You have just purchased the new AMD Athlon 64 processor and motherboard. Now, you want your processor to run at maximum performance while remaining as cool and quiet as possible. This tech-recipe explains how to enable Cool’n’Quiet support for your AMD Athlon 64 in Windows XP (32-bit). Article updated for the latest links.
What is Cool’n’Quiet?
http://www.amd.com/us/products/technologies/cool-n-quiet/Pages/cool-n-quiet.aspx
-This feature lets the processor slow the fan down and also its own clocking to keep your system as cool and quiet as possible without the performance loss. AMD claims that, when requested, your processor will run at maximum performance. I have been playing Need for Speed Underground with the video set to the highest at 1024 x 762. There is no lag whatsoever.
Requirements:
AMD Athlon 64 cpu
motherboard with Cool’n’Quiet support (I will use my board in this example: MSI K8T NEO-FSR.)
Important Notes:
-To take advantage of this feature, you need to have a motherboard that has support for Cool’n’Quiet. If your motherboard supports this, you will see an option for it in the BIOS. It is most likely in the Advanced Features or Power Management.
-Some motherboards have issues with Cool’n’Quiet not reporting the correct cpu temps. If possible, flash/update your BIOS to the newest version. Most manufacturers will have notes with the BIOS files.
Step 1. Enabling Support in your BIOS
Power on your system.
Right after you see your start screen, hit the Del or F12 to enter Setup. Find the option, and enable it.
Then Save and Exit from the BIOS setup screen.
Step 2. Installing the AMD 64 XP Driver with Cool’n’Quiet Support
Go to the following website to get the latest AMD 64 Driver for Windows XP.
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/Pages/radeon_xp-64.aspx
Install the Drivers.
Reboot your system.
Step 3. Setting Up Power Management for Cool’n’Quiet.
Go to the Control Panel > Display Properties > Screen Saver > Power.
Then on the Power Schemes, choose the Minimal Power Management scheme and click Apply. Then click OK.
If your motherboard manufacturer has any utilities to monitor Cool’n’ Quiet, I recommend installing them.
MSI has the Core Center. This shows you the system temperatures, fan speeds, and the frequency and multiplier setting.
You can see that Cool’n’Quiet is working by leaving your system idle and then going to Control Panel > System . You will notice your processor speed is much lower than what your cpu is rated. Mine shows 1Ghz. It is an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (2.0 Ghz). Then load up a DVD and open a browser window and check again. It probably shows a higher frequency..
