SPEC CPU2006 Platform Settings for IBM Systems

Firmware / BIOS / Microcode Settings

Operating Modes (Default=Custom Mode):

Operating Mode is a BIOS setting which allows you to select the appropriate mode of operation based on the specific user environment. This menu option is provided to allow optimization of the system for minimum power usage, maximum efficiency, or maximum performance.

• Acoustic/minimum power mode: Strives to minimize the absolute power consumption of the system while it is operating.
• Efficiency mode: Maximizes the performance/watt efficiency as measured by power benchmarks. It provides the best features for reducing power and increasing performance without a detrimental effect on either one.
• Performance mode: Maximizes the absolute performance of the system by setting all programmable bus speeds to their maximum rated frequencies without regard for power.
• Custom mode: A combination of Efficiency mode and Performance mode.

Turbo Boost:

This BIOS option can be set to Power Optimized or Traditional. When Power Optimized is selected, Intel Turbo Boost Technology engages after Performance state P0 is sustained for longer than two seconds. When Traditional is selected, Intel Turbo Boost Technology is engaged even for P0 requests less than two seconds.

Zone Reclaim:

Zone reclaim allows the reclaiming of pages from a zone if the number of free pages falls below a watermark even if other zones still have enough pages available. Reclaiming a page can be more beneficial than taking the performance penalties that are associated with allocating a page on a remote zone, especially for NUMA machines.