SPEC CPU2006 Flag Description - Platform settings

Firmware / BIOS / Microcode Settings

Utilization Profile:
This BIOS switch allows 2 options: "Even" and "Unbalanced". The default is "Even" and the best choice for all workloads utilizing the whole system. In cases where the utilization is highly concentrated on few resources of the system the performance of the application could be improved by setting to "Unbalanced".
Setting this option to "Unbalanced" may improve performance but also increase the power consumption of the system. Users should only select this option after performing application benchmarking to verify improved performance in their environment.
Energy Performance:
This BIOS switch allows 4 options: "Balanced performance", "Performance", "Balanced Energy" and "Energy Efficient". The default is "Balanced Performance" optimized to maximum power savings with minimal impact on performance. "Performance" disables all power management options with any impact on performance. "Balanced Energy" is optimized for power efficiency and "Energy Efficient" for power savings. The BIOS switch is only selectable if the BIOS switch "Power Technology" is set to "Custom".
The two options "Balanced Performance" and "Balanced Energy" should always be the first choice as both options optimize the efficiency of the system. In cases where the performance is not sufficient or the power consumption is too high the two options "Performance" or "Energy Efficient" could be an alternative.
Memory Refresh Rate Multiplier:
This BIOS switch allows 4 options: 1x, 2x, 3x and 4x. Memory refresh is a process which periodically read and immediately rewrite the read information to the same area without any modification, which is typical for DRAM dimms. The default is 2x. Setting this switch the frequency of memory refresh can be configured, having an impact on the memory performance.
Configuring the refresh rate may depend on the dimm type. The default rate of 2x is sufficient and safe. Reducing the rate to 1x will optimize the performance without reducing safety in most cases.