A slow processor may not be a problem

Q When I run a program called CPUInfo on my Dell Latitude D610, which has a Pentium M processor, the program reports that the processor is running at 796MHz when it is supposed to be 1.6GHz.

Usually it shows this speed or 1,597MHz just after I boot into Windows, after the PC has been turned off.

A second program I used also shows that the processor is running at this speed. Is this normal, or am I going to have problems with my PC only running at half speed?

Ivor W Allison

A This is normal and there is nothing wrong with your computer or processor. This is a feature of modern Intel chips called Speedstep, where the processor speed is reduced when the computer is idle.

This will draw less power, which will save money for a desktop PC connected to the mains, and improve battery life in laptops. It will also reduce the amount of heat produced by the laptop.

As soon as you start a task that puts the processor under a lot of work, such as loading a game, the speed will increase back up to 1.6GHz.

If you wish to disable this, you can look for a setting in your computer’s Bios where it may be labelled EIST. Set this to disabled to leave your processor running at 1.6GHz all the time.

Baffled by jargon? See our free online jargon buster