AMD's Cool'n'Quiet feature, aka Power Now!, has been overlooked by overclockers for some time, yet it can be rather handy during the hot summer months. The basic principle behind Cool and Quiet is that it lowers the processors vcore and multiplier, resulting in lower clock speeds, in order to lower the temperature. To do so effectively Cool and Quiet responds to how much stress the processor is under. If o­ne opens a game then it lets the processor run at full speed; o­n the other hand, if o­ne has just left the computer o­n, perhaps to download a file, then Cool and Quiet kicks in and lowers the clock speeds.

Cool and Quiet, therefore, can be an effective tool for any user as by lowering the vcore of the processor it effectively saves electricity and helps keep the processor cool. However, Cool and Quiet is not known to be completely compatible with overclocked computers; especially when the overclocker has changed the vcore and multiplier settings.
I mentioned this method previously, but only in brief.

The purpose of this guide is to show how Cool and Quiet can be enabled to any overclocked computer, to stop it from melting into a useless pile of metal this summer... alright I might have exaggerated a little.

The Tool

Only one piece of software is needed in order to enable Cool and Quiet on an overclocked computer. I am expecting you to already have the tools used to overclock your computer, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this guide, would you? The tool needed is Crystal CPUID, which is availble from the author's homepage or from my mirror. Please note the files on the author's homepage will be kept up to date better than my mirror, for obvious reasons. The file is around half a megabyte, so it should take just seconds to download, and when it has completed extract the contents of the zip file to somewhere on your hard drive.

I suggest C:/CPUID or C:/Program Files/CPUID, just anywhere but your desktop would be appropriate.

Using Crytal CPUID

Now navigate to and double click CrystalCPUID.exe, and the program should load looking somewhat like this:

As you can see the processor in the picture is an overclocked AMD 3000+ Winchester, a socket 939 processor. It, like your processor should be, has been overclocked and is running on a higher than normal voltage; although, you can not see this from this image. This picture is taken from the 64-bit version of this program, so it is very slightly different from what you get on Windows XP.

Now on the main menu go to File -> Multiplier Management, this should open the Multiplier Management screen as shown below.

On this screen you need to concern yourself with the following:

• Multiplier -- Pretty straightforward.
• Voltage -- This is the same as the voltage used by Clockgen, on some motherboards it is not the exact voltage, so double check with Clockgen and a program which reads the vcore, a good choice would be Ati Tray Tools, Sandra, or your motherboards monitoring tool.
• Maximum -- The settings your processor runs at when it is running games or benchmarks.
• Middle -- The settings your processor runs at when it needs just a little more juice than the minimum settings.
• Minimum -- The settings your processor runs at when it is idle, or doing very light tasks.
• Enable Voltage -- Make sure this button is pressed, like in the picture, otherwise Cool and Quiet won't change your vcore. Making the process rather pointless.

I would try out multiple settings with Clockgen, SuperPi, and a tool which monitors your processors temperature and voltage (any decent motherboard monitor). Aim to get settings similar to mine; maximum as your maximum stable overclock, which you are probably running right now; middle, your processors default clock speed and voltage, aim to undervolt if you can; minimum, a clock speed of around 1 gigahertz, which can handle most light tasks. You could use your middle like my minimum and strive for a lower minimum if you like. It simply is up to you.

Makeing the Program Run at Start-Up

Once your done getting your settings, apply them and close the program. Next close the program and make a shortcut to it on your desktop; right-click the shortcut and choose properties from the drop-down menu. You need to make some changes to the target command line.

Add /CQ /HIDE to the command line, like so:

• Original -- C:\CrystalCPUID\CrystalCPUID.exe
• With changes -- C:\CrystalCPUID\CrystalCPUID.exe /CQ /HIDE

Now drag the shortcut and move it to Start Up in All Programs in the Start Menu. This will make the program start-up with windows, you will know it has loaded as Crystal CPUID goes to the taskbar, its icon is a chip coloured blue, yellow, or red depending on which multiplier it is using.

Finishing Touches

Make sure you install the latest AMD Processor Drivers, otherwise you may have problems running games. Then you need to restart your computer and make sure Cool'n'Quiet is turned on in the BIOS. Once it starts up and you see the little chip in the taskbar you have set it up Cool and Quiet on an overclocked system correctly!