Help me understand SetCPU

[SanchoP]

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[Elimentals]

I've just installed SetCPU on my Xperia Active, which runs at 1GHz stock. I'm using it to underclock to between 245MHz and 1GHz (with the 'conservative' option) to save battery power. (And to between 112MHz and 245Mhz when the screen's off.)

What I'd like to know is, does the phone (with standard Sony Ericsson ROM/kernel etc) do something like this normally anyway, or does it just run at 1GHz the whole time?

I cant comment on the Active but I know its something the Desire HD and Xperia Play does anyway on Android 2.3+.

You can always install https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rookiestudio.systemmonitor to confirm.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

I've just installed SetCPU on my Xperia Active, which runs at 1GHz stock. I'm using it to underclock to between 245MHz and 1GHz (with the 'conservative' option) to save battery power. (And to between 112MHz and 245Mhz when the screen's off.)

What I'd like to know is, does the phone (with standard Sony Ericsson ROM/kernel etc) do something like this normally anyway, or does it just run at 1GHz the whole time?

It does it the same way, when the phone isnt doing anything the CPU settles down to 245mhz, then depending on how you use it it will run anywhere between 245mhz to 1ghz.

 

[CranialBlaze]

By default the phones use the "OnDemand" option, basically with the screen off it does clock it down, but when a background task begins to run like say a whatsapp/gtalk/email message comes through it spikes rite back up to 100%, so setting the screen off to a lower value you save battery power by clocking back up to a lower frequency.

I would suggest you use ondemand as conservative scales up far slower and negatively impacts phones responsiveness, your already clocking it down, why would you want to make it less responsive at the same time.
You could also try interactive if your kernel supports it, same power saving effects as ondemand but its the updated version with greater focus on responsiveness, making it more responsive when you need it and just as conservative when you don't.

 

[Elimentals]

By default the phones use the "OnDemand" option, basically with the screen off it does clock it down, but when a background task begins to run like say a whatsapp/gtalk/email message comes through it spikes rite back up to 100%, so setting the screen off to a lower value you save battery power by clocking back up to a lower frequency....

I use Watchdog for just that as some badly coded applications can do that and stay there even when the phone is idle. Watchdog will alert me in cases like this esp when they stay high for longer than just picking up mail so I can decide what steps to follow for example if the app does it all the time I can simply decide to uninstall it or if its once off simply kill it.

 

[CranialBlaze]

I use Watchdog for just that as some badly coded applications can do that and stay there even when the phone is idle. Watchdog will alert me in cases like this esp when they stay high for longer than just picking up mail so I can decide what steps to follow for example if the app does it all the time I can simply decide to uninstall it or if its once off simply kill it.

I used to use it but became redundant when the only app it ever reported as abusive was gmail, even if it was there was nothing i could do about seeing as i need my gmail.