Hi, Using the power plans can make a difference, basically the CPU's will slow down when not under high load, this is to conserver battery.
-----Original Message----- From: JAWS-Users-List <jaws-users-list-boun...@jaws-users.com> On Behalf Of JM Casey Sent: 25 June 2018 00:32 To: jaws-users-list@jaws-users.com Subject: [JAWS-Users] interesting thoughts/finding about CPU speeds, temperature and JAWS Hey everyone. So, I am running an AMD with six processors rated at, apparently, around 3500 MHZ. My system has 8 GB of Ram and is running Windows 10, 1803, and JAWS 18. My preferred voice is the premium Daniel Vocalizer voice. Yes, these specs are all relevant to the topic. For some time now, I have noticed a certain tendency of my system to lag, or lock up, for several seconds at a time. This only seems to happen when JAWS is running. I'm aware that my choice to use this synth does negatively affect JAWS response time, even on this reasonably fast system. Anyway, the "freezes" seem to affect some programmes more than others, but perhaps particularly Firefox and MS Office products. Sometimes, alt-tabbing between open windows seems rather sluggish. Well, today I ran a utility from a company called Resplendent Software called WhySoSlow. It's basically one of dozens of diagnostic software tools available, that measures your computer's performance by calculating various factors. It measures your CPU speed, memory load, and the temperature of your CPUs using the sensors that modern PCs have. The system was running at a cool 20-something celsius. It was also running at less than half its advertised clockspeed, the programme informed me, and suggested that my CPUs were being "throttled" to conserve power. Now, I'm aware that some of these third party utilities measure specs in weird ways, or make strange and not always advisable recommendations. I've completely gone off using registry cleaners or any such tools for this reason. I'm also aware that modern CPUs can "clock up" when the load on them becomes particularly intensive, but I don't know how well Windows for instance actually manages this feature. However, I decided to try a little experiment. I remembered fiddling a bit with the power settings in Windows 10 previously, but not to any great extent - mostly just to prevent my computer from "going to sleep" when left unattended. In the "power plan" settings within power options, I adjusted the power plan from "balanced", to "optimise for performance", to see if it would make a difference. I then ran WhySoSlow again. My computer is now operating at peak processor speed, all of the time. I suppose it's also using a hell of a lot more power, which might not be a good thing. It's also not "running cool" anymore. In fact, the CPU temperature has doubled all across the board, reaching as high as 65 C, according to this programme (even higher according to the coretemp utility). However - JAWS is now behaving much more responsively. I haven't had any freezes. Alt-tab cycles between programmes nearly instantaneously, and Firefox seems much faster. I don't really have a question for the list. I just thought this was kind of an interesting thing to share, and wondered if anyone else had observed anything similar. It is a fact that with my current setup I am normally at a speed disadvantage when placed against sighted users. This is, I believe, in part because JAWS is somewhat resource-intensive, especially using this type of synthesiser (yes, I have considered switching back to Eloquence). I'm not sure if I ought to keep my setup this way. I don't particularly want a really high power bill and I don't want my computer to overheat, though in theory the automatic cutoffs should engage before anything really bad happens. I actually think it's nice that Windows includes power saving features, but not necessarily at the expense of system performance. For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ ******************************************************************************************************************** This message may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient please inform the sender that you have received the message in error before deleting it. Please do not disclose, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in relation to its contents. To do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Thank you for your co-operation. NHSmail is the secure email and directory service available for all NHS staff in England and Scotland. NHSmail is approved for exchanging patient data and other sensitive information with NHSmail and other accredited email services. For more information and to find out how you can switch, https://portal.nhs.net/help/joiningnhsmail For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/