been testing my device non stop for the past days and i can confirm the following
multitasking and background apps are a definite contributor to heat, battery consumption and lag in games
I just ran S4e2 for one hour of gaming, stock kernel, on just the interactive governor without touching the clocks, it ran the smoothest yet without any stutter, and the temperature never crossed 43c battery and 72c CPU
updated the OP with my new tips
So, I have installed ExtremeKernel3 on my phone, together with EliteGamer 2.0.
And to the question. Apparently the ExtremeKernel overclocks the processor. But how do I know if my phone is overclocked or not? Is the overclocking made automatically, when I install the kernel? Or do I have to do anything else to overclock it? I just don´t know how it works.
U can use "no frills CPU" to overclock ur cpu
Sent from my R800i using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
silmes said:
So, I have installed ExtremeKernel3 on my phone, together with EliteGamer 2.0.
And to the question. Apparently the ExtremeKernel overclocks the processor. But how do I know if my phone is overclocked or not? Is the overclocking made automatically, when I install the kernel? Or do I have to do anything else to overclock it? I just don´t know how it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Overclocking means that you can set phone's clock speed more then manufacturer default speed. For Xperia Play deafult clock is 1GHz.
Term "overclocking enabled kernel" means that value of clock speed is higher then in deafult (stock) kernel.
To be able to have use of that higher speed, you need an app that take take of clock speed. For example No-frills CPU Control There you set speed of your clock.
What value of clock you can set is determined in kernel. for example, in stock kernel you can set 1GHz and below, in DoomLord kernel you can set up to 2GHz and in Lupus kernel you can set up to 1.6GHz. Remember that doesn't mean your phone can work at that high speed - it is invidually on each phone how much overclocking each phone can take before it just don't work anymore (for example, my phone can't get past 1.8GHz, it can work on 1.7GHz only when on charger, but it is stable on battery on 1.6GHz)
The reason devs make overclocking kernel is to give an option how much max clock speed you can set. But that doesn't mean you should do this by any means, because, even it can work on higher clock, it can be bad for cpu if you do it on long period of time.
With higher clock, phone drain more current from battery, wich means overheating can lead to degrading battery life, shortening cpu and/or electronics lifespan in general
But, with overclocking you could shorten electronic lifespan from 10 years to 4 years, and nowdays hardware became obsolete in only few years, and that's why lot of people don't care about danger that overclocking bring.
If previous text was TL;DR, here is short version:
Kernel gives you option what is MAX speed you can set, with an app you choose what clock speed you want to use
Bakisha said:
Overclocking means that you can set phone's clock speed more then manufacturer default speed. For Xperia Play deafult clock is 1GHz.
Term "overclocking enabled kernel" means that value of clock speed is higher then in deafult (stock) kernel.
To be able to have use of that higher speed, you need an app that take take of clock speed. For example No-frills CPU Control There you set speed of your clock.
What value of clock you can set is determined in kernel. for example, in stock kernel you can set 1GHz and below, in DoomLord kernel you can set up to 2GHz and in Lupus kernel you can set up to 1.6GHz. Remember that doesn't mean your phone can work at that high speed - it is invidually on each phone how much overclocking each phone can take before it just don't work anymore (for example, my phone can't get past 1.8GHz, it can work on 1.7GHz only when on charger, but it is stable on battery on 1.6GHz)
The reason devs make overclocking kernel is to give an option how much max clock speed you can set. But that doesn't mean you should do this by any means, because, even it can work on higher clock, it can be bad for cpu if you do it on long period of time.
With higher clock, phone drain more current from battery, wich means overheating can lead to degrading battery life, shortening cpu and/or electronics lifespan in general
But, with overclocking you could shorten electronic lifespan from 10 years to 4 years, and nowdays hardware became obsolete in only few years, and that's why lot of people don't care about danger that overclocking bring.
If previous text was TLDR, here is short version:
Kernel gives you option what is MAX speed you can set, with an app you choose what clock speed you want to use
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Thank you very much for an informative answer!
Hello, I've been trying for a while to make sense of some behavior I didn't expect. No matter what workload I throw at this device it will only fully load CPU cores 1-3, leaving core 4 mostly unused. I have a CPU monitor app on at all times in the notification bar (I use the open source "CPU Stats" app) which allows me to see this happening in real time. Some examples: AnTuTu benchmark will light up 3 cores but the 4rth will be nearly idle resulting in 75%-80% CPU usage. BOINC research app will allow me to run 4 jobs at once but only uses 3 cores no matter the setting. Using Termux to run ffmpeg and transcode 4k video only uses 3 cores. But, and this struck me as interesting, installing large apps from the Play Store will briefly provoke that fourth core into action and can sometimes result in 100% CPU usage. Going into free window mode and resizing and dragging windows quickly can result in momentary 100% usage. I wonder if the system has reserved core 4 for itself? Is this a thing? If I use Kernel Auditor to shut down core 4 then 1-3 still easily ramp up to 100%, as will cores 1 & 2 if I shut down 3 & 4. If I shut down 2 & 3 then core 1 easily goes to 100% and 4 still refuses to do so unless handling a system workload. I used to think I had a bum core but it can be provoked into use by the system so I now think it's been reserved somehow.
Kinda wish I could override it. I'd like to transcode on 4 cores, for example. By the way, the 3 cores match or slightly exceed the 4 cores in the Pixel-xs for some ffmpeg commands, and run away with it over time because the phone throttles.
Anyone else seeing this? Am I on to something, do I have a bum device, am I nuts?
It's because the apps are programmed to use that many core. Simple apps can actually get away with with only 1 core being used. On those apps that need to run on multiple cores, it's actually very difficult to design the program efficiently. In short, more cores utilized = more difficult to program.
Even if you have multiple programs open at the same time, you only have 1 program that has focus at each given moment. Then what you're most likely experiencing is that threads from other programs are suspended, so your cores get utilized by only that program which has focus.