TECH TALK
Understanding Power and Efficiency
Jarred Walton
CREATING A MODERN microprocessor involves myriad decisions, including size and transistor counts, but even with a finalized design, there are still a few knobs that can be used for further tuning: voltage and frequency. These tools are often available to end users and lie at the heart of overclocking. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.
I mean that literally in this case. Power increases directly in proportion with frequency and with the square of the voltage. That’s why higher clock speeds require more power, but if you also need more voltage to stabilize those higher clocks, you get a double whammy. The reverse is also true, naturally—drop the voltage and/or frequency and you can reduce power requirements.