7 ms·

Intel Power Gadget

62 points by jhack 8y ago

jtokoph 8y ago
I’m going to predict that they release a new version for macOS that includes a bug fix for the latest generation of processors. It will fix inaccurate readings. The new version will “correctly” show the flat line instead of the spikes. Then again it could also just be related to reports of it causing some macs not to be able to reboot after install. The only fix was booting safe mode and manually removing the kernel extension.
- simcop2387 8y ago
  > Then again it could also just be related to reports of it causing some macs not to be able to reboot after install. The only fix was booting safe mode and manually removing the kernel extension. Yikes, If that's true I'd bet that's the case. A bad kext that prevents booting would be a horrible experience.
- Tunecrew 8y ago
  I believe that was fixed in the most recent Mac version already - see the devs comments on the page. I have it installed on my MBP and have had no issues.
  - Tunecrew 8y ago
    bizarrely though they have pulled it for some reason.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- ebikelaw 8y ago
  Why does this need to be a kernel extension? Is there really no access to MSRs in macos as shipped by Apple?
  - simcop2387 8y ago
    Generally no, the instructions that get access to many MSRs are privileged since they can affect the way things execute.
    - ebikelaw 8y ago
      I understand they are privileged but the way Linux handles this feature seems acceptable.
      - annerajb 8y ago
        Why? MSR are not userspace registers. You don't want the userspace messing around with them either because they won't know 100% what they do. But more importantly for security.
      - simcop2387 8y ago
        Even Linux requires this be done in kernel space, it's a requirement set by the architecture that the instructions that access them are run as part of the kernel. This is just like OSX, no different at all.
        ebikelaw 8y ago
        In Linux root can open, read, and write /dev/msr.
        simcop2387 8y ago
        I haven't seen a /dev/msr before, but there is /dev/cpu/*/msr [1] provided by a kernel module. So there is a generic interface for them, but it's still all happening in kernel space. It's also not loaded by default either because it can cause system panics and corruption. [1] http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man4/msr.4.html http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man4/msr.4.html
EvangelicalPig 8y ago
I wonder why.
piinbinary 8y ago
Is this related to the i9 Macbook Pro overheating?
- hartator 8y ago
  They do pull out battery life estimations when it becomes an issue.
- simcop2387 8y ago
  If it is, maybe related to LTT's live stream yesterday that used it? https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw
  - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
    Counter argument is the suite of tests he used were optimised for the i7 and not the i9 [1]. [1] https://www.computerworld.com/article/3291760/apple-mac/about-that-macbook-pro-core-i9-throttling-story.html https://www.computerworld.com/article/3291760/apple-mac/abou...
    - simcop2387 8y ago
      The problem with that is that, while yes it means that performance can be improved (faster rendering times, more computations per second etc.) it doesn't change the thermal issues at all with the particular implementation from apple.
    - seabrookmx 8y ago
      While it's true optimizing the software could increase render times, the fact that the CPU does run regularly below the base clock with heavy workloads (ie: throttles) remains true. I know everyone likes to bash Apple at every opportunity but stating the fact that the i9 model throttles is _not_ inflammatory. The better question is, how much does it matter? The machine still has 6-cores. MKBHD was still noticing a 15% performance increase (vs. last gen) without new, updated builds of Final cut etc.
snek 8y ago
ltt did a stream yesterday where they used power gadget to show it throttling... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHhvcdjNWw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHhvcdjNWw
brian_herman 8y ago
You guys can still find it on reddit. If you guys still want it to do tests.
PascLeRasc 8y ago
Luckily it's still available via homebrew: brew cask install intel-power-gadget
- Xcelerate 8y ago
  Need one more hyphen: intel-power-gadget
  - PascLeRasc 8y ago
    That's what I get for forcing homebrew onto Ubuntu to check, thanks!
- bdz 8y ago
  Or actually from Intel too, they just removed the link https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download
  - Buge 8y ago
    The regular link seems to be back now.
sctb 8y ago
We've updated the title from “Intel Pulls MacOS Version of Power Gadget”. It's fine to mention what might be of interest to other readers, but in the comments please.
- outime 8y ago
  I’d say the previous title was good since it’s probably what the submitter wanted to show and not the existence of the tool itself. I didn’t even click the link because I knew about it, but if I saw the previous title it’d have piqued my interest. Edit: typo
  - TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
    Maybe a typo, the word you want is piqued: pique - verb (piques, piquing, piqued) 1 [ with obj. ] arouse (interest or curiosity).
    - outime 8y ago
      Fixed, thank you!
  - sctb 8y ago
    I hear you, but that's just not how this particular site works. Here it's “original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait”, which is a fundamental quality. A link aggregator with editorialized titles would simply be a different thing. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - MikusR 8y ago
      But in this case the original title "Intel Power Gadget" is more misleading than the "Intel Pulls MacOS Version of Power Gadget".
      - pvg 8y ago
        It's Intel's page about Power Gadget. Its title 'Intel Power Gadget' is not at all misleading. When you click on it, you don't end up on a page about beekeeping.
bdz 8y ago
LTT stream relevant part https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw?t=19m52s https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw?t=19m52s Actually you can still download the app https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download (direct link)
wrs 8y ago
There are reports in the comments of the kernel extension causing boot failures that require going into recovery mode and deleting the file. I would guess that when the freezer video came out and this gadget became more popular than ever before, somebody disabled the link while the one developer figures out what’s going on.
amluto 8y ago
Or, on Linux: $ perf stat -e 'power/energy-cores/' sleep 1 More examples here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Performance/perf https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Performance...
celias 8y ago
There is a link to version 3.5.3 on the web page now https://software.intel.com/file/655065/download https://software.intel.com/file/655065/download

62 points by jhack 8y ago

I’m going to predict that they release a new version for macOS that includes a bug fix for the latest generation of processors. It will fix inaccurate readings. The new version will “correctly” show the flat line instead of the spikes. Then again it could also just be related to reports of it causing some macs not to be able to reboot after install. The only fix was booting safe mode and manually removing the kernel extension.

simcop2387 8y ago
> Then again it could also just be related to reports of it causing some macs not to be able to reboot after install. The only fix was booting safe mode and manually removing the kernel extension. Yikes, If that's true I'd bet that's the case. A bad kext that prevents booting would be a horrible experience.
Tunecrew 8y ago
I believe that was fixed in the most recent Mac version already - see the devs comments on the page. I have it installed on my MBP and have had no issues.
- Tunecrew 8y ago
  bizarrely though they have pulled it for some reason.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
ebikelaw 8y ago
Why does this need to be a kernel extension? Is there really no access to MSRs in macos as shipped by Apple?
- simcop2387 8y ago
  Generally no, the instructions that get access to many MSRs are privileged since they can affect the way things execute.
  - ebikelaw 8y ago
    I understand they are privileged but the way Linux handles this feature seems acceptable.
    - annerajb 8y ago
      Why? MSR are not userspace registers. You don't want the userspace messing around with them either because they won't know 100% what they do. But more importantly for security.
    - simcop2387 8y ago
      Even Linux requires this be done in kernel space, it's a requirement set by the architecture that the instructions that access them are run as part of the kernel. This is just like OSX, no different at all.
      - ebikelaw 8y ago
        In Linux root can open, read, and write /dev/msr.
        simcop2387 8y ago
        I haven't seen a /dev/msr before, but there is /dev/cpu/*/msr [1] provided by a kernel module. So there is a generic interface for them, but it's still all happening in kernel space. It's also not loaded by default either because it can cause system panics and corruption. [1] http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man4/msr.4.html http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man4/msr.4.html

EvangelicalPig 8y ago

I wonder why.

piinbinary 8y ago

Is this related to the i9 Macbook Pro overheating?

hartator 8y ago
They do pull out battery life estimations when it becomes an issue.
simcop2387 8y ago
If it is, maybe related to LTT's live stream yesterday that used it? https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  Counter argument is the suite of tests he used were optimised for the i7 and not the i9 [1]. [1] https://www.computerworld.com/article/3291760/apple-mac/about-that-macbook-pro-core-i9-throttling-story.html https://www.computerworld.com/article/3291760/apple-mac/abou...
  - simcop2387 8y ago
    The problem with that is that, while yes it means that performance can be improved (faster rendering times, more computations per second etc.) it doesn't change the thermal issues at all with the particular implementation from apple.
  - seabrookmx 8y ago
    While it's true optimizing the software could increase render times, the fact that the CPU does run regularly below the base clock with heavy workloads (ie: throttles) remains true. I know everyone likes to bash Apple at every opportunity but stating the fact that the i9 model throttles is _not_ inflammatory. The better question is, how much does it matter? The machine still has 6-cores. MKBHD was still noticing a 15% performance increase (vs. last gen) without new, updated builds of Final cut etc.

snek 8y ago

ltt did a stream yesterday where they used power gadget to show it throttling... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHhvcdjNWw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHhvcdjNWw

brian_herman 8y ago

You guys can still find it on reddit. If you guys still want it to do tests.

PascLeRasc 8y ago

Luckily it's still available via homebrew: brew cask install intel-power-gadget

Xcelerate 8y ago
Need one more hyphen: intel-power-gadget
- PascLeRasc 8y ago
  That's what I get for forcing homebrew onto Ubuntu to check, thanks!
bdz 8y ago
Or actually from Intel too, they just removed the link https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download
- Buge 8y ago
  The regular link seems to be back now.

sctb 8y ago

We've updated the title from “Intel Pulls MacOS Version of Power Gadget”. It's fine to mention what might be of interest to other readers, but in the comments please.

outime 8y ago
I’d say the previous title was good since it’s probably what the submitter wanted to show and not the existence of the tool itself. I didn’t even click the link because I knew about it, but if I saw the previous title it’d have piqued my interest. Edit: typo
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
  Maybe a typo, the word you want is piqued: pique - verb (piques, piquing, piqued) 1 [ with obj. ] arouse (interest or curiosity).
  - outime 8y ago
    Fixed, thank you!
- sctb 8y ago
  I hear you, but that's just not how this particular site works. Here it's “original title, unless it is misleading or linkbait”, which is a fundamental quality. A link aggregator with editorialized titles would simply be a different thing. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - MikusR 8y ago
    But in this case the original title "Intel Power Gadget" is more misleading than the "Intel Pulls MacOS Version of Power Gadget".
    - pvg 8y ago
      It's Intel's page about Power Gadget. Its title 'Intel Power Gadget' is not at all misleading. When you click on it, you don't end up on a page about beekeeping.

bdz 8y ago

LTT stream relevant part https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw?t=19m52s https://youtu.be/jtHhvcdjNWw?t=19m52s Actually you can still download the app https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download https://software.intel.com/file/641033/download (direct link)

wrs 8y ago

There are reports in the comments of the kernel extension causing boot failures that require going into recovery mode and deleting the file. I would guess that when the freezer video came out and this gadget became more popular than ever before, somebody disabled the link while the one developer figures out what’s going on.

amluto 8y ago

Or, on Linux: $ perf stat -e 'power/energy-cores/' sleep 1 More examples here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Performance/perf https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Performance...

celias 8y ago

There is a link to version 3.5.3 on the web page now https://software.intel.com/file/655065/download https://software.intel.com/file/655065/download