Some unexpected benchmark results may show how Apple is implementing - or not - a key feature of Intel's second-generation Core i platform, 'Sandy Bridge'. Tests performed by dead-tree title PC Pro show that Sandy Bridge's Turbo Boost technology, which dynamically overclocks one, two or four cores based if the CPU load could …

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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 10:37 GMT TeeCee

I suspect it's simple.

Windows is more multicore friendly and keeps all four occupied. (You can read this as "Windows has loads of unnecessary cruft running in the background" if you prefer).

Using Windows on the hotter i7, it doesn't get the thermal leeway to boost with all four cores in use. MacOS keeps the thread count down, allowing it to turn a core or two off so it can.

That's my guess.

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1. Tuesday 22nd March 2011 12:32 GMT The Cube
  
  Yep, it'll be all that junk that runs on Windoze
  
  I run several Windows VMs on my macbook and every single one of them uses more processor "doing nothing" with no apps open than the MBP does with most of my apps open and me using them.
  
  Poor little processor is already toasty from Windows with all the new Redmond "Click here to enable system slowdown" features, bet the hard disk is moaning to itself too...
  
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  1. Tuesday 22nd March 2011 13:38 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    @Cube
    
    Do you have a Mac OS VM to compare to? The load that you see is likely the overhead that is reuired to run a VM. I see pretty much the same load on my ESXi box for each OS, while it's doing nothing.
    
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    1. Wednesday 23rd March 2011 00:05 GMT The First Dave
      
      @AC @Cube
      
      Even a VM shouldn't need to do anything much when the Guest is idle, so I don't see what you are getting at.
      
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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 10:37 GMT Anonymous Coward

Bootcamp software

It probably won't have anything to do with the bootcamp software that needs updating?

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1. Tuesday 22nd March 2011 12:32 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Bootcamp doesn'T actually do anything..
  
  PC-Style booting is part of the EFI firmware.. Bootcamp is a GUI for the partition resizer.
  
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Tuesday 22nd March 2011 15:57 GMT Joe Montana

Obvious answer..

Has anyone considered that it could simply be a problem with windows, either a software bug or simply a case of the OS being more bloated and putting enough strain on the cpu that it raises the temperature enough to cause turbo boost to become disabled?

Has anyone tried benchmarking it under linux, where it would be easier to see at a lower level exactly whats going on?

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