i7-930 2.8GHz does it have Turbo Boost Technology?

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Computer System: I have an Acer Predator AG7750-U3222 -- no point to ask their tech support --

they (and their site and product manual) offer very little information about this system. I already went that route.

Whilst checking details on this system I have encountered some discrepancies to data on Intel's site which need clairification.

CPU: The system is supposed to have a "Core i7-930 Processor 2.8GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.06GHz".

I assumed that this 2008 CPU Bloomfield? architecture got a facelift with the Turbo Boost but perhaps not.

Sandy Bridge? Acer's site states that this system/model does not have the Sandy Bridge issue.

So does my system have Sandy Bridge or not; since it is supposed to have Turbo Boost Technology?

Turbo Boost?

Meanwhile, the Turbo Boost technology page appears to say that this technology is for optimizing Sandy Bridge.

Does it have Turbo Boost or not? If so is there a spec page on Intel for this particular CPU?

Memory and Mobo?

My system has 12GB but I would like to add more to it.

The CPU can support up to 24 GB -- what about this Mobo?

I'd also like to know if this mobo supports any of the other i7 CPUs.

Is there anyway to find out who manufactured this Mobo so I can locate a spec sheet for it?

Please clarify. Thank you.

I found these links:

http://ark.intel.com/MySearch.aspx?TBT=true&CodeNameText=Sandy%20Bridge http://ark.intel.com/MySearch.aspx?TBT=true&CodeNameText=Sandy%20Bridge

Not on the advertised i7-930 processor according to this page

http://ark.intel.com/ProductCollection.aspx?codeName=28102 http://ark.intel.com/ProductCollection.aspx?codeName=28102 Bloomfield only

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41447 http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41447 no mention of Turbo Boost here

http://i.walmart.com/i/rb/0009980217360.pdf http://i.walmart.com/i/rb/0009980217360.pdf found an Acer pdf system spec page here not much more data on Acer's site

http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/ http://www.intel.com/technology/turboboost/

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Hi es_studios, First of all, here is a link to the i7-930 specifications page:

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41447&code=I7-930 http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41447&code=I7-930

Yes, this CPU has Turbo Boost Technology (I also own one.) This CPU is not a Sandy Bridge model, but belongs to the generation of Intel CPUs released just prior to Sandy Bridge models. There are two "versions" of turbo boost, one for CPUs like ours, and the "2.0" for Sandy Bridge, and no you cannot change the type of turbo boost your CPU has.

The so-called "Sandy Bridge issue" has nothing to do with the CPU's, but a problem with the main support chip on Sandy Bridge CPU mother boards, the 67 series PCH. Your mother board does not use that chip, so this is not an issue for you.

Turbo boost is usually an option that can be enabled or disabled in the BIOS of a mother board. Unfortunately, with many all-in-one PCs such as your Acer, the number of options available in the BIOS is small or not allowed to be changed. Have you ever checked the BIOS of your PC, by pressing the Delete key on the keyboard when you start or restart your PC?

Regarding your question about memory, the 12GB you have now is quite a bit and it would be unusual to use it all up and need more. What type of applications or work are you doing that needs that much memory? Have you ever checked Resource Monitor in Windows, the Memory tab will show you how much memory is being used and how much is available. Given the amount of memory you have, adding more will not increase your PC's performance, unless you are using all the memory you have now.

There are several ways you can identify the type of mother board you have, I suggest you read the article in the link below which will help you do that:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/How-to-Find-Out-Your-Motherboard-Manufacturer-and-Model/236 http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/How-to-Find-Out-Your-Motherboard-Manufacturer-and-Model/236

[idata]

Acer Predator AG7750-U3222 with i7-930 2.8GHz and Turbo Boost Technology

Thank you for your reply and the Intel link for the subject configuration.

I think I have read the hardwaresecrets page before about motherboard identification etc but when I get a chance I'll look at it again to refesh my memory.

Your explaination about Sandy Bridge is helpful. I thought that "Sandy Bridge" was simply the code name for the latest series of chips in the same way Bloomfield was rather than an actual specific hardware implemention. If that is the case then the Intel chart associated with CPUs and this term is somewhat confusing.

I have not even turned this Acer Predator computer on yet -- it is brand new. I was shocked when I opened it up.

I immediately ran into a problem with the PSU being inadequate for the SLI setup it is designed for as well as other issues such as slot spacing.

Some of the GTX cards, for example the 480 or 580, need 42 amps on the rail and both a 6 pin and 8 pin PCI-E power connector.

A 750 watt PSU does not adequately supply enough juice even for one added 470 (if that is what I ultimately needed), let alone yet another GPU.

In addition it doesn't have enough power cables in any case. Therefore using this system as it was intended has its issues and with the way the RAID is set up it would be rather awkward to change out the existing PSU; whilst fixes such as drive bay add-on PSU's are said to be noisy, plus in any case, I need the open bays for other devices. http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

Until these issues are resolved by the seller I don't want to use the system.

As a result I cannot use software such as AIDA64 (Everest) or similar to obtain additional information about it.

Before I have a debate about this Predator I have been sorting out discrepancies such as this one about Turbo Boost so I am very clear about what I am going to say. I also need documentation for that discussion.

I do not recall saying I need to change Turbo Boost; only that I needed to confirm whether or not it is present.

If I may ask, besides the Intel spec page, how did you confirm that your system has the Turbo Boost Technology feature?

Since you have the same system may I ask who manufactured your motherboard? I can't imagine ACER would change manufacturers for such a short

production run -- it does not appear that they produced many of this particular Predator model; probably due to the cost.

Are there any issues that you have discovered with this system? For example, I am wondering about cooling; especially once I install three

GPUs in 3 way SLI. ACER has made some provisions for cooling but it seems inadequate if the system is fully configured.

The manual does not mention much about RAID configuration --- are you using that feature? RAID 0 is useless for my needs.

As for memory, yes 12GB is a lot but for some software such as Adobe After Effects and Premier, more RAM is is very helpful, if not essential.

Also faster renders = lower power bills.

By any chance have you changed out/increased the RAM in your system?

BTW: I do understand that all I can access right now with Adobe's sw is a single graphics card (and its CUDA cores) if you are wondering why SLI.....

the reason is I think that an SLI is inevitable because workstations are too expensive for many so it is only a matter of time until multi-card setups are fully utilized. From the various data that I have looked at more CUDA cores only matter if the system has an adequate CPU etc. There is a study of the CUDA issues here: http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm http://www.studio1productions.com/Articles/PremiereCS5.htm

We almost need a crystal ball to predict what we'll need a few years down the road.

Hopefully this discussion is sufficiently fleshed out to assist others who own the ACER AG7750-U3222

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I'm sorry if you misunderstood, I only have the same CPU as you do, a Core i7-930, I do not have the Acer PC that you do, or any Acer PC. My PC with the i7-930 was assembled from separate parts by me, so you know more about your Acer PC than I do. It would have been ridiculous for me to not tell you what mother board is in your PC if I owned it myself, but I don't so I can't.

The only way you will be able to see if Turbo is enabled in your PC is by turning it on and using it. All Intel Core i7-900 series CPUs, among others, have Turbo boost built into them, it cannot be removed and is not an optional feature. But, it can be turned on or off in the PC's BIOS. The BIOS of any PC I currently own has the option to enable or disable Turbo, the default setting being enabled.

This is important to you because if Turbo is not enabled in the BIOS, your CPU will not run at Turbo speeds, period. But no one except Acer or an owner of your PC can verify whether or not Turbo is enabled or can be enabled in the mother boards BIOS, that is without having the PC running and being at the keyboard. I would be surprised if Acer did not have Turbo enabled, but I really don't know.

The only way to truly know if Turbo boost has been turned on, is to check the system with any one of the many hardware monitoring programs that exist, such as HWiNFO (free download) that displays in real time the operating frequency of your CPU. Intel also has a program to monitor turbo boost while the PC is running. A link to that program, and other information about turbo can be found here:

http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-029908.htm http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-029908.htm

When you ask for documentation of that feature, what else exists besides the specifications and testing it? It is similar to software, how do you know it does what it is advertised to do until you try it? I have seen my i7-930 CPU operate at the specified Turbo frequency, according to hardware monitoring programs, your's will too as long it has been enabled (turned on) in your PC's BIOS.

I cannot comment very much about the power supply issue you are concerned with, except that the providers of pre-built PC's such as your's build them to function as they are provided, and don't take upgrades into account.

Regarding your PC's memory, as it has 12GB now, I assume it is running in triple channel mode (hopefully) as Core i7-900/X58 systems can. That means the mother board has six DIMM slots for memory, unless it has some kind of server mother board, but that is unlikely. You no doubt have six, 2GB memory modules, for a total of 12GB, and all the memory slots on the mother board are filled, there are none empty. To add more memory to that PC, you would need to replace the 2GB modules with 4GB modules. While potentially possible, it would be expensive to do, and the modules you have in the PC now would be useless in that PC.

Message was edited by: parsec

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Thank you for the advice and information.

I would have liked to do a build which you wisely did, but was unable to do so.

Though unexpected, this fact finding effort is also consuming a significant amount of time.

I did not realize that the manufacturer would create a build that was inadequate for the changes it was marketed for

--- not a way, in my view, to create happy customers since such suitability would have cost very little from their end.

I would have been happy to absorb that cost at my end so their slim margins would not have been affected. Oh well....

You have provided everything I need to know.

Thanks again for your time and attention to my questions.