--- zzzz-none-000/linux-3.10.107/Documentation/cpu-freq/boost.txt 2017-06-27 09:49:32.000000000 +0000 +++ scorpion-7490-727/linux-3.10.107/Documentation/cpu-freq/boost.txt 2021-02-04 17:41:59.000000000 +0000 @@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ Some CPUs support a functionality to raise the operating frequency of some cores in a multi-core package if certain conditions apply, mostly if the whole chip is not fully utilized and below it's intended thermal -budget. This is done without operating system control by a combination -of hardware and firmware. +budget. The decision about boost disable/enable is made either at hardware +(e.g. x86) or software (e.g ARM). On Intel CPUs this is called "Turbo Boost", AMD calls it "Turbo-Core", in technical documentation "Core performance boost". In Linux we use the term "boost" for convenience. @@ -48,24 +48,24 @@ User controlled switch ---------------------- -To allow the user to toggle the boosting functionality, the acpi-cpufreq -driver exports a sysfs knob to disable it. There is a file: +To allow the user to toggle the boosting functionality, the cpufreq core +driver exports a sysfs knob to enable or disable it. There is a file: /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpufreq/boost which can either read "0" (boosting disabled) or "1" (boosting enabled). -Reading the file is always supported, even if the processor does not -support boosting. In this case the file will be read-only and always -reads as "0". Explicitly changing the permissions and writing to that -file anyway will return EINVAL. +The file is exported only when cpufreq driver supports boosting. +Explicitly changing the permissions and writing to that file anyway will +return EINVAL. On supported CPUs one can write either a "0" or a "1" into this file. This will either disable the boost functionality on all cores in the -whole system (0) or will allow the hardware to boost at will (1). +whole system (0) or will allow the software or hardware to boost at will +(1). Writing a "1" does not explicitly boost the system, but just allows the -CPU (and the firmware) to boost at their discretion. Some implementations -take external factors like the chip's temperature into account, so -boosting once does not necessarily mean that it will occur every time -even using the exact same software setup. +CPU to boost at their discretion. Some implementations take external +factors like the chip's temperature into account, so boosting once does +not necessarily mean that it will occur every time even using the exact +same software setup. AMD legacy cpb switch