A Question on Network Cards, and my choice of hardware….

vimes

Yeah I don't know why it wouldn't hit the top burst frequency.

There is probably a whole set of criteria for how Intel handles turbo boost and I don't know what it is.
It also might be a windows thing? I really don't know.

No worries and many thanks

The point that CPU-Temp was able to show the multiplier at 24 and thus only 2.4Ghz is something set by Asrock, there is no manual override with this board for the clock frequency. I'm hoping that they will come back to me on that one within their forums and I've also contacted an Asrock rep.

If I get a reply from either I'll post back here

As a side note my AirVPN connection is now up and going.

But somewhere I'll have to figure out why the firewall within pfsense is blocking my Usenet clients from connecting on ports 119 and ports 563.

whosmatt

@vimes:

I did get the J335 and it is noted as 2Ghz but its burst rate should be up to 2.5Ghz, as you also noted :)

But when I stressed it I then find it will show as 2.4Ghz and CPU-Temp will show it as 100x24.

This should show as 2.5Ghz and 25x100 if it was to meet the spec of 2.5Ghz. The CPU was cool and not being throttled at the time due to heat.

Did you stress it with a single thread or multiple? It's my understanding that the max boost speed would only apply if a single core is stressed, and then only if power and thermal limits allow it. If it's boosting to 2.4GHz on all cores then I'd say you're doing pretty well.

vimes

Point taken about the cores.

Considering that I have managed to get pfsense working now with my VPN connection and at around 75Mb the CPU is showing around 20% load all seems good.

Just to satisfy my curiosity it would be interesting what Asrock will have to say. I still suspect that it is the BIOS limiting the CPU to a 24x multiplier. Which could be for thermal reasons due to the passive cooler fitted.

Runenaldo

my Asrock J3455-ITX is doing the same as your J3355, during multicore stress testing in prime95.

it should hit 2.3GHz, but I'm only seeing 2.2GHz (multiplier x22)

vimes

That's interesting. I wonder if it is a Asrock / BIOS means of thermal or stability control as I would doubt that it would be an Intel limitation.
Asus also use some of these chips in similar boards but I haven't read about their limitations.

They have not replied here….

http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4787

... When I asked that question.

I do feel kinda cheated...! Lol

pfBasic

It probably has something to do with what whosmatt mentioned. I very much doubt that a huge supplier (or any supplier) like ASRock is crippling hardware secretly.

This is probably just not the right way to test that.

pfBasic

It looks like a moderator did answer you over there:

If we check the specifications of your board's J3355 processor, we find that 2.5GHz is what Intel calls the "Burst Frequency".

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/processors/celeron/j3355.html

Burst Frequency is similar to a Turbo speed of other Intel processors. The Turbo and Burst frequency/speed is not the maximum standard processor speed. Turbo speeds occur only on a subset of the processor cores under certain conditions and situations. The same is true for the Burst Frequency. Turbo and Burst speeds are not maintained on a continuous basis.

When stress testing an Intel processor with the Turbo feature, the maximum speed all the cores will achieve will be the maximum specified frequency, which is not the Turbo frequency. The same is true for the Burst frequency.

In the case of the J3455-ITX board, and its J3455 processor, the Burst Frequency is 2.3GHz:

http://ark.intel.com/products/95594/Intel-Celeron-Processor-J3455-2M-Cache-up-to-2_3-GHz

So this one is on Intel, or a slight misunderstanding of the specifications of these processors.

Similar response to what you got over here.

Especially since two people are seeing the same result on different CPUs, almost certainly either a misunderstanding of the technology, an error in testing method or both.
Highly unlikely (read, it isn't) a secret nerf from Intel or ASRock.

Burst does not = Turbo Boost, but there isn't any clear paper explaining it by Intel (that I've found).
https://www.pcper.com/reviews/Processors/Intel-Atom-Z3000-Series-Review-Bay-Trail-and-Silvermont-Arrive/Intel-Burst-and-Ac

vimes

I think that it is more of how the board was advertised at Amazon which, for me, started the confusion….

ASRock J3355B-ITX J3355 2DDR3(SOD)/2S3/GL M-ITX ASRock Super Alloy Intel Dual-Core Processor J3355 (up to 2.5 GHz)

And in the motherboard spec at Amazon......

Processor Speed 2.5 GHz

Which should be amended.

ASRock J3355B-ITX 2DDR3(SOD)/2S3/GL M-ITX Motherboard - Grey

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M9EXCYB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0556ybD5VSKG1

At least we know.

pfBasic

Oh yeah, those damn advertisements will get you!

When speccing your hardware it's always best to read the manufacturers spec (in this case Intel ARK).

When determining the CPU you need it's best to figure out about the minimum single core clock frequency you can get away with to do what you need, and buy something that meets (or very nearly meets) that as a base frequency. Turbo Boost and Burst frequencies can't be relied on to give you performance because of the way they are designed. Think of them as a bonus you'll get every now and then and you won't be disappointed.

vimes

How I do agree.!

I did check out the CPU with Intel to understand the TDP and then read….

Processor Base Frequency
2.00 GHz

Burst Frequency
2.50 GHz

What I didn't understand is how the burst mode values are arrived that. Sort of different to how my 6700k is listed.

It was important to know if the CPU supported the AES instruction set and, if needed, virtualization.