TWI418977B - Overclock test method for core processors - Google Patents

Description

Multi-core processor overclocking test method

The present invention relates to an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor, and more particularly to an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor capable of testing multiple overclocking levels.

SpeedStep is a frequency-down technology designed by Intel (INTEL) processor for energy saving. It used to be suitable for notebooks (NB). It enables the processor to switch between multiple defined frequencies, high, medium, and low; typically, the frequency drop is lower when the battery is used, and even to the higher frequency when the AC power is used. INTEL's Nehalem and Sandy Bridge series processors have added overclocking capabilities to SpeedStep technology in order to improve efficiency on the basis of energy saving. The multi-core processors of the Nehalem and Sandy Bridge series have overclocking characteristics that determine the highest overclocking level based on the number of high-load core processors. That is, the more core processors that are not fully loaded, the higher the nominal frequency level that the fully loaded core processor can overclock to. In addition, even with the same number of core processors, different models of multi-core processors may correspond to different highest overclocking levels. Therefore, when the number of core processors with full load is small, it can be overclocked to a relatively high frequency. Rate level.

The Nehalem processor sets a register to the status register in the overclocked state to record the operating speed of the processor. However, the maximum value of the state register is the processor's nominal frequency level plus one, so the state register can only be obtained whether the processor is in the low frequency, high frequency or overclocking state. In other words, even if you know that the processor is in an overclocked state, you cannot determine which frequency level it is in. Therefore, the traditional method of overclocking cannot be tested to cover all possible overclocking levels.

In addition, the traditional method of overclocking is greatly affected by the system, and the success rate of the test cannot be guaranteed. If the system's background is idle, the system uses the SpeedStep feature and forces the processor to run at idle speed (Idle). At this point, the program that tests overclocking may occur randomly due to a conflict with the system (the system requires running at a low speed, but the test program requires high speed operation) to get the wrong test result, which affects the test accuracy.

In order to solve the above problems, an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor is proposed herein; it is suitable for testing a plurality of core processors, wherein the core processors have the same nominal frequency level. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor includes: selecting i core processors among all core processors as i test processors, where i is a positive integer greater than 0, and i is less than or equal to all core processors Number; calculate a specified frequency level based on the number of all core processors, the i value, and the nominal frequency level; generate i voltages Force thread, and bind i pressure threads to i test processors to pressurize i test processors individually using i pressure threads; when the frequency levels of i test processors reach the specified frequency Level, and when all of the core processors have not been tested at the specified frequency level, re-select the new i core processors as the new i test processors, where the new i test processors include At least one core processor tested corresponding to the specified frequency level of i; and repeating the above steps until all core processors have been tested at the specified frequency level.

In an embodiment, where the starting value of i is equal to one. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor may further include: incrementing the i value by 1; and repeating the test of the core processor corresponding to the incremented i value until the value of i is equal to the number of all core processors to utilize the corresponding incremented i value Test all core processors at the specified frequency level.

In another embodiment, where the starting value of i is equal to the number of all core processors. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor may further include: decrementing the i value by 1; and repeating the test of the core processor with the corresponding decremented i value until the value of i is equal to 1, to test all of the specified frequency levels corresponding to the decremented i value. Core processor.

The specified frequency level can be the nominal frequency level plus the number of all core processors minus i. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor may further include: ending the i pressure threads when the frequency levels of the i test processors all reach the specified frequency level.

Moreover, according to an embodiment, each of the core processors corresponds to two logical processors. And "selecting all of the core processors in the core processor as i test processors, where i is a positive integer greater than 0, and i is less than or equal to the number of all core processors" may include : All logical processors are given a logical number; and i logical processors in the logical processor are selected as i test processors, wherein the logical number of each logical processor selected is an even number.

According to another embodiment, each core processor corresponds to two logical processors. And "selecting all of the core processors in the core processor as i test processors, where i is a positive integer greater than 0, and i is less than or equal to the number of all core processors" may include : All logical processors are assigned a logical number; and i logical processors in the logical processor are selected as i test processors, wherein the logical number of each logical processor selected is an odd number.

In summary, the multi-core processor overclocking test method calculates the specified frequency level that can be reached, and uses the bound i pressure threads to individually pressurize the i test processors. Therefore, the multi-core processor overclocking test method will not be interfered by the SpeedStep function, and the test coverage of the overclocked frequency level will be 100%.

20‧‧‧Multicore processor

22,22a-d‧‧‧ core processor

24,24a-h‧‧‧Logical Processor

30‧‧‧Master Thread

32‧‧‧Pressure Threads

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a core processor of an embodiment.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor of an embodiment.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a pressure thread of an embodiment.

4A is a flow chart of an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor of another embodiment.

4B is a flow chart of an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor of still another embodiment.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a logical processor of an embodiment.

The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the Detailed Description of the Detailed Description of the <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> <RTIgt; The objects and advantages associated with the present invention can be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

The present invention relates to an overclocking test method for a multi-core processor that is suitable for testing multiple core processors. Please refer to "FIG. 1", which is a schematic diagram of a core processor of an embodiment. The multi-core processor 20 may be a processor of the Nehalem and Sandy Bridge series of Intel (INTEL), which includes a plurality of core processors 22.

The following example uses the processor of the type "Intel(R)Xeon(R) CPU E7520@1.87GHz" as the multi-core processor 20. However, the method can also be applied to other different models or with different core numbers. Core processor 20.

The multi-core processor 20 of "Intel(R)Xeon(R) CPU E7520@1.87GHz" includes four core processors 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d (real The built-in numbers can be 0~3), and each core processor 22 has the same nominal frequency level. The nominal frequency of the core processor 22 (also known as the nominal speed) is 1.87 billion hertz (GHz) and its external frequency is 133 megahertz (MHz). Since the speed of the core processor 22 is frequency-frequency multiplied by an external frequency, it can be seen that the nominal frequency level is 1.87 ÷ 0.133 = 14.

In addition, the multi-core processor 20 of the Nehalem and Sandy Bridge series has an overclocking characteristic that determines the highest overclocking level by the number of high-load core processors 22. According to an embodiment, the fully loaded core processor 22 can be overclocked to a nominal frequency level plus the number of core processors 22 that are not fully loaded. However, the calculation of the highest nominal frequency may be different, and the invention is not limited thereto.

For example, when only the core processor 22a of the multi-core processor 20 is operating with full load, the core processor 22a has a highest overclocking level of 17. When core processors 22a and 22b are operating with full load, core processors 22a and 22b have a maximum overclocking level of 16. When all of the core processors 22 are fully loaded, the highest overclocking level of these core processors 22 can only be the nominal frequency level.

It can be seen from the above overclocking characteristics that when the number of core processors 22 with full load is small, it can be overclocked to a relatively high frequency level. In order to test whether each core processor 22 has sufficient overclocking capability, an overclocking test method for this multi-core processor is proposed.

Please refer to "Figure 2", which is a multi-core of an implementation example. Flowchart of the overclocking test method of the processor. The multi-core processor overclocking test method can be used as a main thread, and the main thread can generate at least one stress thread to test the core thread.

The main thread first selects i core processors 22 of all the core processors 22 as i test processors (step S110) to test the i test processors. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor can simultaneously test the selected i test processors, where i is a positive integer greater than 0, and i is less than or equal to the number of all core processors 22. Therefore, in this embodiment, 1≦i≦4.

A specified frequency level is then calculated based on the number of all core processors 22, the i value, and the nominal frequency level (step S120). Since the overclocking characteristics are related to the number of high load core processors 22, different i values will correspond to different specified frequency levels. According to an embodiment, the specified frequency level is equal to the nominal frequency plus the number of all core processors 22 minus i. However, the specified manner of specifying the frequency level can be adjusted according to actual needs, and the present invention does not limit it. For example, when i is equal to 1, the specified frequency level is 17; and when i is equal to 2, the specified frequency level is 16. Further, since the FSB is 133 MHz, when i is equal to 1, the specified frequency is 2.26 GHz; and when i is equal to 2, the specified frequency is 2.13 GHz.

After the specified frequency level is obtained, the main thread generates i pressure threads, and binds the i pressure threads to the i test processors (step S130) to utilize i pressure threads to individually test the i test processors. Pressurize. When the test environment is a Windows (Windows) system, you can use the "SetThreadAffinityMask" function in the MS application program interface (MS API) provided by Microsoft to connect the stress thread to the test processor. Bind. When the test environment is a Linux system, you can use the "sched_setaffinity" function in the system API to bind the stress thread to the test processor. The content of the stress thread can be, for example, calculating the pi or continuously executing the SIMD inside the processor to occupy a large amount of resources of the test processor, and the test processor becomes a state of full load.

The main thread uses the i pressure threads to pressurize the i test processors, continuously detects the current frequency level of the i test processors, and determines whether the frequency levels of the i test processors reach the specified frequency. Level (step S140).

A simple example of a method of detecting the current frequency level of the core processor 22 in the overclocked state is as follows. The IA32_MPERF register (Rs) of the core processor 22 whose frequency level is to be detected is cleared, and the time stamp counter (TSC, Ts) is recorded. Read the IA32_MPERF register (Re) and record the end point TSC. The current frequency is obtained by dividing the value of the IA32_MPERF register at the end point by the difference between the start point and the end point TSC, and then the current frequency level is obtained by dividing the external frequency.

Each core processor 22 has its own IA32_MPERF register, which is defined as "Maximum Performance Frequency Clock Count", so the register is a counter. Where Rs is Indicates the result of clearing the value of the scratchpad, which is the value of "zero". And Re is the value of this register at the end.

If the specified frequency level cannot be reached within a certain time, it means the test failed and the test can be ended. When the frequency levels of all the i test processors reach the specified frequency level, it means that the i test processors can smoothly overclock to the specified frequency level. The master thread determines whether all core processors 22 have been tested at the specified frequency level (step S150), and if so, the test can be ended. If there are still core processors 22 in the multi-core processor 20 that have not been tested at the specified frequency level, the new i core processors 22 are reselected as the new i test processors (step S160). The new i test processors include at least one core processor 22 that has not been tested at the specified frequency level corresponding to i. The main thread repeats the above steps until all core processors 22 have been tested at the specified frequency level.

For example, when i is equal to 1, the main thread can be tested one by one at a specified frequency level of 17 in accordance with the order of the core processors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d. When i is equal to 2, the master thread can test all of the core processors 22 twice in the order of the core processors 22a and 22b, and 22c and 22d at a specified frequency level of 16.

Please refer to "3rd figure", which is a schematic diagram of the pressure thread of an embodiment. The main thread 30 can generate i pressure threads 32 according to the test. Taking "FIG. 3" as an example, the main thread 30 generates three pressure threads 32 in step S130, and respectively, and three test processors. Bind. And when After confirming the test results of the three test processes in step S140, the main thread 30 ends the i pressure threads 32. In other words, when the frequency level of the i test processors reaches the specified frequency level, or when the frequency level of any test processor cannot reach the specified frequency level within a certain period of time, the main thread 30 makes all the pressure. The thread 32 is terminated.

In order to be able to fully test the multi-core processor 20 at each of the specified frequency levels of overclocking, the multi-core processor overclocking test method can change the value of i and test at a specified frequency level corresponding to a different value of i. Please refer to "4A" and "4B", which are flowcharts of overclocking test methods for multi-core processors of different embodiments.

The main thread 30 may first initialize i equal to 1 (step S100) or the number of all core processors 22 (step S101). After successfully testing all of the core processors 22 at a specified frequency level corresponding to the initial value of i, the master thread 30 may increment (step S170) or decrement (step S171) the value of i, and return to step S110 with a new value of i. Continue testing. For example, the test may be performed at the specified frequency levels of 17, 16, 15, and 14 in the order of the values of 1, 2, 3, and 4; the test may be performed in the reverse order or in any order. And the main thread can confirm whether "i is greater than the number of all core processors 22" (step S180) or "i is less than 1" (step S181) and other boundary conditions to determine whether all core processors 22 have Complete testing for all possible overclocking situations.

In addition, multi-core processor overclocking test methods can also be targeted A multi-core processor 20 that functions as a Hyper-Threading (HT). Intel's hyper-threading technology mainly introduces the concept of synchronous multi-thread into the Intel processor architecture to realize parallel processing of threads. This technique allows a single entity core processor 22 to be configured as two logical processors (also referred to as virtual processors) and to share a set of two logical processors corresponding to the same core processor 22. The processor executes resources. Therefore, a single core processor 22 can simultaneously handle two different sets of work, making full use of the idle resources in the past, so that the overall performance is further improved. In simple terms, Intel Hyper-Threading Technology uses a single core processor 22 as two logical (or virtual) processors; although there is only one physical processor in the computer, it can execute two threads simultaneously.

Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a schematic diagram of a logical processor of an embodiment. For the multi-core processor 20 that turns on the hyper-thread function, the original four core processors 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are turned into logical processors 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e, 24f, 24g, and 24h. These logical processors 24 may have a built-in number of 0-7, and the two correspond to a core processor 22. For example, both logical processors 24a and 24b correspond to core processor 22a, and logical processors 24c and 24d both correspond to core processor 22b.

The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor may further include: sequentially assigning all logical processors 24 a logical number; and selecting i logical processors 24 in the logical processor 24 as the i test processors, wherein The logical number of each logical processor 24 selected is an even number. Multi-core processor The overclocking test method may also include: sequentially assigning all logical processors 24 logical numbers; and selecting i logical processors 24 in the logical processor 24 as i test processors, wherein each of the selected logical processes The logical number of the device 24 is an odd number.

Since the logical processor 24, which has an odd number or an even number, must correspond to a different core processor 22, this method of selection enables the correct selection of the test processor. However, the master thread 30 can also select two logical processors 24 corresponding to the same core processor 22 in step S110. If both logical processors 24 corresponding to the same core processor 22 are selected as test processors, then test pressure can be applied to the core processor 22. Only when the specified frequency level is calculated in step S120, adjustment is required. For example, when i is equal to 4 but the selected test processors are logical processors 24a, 24b, 24c, and 24d, since only core processors 22a and 22b are actually selected, the specified frequency level should be 16 instead of 14.

In summary, the overclocking test method of the multi-core processor calculates the specified frequency level according to the total number of core processors, the nominal frequency level, and the number of test processors, and utilizes the bundled i pressure threads to perform individual pairs. i test processors are pressurized. Therefore, the overclocking test method of the multi-core processor is not interfered by the SpeedStep function, and the test processor can be properly pressurized. In addition, by monitoring whether each test processor reaches a different specified frequency level, the test coverage of the overclocked frequency level can be 100%. In other words, for each core processor, all possible overclocked frequency levels can be measured. Try it.

The above detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is intended to provide a further understanding of the scope of the invention. On the contrary, the intention is to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims (7)

An overclocking test method for a multi-core processor, which is suitable for testing a plurality of core processors having the same nominal frequency level, and the overclocking test method of the multi-core processor includes: selecting all of the cores i of the core processor in the processor as i test processors, where i is a positive integer greater than 0, and i is less than or equal to the number of all of the core processors; according to the core processors The number, the i value, and the nominal frequency level calculate a specified frequency level; generating i pressure threads and binding the i pressure threads to the i test processors to utilize the i pressure threads individually Pressurizing the i test processors; when the frequency levels of the i test processors reach the specified frequency level, and all of the core processors have not been tested at the specified frequency level, the new one is reselected. i core processors as the new one of the test processors, wherein the new one of the test processors includes at least one of the core processors that have not been tested at the specified frequency level corresponding to i; Repeat the above steps until all of the core processors have been tested at the specified frequency level. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor of claim 1, wherein i is equal to 1, and the overclocking test method of the multi-core processor further comprises: incrementing an i value by 1; and repeating the test corresponding to the incremented i value The core processors until the value of i is equal to the cores The number of heart processors to test all of the core processors with the specified frequency level corresponding to the incremented i value. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor of claim 1, wherein i is equal to the number of the core processors, and the overclocking test method of the multi-core processor further comprises: decrementing the value of i by 1; The core processors are repeatedly tested for decreasing i values until the i value is equal to one to test all of the core processors with the specified frequency level corresponding to the decreasing i value. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor of claim 1, wherein the specified frequency level is equal to the nominal frequency level plus the number of core processors minus i. The overclocking test method of the multi-core processor of claim 1, further comprising: ending the i pressure threads when the frequency levels of the i test processors all reach the specified frequency level. An overclocking test method for a multi-core processor according to claim 1, wherein each of the core processors corresponds to two logical processors, and wherein all of the core processors of the core processors are selected As the i test processors, where i is a positive integer greater than 0, and i is less than or equal to all of the number of core processors includes: sequentially assigning all of the logical processors a logical number And selecting all one of the logical processors as the i test processors, wherein the logical number of each of the selected logical processors is an even number. An overclocking test method for a multi-core processor according to claim 1, wherein each of the core processors corresponds to two logical processors, and wherein all of the core processors of the core processors are selected As the i test processors, where i is greater than 0 a positive integer, and i is less than or equal to all of the number of core processors: sequentially assigning all of the logical processors a logical number; and selecting all of the one of the logical processors The logical processor acts as the i test processors, wherein the logical number of each of the logical processors selected is an odd number.