Intel i7-2600K BX80623I72600K User Manual

Datasheet, Volume 1

39

Technologies

Intel

®

 Turbo Boost Technology is a feature that allows the processor core to 

opportunistically and automatically run faster than its rated operating frequency/render 
clock if it is operating below power, temperature, and current limits. The Intel Turbo 
Boost Technology feature is designed to increase performance of both multi-threaded 
and single-threaded workloads. Maximum frequency is dependant on the SKU and 
number of active cores. No special hardware support is necessary for Intel Turbo Boost 
Technology. BIOS and the OS can enable or disable Intel Turbo Boost Technology. 
Compared with previous generation products, Intel Turbo Boost Technology will 
increase the ratio of application power to TDP. Thus, thermal solutions and platform 
cooling that are designed to less than thermal design guidance might experience 
thermal and performance issues since more applications will tend to run at the 
maximum power limit for significant periods of time. 

Intel Turbo Boost Technology may not be available on all SKUs.

The processor’s rated frequency assumes that all execution cores are running an 
application at the thermal design power (TDP). However, under typical operation, not 
all cores are active. Therefore, most applications are consuming less than the TDP at 
the rated frequency. To take advantage of the available thermal headroom, the active 
cores can increase their operating frequency.

To determine the highest performance frequency amongst active cores, the processor 
takes the following into consideration:

• The number of cores operating in the C0 state.
• The estimated current consumption.
• The estimated power consumption. 
• The  temperature.

Any of these factors can affect the maximum frequency for a given workload. If the 
power, current, or thermal limit is reached, the processor will automatically reduce the 
frequency to stay with its TDP limit.

Intel Turbo Boost Technology processor frequencies are only active if the operating 

system is requesting the P0 state. For more information on P-states and C-states, refer 

to 

.

Graphics render frequency is selected by the processor dynamically based on graphics 
workload demand. The processor can optimize both processor and Processor Graphics 
performance by managing power for the overall package. For the Processor Graphics, 
this allows an increase in the render core frequency and increased graphics 
performance for graphics intensive workloads. In addition, during processor intensive 
workloads when the graphics power is low, the processor core can increase its 
frequency higher within the package power limit. Enabling Intel Turbo Boost Technology 
will maximize the performance of the processor core and the graphics render frequency 
within the specified package power levels.