• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

galaxy i9100g processor speed

S

Shouvik

Lurker
I have been reading various bloggs and post about this model where it is mentioned that the speed has been capped to 1008 mhz. I own this model running on gingerbread 2.3.6 and when i play asphault 6hd i have seen it to run at 1200mhz for 20% of total time. I want to know from all respected members whether this model runs at full potential on demand or there is something else which i do not know. I have checked the speed using 'cpu spy' app. If this is true then it is an advanced development which restricts unnecessary drainage of resources.
 
Official spec is 1.2ghz, but I've heard that it rarely breaks the 1008mhz barrier. I don't know why it does this, but it will go up to 1.2ghz under some conditions.

Ironass, the link that you provided does not back your claim that the phone is in fact capped. They state;

the processor for I9100G seems to be capped at lower clock speed of 1008Mhz and it seldom goes up till the 1.2GHz
Click to expand...

So it does exceed the "cap" just not as much as it should. Also, the OP has witnesses his phone hitting 1.2ghz. It just seems to me that this variant has some very aggressive battery management. It is also an OMAP 4430, so it was originally rated for 1ghz, and like the RAZR, is running at 1.2ghz. That may play a role in it.
 
I think Medion is right. The processor is originally rated as 1Gz but can be overclocked to 1.2Gz. I also think its one of the reason they need to be very aggressive with controlling the speed during usage. More bands, more efficient change in speed etc.

If it was running at 1.2Gz all the time, the benefits of better battery life and no overheating might not be there anymore. I am not sure if one can call it an inferior phone. It didn't run Asphalt 6 first time but did after update meaning a lot of issues is software not hardware.

Cheers
 
ironass said:
Thanks! Point taken.

However, here are a few other links that suggest it is capped at 1080MHz...

Samsung Galaxy I9100 vs I9100G Phone Comparison | Android Advices

(WTA) difference samsung galaxy S2 I9100 & I9100G

Galaxy S2 i9100 Vs i9100G what is the Difference ?

why Samsung selling galaxy s2 gt i9100g instead of gt-i9100?
Click to expand...

The definition of a cap is that it cannot be exceeded. We have evidence that the phone does in fact go over 1008mhz as needed, just rarely. That means that there is no hard cap in place to prevent this. Again, it seems to be aggressive battery management. The phone does in fact go over 1008 mhz all the way up to 1.2ghz.
 
Still... If the phone very very rarely uses 1.2Gz, its still effectively a 1Gz phone isn't it? Maybe that's why some claim its not as smooth when playing HD games. I like the idea that it is aggressive when it comes to battery management but no so much if it effects the performance. But that could probably be tweaked with firmware update or rooting?

Still won't change my current I9100 :D
 
Russell Ng said:
Still... If the phone very very rarely uses 1.2Gz, its still effectively a 1Gz phone isn't it? Maybe that's why some claim its not as smooth when playing HD games. I like the idea that it is aggressive when it comes to battery management but no so much if it effects the performance. But that could probably be tweaked with firmware update or rooting?

Still won't change my current I9100 :D
Click to expand...

I would have to use one to determine it, but I think that it just as stricter conditions needed to hit the 1.2ghz mark. Outside of a benchmark designed to push the system, nothing out today really needs dual 1.2ghz. High-end games utilize the GPU more than the CPU.

I'd have to question where you heard that the games are slower on the 9100G than the 9100. I own both the 9100 and a Kindle Fire (same specs as 9100G but higher res screen). Most games I've played seem to fare a little better on the Fire. I suspect that this is because games fall into two categories; low-resource games will run great on both whereas high-resource games will tax the GPU. The GPUs in OMAP4 and Exynos 4 are like night and day. The Mali 400 (Exynos) has a significantly higher fill-rate while the PowerVR SGX540 (OMAP4) has a higher geometric throughput. Games that make use of high polygon counts will favor the OMAP whereas games run in high resolution and/or obscenely higher texture counts will make better use of Exynos. There's no point in making a game run at a resolution significantly higher than the phone's screen, so while the Mali scores better on benchmarks, I'm seeing the opposite in real games. The PowerVR is just better suited to today's mobile games.

Like you, I would prefer to keep my i9100 over anything else today. But I'm not going to lie, I do wish Samsung had stuck with PowerVR for the GPU. I want smoother games, not smoother benchmarks :)
 
Russell Ng said:
Still... If the phone very very rarely uses 1.2Gz, its still effectively a 1Gz phone isn't it?
Click to expand...

You'd probably be surprised at how little time your own handset actually spends at its top frequency in anything other than benchmarks. :)

The fact that the G can use 1.2GHz when pushed suggests that the limit isn't hardware but probably, as Medion says, ultra-aggressive power management - 1200MHz is perhaps only achieved if the CPU load reaches 100% whilst at 1000MHz and remains above (for example) 95% for a few seconds. Without having a rooted i9100G with which to examine the relevant /system parameters this is all guesswork, however.
 
I initially thought G was a downgraded version since at that time it couldn't run A6 for example. Also the speed didn't seem to go as high. But, if a firmware upgrade can solve something like that, it sort of show that its more to do with software and hardware wise, its probably as good.

I don't have the G version so can't confirm if performance is poorer. I did read from a review once that it wasn't as smooth during heavy duty usage like multi-tasking and 3D games. Even the link posted by Ironass mention this. Actually I posted the same link before in another post quite a while back.

But its still SGS2 :D
 
Medion said:
I would have to use one to determine it, but I think that it just as stricter conditions needed to hit the 1.2ghz mark. Outside of a benchmark designed to push the system, nothing out today really needs dual 1.2ghz. High-end games utilize the GPU more than the CPU.

I'd have to question where you heard that the games are slower on the 9100G than the 9100. I own both the 9100 and a Kindle Fire (same specs as 9100G but higher res screen). Most games I've played seem to fare a little better on the Fire. I suspect that this is because games fall into two categories; low-resource games will run great on both whereas high-resource games will tax the GPU. The GPUs in OMAP4 and Exynos 4 are like night and day. The Mali 400 (Exynos) has a significantly higher fill-rate while the PowerVR SGX540 (OMAP4) has a higher geometric throughput. Games that make use of high polygon counts will favor the OMAP whereas games run in high resolution and/or obscenely higher texture counts will make better use of Exynos. There's no point in making a game run at a resolution significantly higher than the phone's screen, so while the Mali scores better on benchmarks, I'm seeing the opposite in real games. The PowerVR is just better suited to today's mobile games.

Like you, I would prefer to keep my i9100 over anything else today. But I'm not going to lie, I do wish Samsung had stuck with PowerVR for the GPU. I want smoother games, not smoother benchmarks :)
Click to expand...



Thanks for the fantastic observation and explanation!
 
Russell Ng said:
I initially thought G was a downgraded version since at that time it couldn't run A6 for example. Also the speed didn't seem to go as high. But, if a firmware upgrade can solve something like that, it sort of show that its more to do with software and hardware wise, its probably as good.
D
Click to expand...

Asphalt 6 on the Android Market showed up fine and ran fine on the 9100G. It was the Samsung Apps version that didn't run (as many apps on Samsung Apps are versions optimized for Hummingbird/Exynos).

Order and Chaos (also by Gameloft) is a game that I play very often on both of my devices. I find that peak framerate on my i9100 is higher, but the Fire (same as i9100G) offers a more consistent framerate. This is because as soon as I enter an area where geometry pops in, the Fire handles it like a champ while the i9100 freezes momentarily. In outdoor areas, this is a pain in the ass as this freeze occurs every 2-3 seconds, giving an annoying stuttering experience. No issues with OnC on any PowerVR devices, and it seems to be consistent but lower framerate still on Tegra 2.

Bottom line is that the Mali is the king of benchmarks, but in real games, give me a PowerVR. I guess the best analogy that I can use would be that of a Prius (PowerVR) versus a Corvette (Mali). The Corvette has more horsepower (fill-rate) while the Prius has better mileage (geometric performance). The Corvette will win in any drag race (benchmarks), but the Prius will take you further on a single tank (actual games).

So if you're "stuck" with an i9100G, you shouldn't exactly be upset. Only reason why I truly prefer the i9100 over the i9100G is that the i9100 is Samsung's true flagship, and Samsung has a horrible history of not supporting non-flagship phones with updates. I could see the i9100 going further with software updates in the future.
 
Medion said:
Asphalt 6 on the Android Market showed up fine and ran fine on the 9100G. It was the Samsung Apps version that didn't run (as many apps on Samsung Apps are versions optimized for Hummingbird/Exynos).

Order and Chaos (also by Gameloft) is a game that I play very often on both of my devices. I find that peak framerate on my i9100 is higher, but the Fire (same as i9100G) offers a more consistent framerate. This is because as soon as I enter an area where geometry pops in, the Fire handles it like a champ while the i9100 freezes momentarily. In outdoor areas, this is a pain in the ass as this freeze occurs every 2-3 seconds, giving an annoying stuttering experience. No issues with OnC on any PowerVR devices, and it seems to be consistent but lower framerate still on Tegra 2.

Bottom line is that the Mali is the king of benchmarks, but in real games, give me a PowerVR. I guess the best analogy that I can use would be that of a Prius (PowerVR) versus a Corvette (Mali). The Corvette has more horsepower (fill-rate) while the Prius has better mileage (geometric performance). The Corvette will win in any drag race (benchmarks), but the Prius will take you further on a single tank (actual games).

So if you're "stuck" with an i9100G, you shouldn't exactly be upset. Only reason why I truly prefer the i9100 over the i9100G is that the i9100 is Samsung's true flagship, and Samsung has a horrible history of not supporting non-flagship phones with updates. I could see the i9100 going further with software updates in the future.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you. Though they have updated from 2.3.4 to 2.3.6 relatively on time, I am suspicious about ICS upgrade. I have been using samsung phones since last 8 years and was a fan. But no more now.
I was shipped i9100G in a box of i9100. No where 'G' was mentioned.
A clear case of cheating.But your comparison and observation has consoled me a lot.
Thanks once again!
 
I hold my hands up Medion... I was wrong to say it was, "capped", at 1008MHz.

I'm afraid I was misled by the articles I quoted in an earlier post.

The following article, aside from their use of the word, "capped", probably describes the situation best...

"1.2GHz OMAP4430 SoC.
The CPU is however capped at 1008MHz and rarely runs at 1.2GHz, even under heavy load"

See here:-

Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 vs. I9100G

It does seem rather strange that, as it states in the write-up, no mention is made of the fact that it is a, "G", variant and that there is no way of telling from the packaging.

This might explain why a number of posters on here have been confused or even harmed their phones by trying to flash kernels and ROM's not designed for them.

http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-...2437-galaxy-s2-gt-i9100g-all-things-root.html

To check which version you have...

Settings > About phone > Model number

It would be helpful if posters could highlight the fact that they have a, "G", variant so that the correct information can be given in replies.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom