bnmohan via HWKB.com wrote:
> I have a HP NX6120 laptop.
> When I opened the Help and Support Centre and looked at my System information,
> it reported that the processor was Centrino 1.73Ghz, and current speed 800Mhz.
>
> Is the "current speed 800Mhz" the reason why the notebook appears to be
> running slow now? I increased the RAM from 512M to 1.24G ( with matching ram
> chips)?
> Is there a BIOS setting that should be touched? I understand that it is quite
> risky doing that.
>
> Mohan
>
There is a review here.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2483
Most notebook/laptop computers, will have power saving options. One of
those options, is to drop the processor speed, when the computer is
relatively idle. That is called SpeedStep or EIST by Intel (Powernow or Cool N' Quiet
by AMD). That would account for the reported speed - that is one of the two
speeds possible.
Chipsets come with one or two memory channels. In the two memory channel
case, an option called "dual channel" is possible. It allows enhanced memory
bandwidth, by fetching from both channels at the same time.
If the "dual channel" criterion are not met, the BIOS will set up the chipset
for single channel operation. Either one channel or the other channel will
be accessed, according to memory address presented. There will be a
reduction in memory speed, when this mode is used.
For dual channel operation, there are a couple possible criterion used.
One is "exact matching". That was a requirement of earlier chipsets.
The rows, columns, banks, and ranks of memory (logical dimensions) of each
DIMM, had to match its partner.
Later chipsets reduced the requirements, to having the same amount of
memory present on each channel. On a desktop computer, with that relaxed
requirement, you could put 2x512MB on one channel, and a single 1GB stick
on the other channel (using three of four slots on a desktop).
In the case of your computer, there are two slots. There is little difference
between "exact match" and "same total memory" in your case. It is easiest
to use the same memory for both the internal slot and the external slot.
It sounds like the machine had 2x256MB matched to start with, you removed
one and added a 1GB stick. This gives the 1.24GB figure, with the mismatched
memory config of 256MB + 1GB. The machine will use single channel mode as a
result of the upgrade.
(Note - this assumes the manufacturer did not cheat, and simply stick both
memories on the same channel, enforcing single channel operation at all times.
If that were the case, it would not matter how the slots were populated. But
I think this is a dual channel setup.)
For a testing program, there is this. This is an ancient program, used by
benchmarkers, and has been hand modified (assembler level instructions),
in order to prevent cheating. Apparently, the original source is not
available.
http://www.xtremesystems.com/pi/super_pi_mod-1.5.zip http://www.xtremesystems.com/pi/
To benchmark, the dialog will present a "number of digits" to generate.
For example, on my 3.1GHz P4, it takes 50 seconds to generate one million
digits of the constant PI. (I used to get 45 seconds, but after my AV program
was added, the time increased to 50 seconds.)
The above review article (notebookreview.com), notes this benchmark for the program.
HP nx6120 (1.73GHz Alviso Pentium M) 1m 50s (Calculate Pi to 2 Million Digits)
You could start, by putting the original 2x256MB memory configuration back
in the computer. Start SuperPI running, and verify the 1 minute 50 second
result. That is verifying the thing works as well as the review article above.
On a second run of SuperPI, in the middle of the calculation run, try to run
the System Info tool. Now you should be seeing 1.73GHz or whatever displayed
as the speed. Since the system should be running at 100% CPU during the
SuperPI calculation interval, the Intel SpeedStep should have turned up
the clock speed.
Now, shut down the computer, and go to your mismatched memory configuration
of 256MB plus 1GB sticks. Boot the computer and rerun SuperPI for 2 million
digits. You should see a slight reduction in performance.
Matching your memory, is the next logical step. As in, purchasing the same
memory for both internal and external slots.
The maintenance manual for the machine is here. It shows the location of the
internal and external slots. Page 140 and 118 respectively.
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/su...reg_R1002_USEN
Have fun,
Paul
HP notebook running slow 
Linear Mode
