Program to lower the processor frequency for Android. SetCPU - CPU frequency control for Android (ROOT). Wireless networks and GPS
A program for controlling the processor frequency on an Android device in order to increase performance or increase battery life.
The program does not know how (and should not be able to) overclock the processor on its own, it only controls it. Among the features, it is worth noting support for profiles (with the screen off, with the charger connected, with a certain % of battery charge, while talking on the phone). The program needs root to work. In order for you to be able to move the sliders, especially in a larger direction, you need a custom core with overclocking. It can be installed either separately or when installing custom firmware.
What modes and frequencies are available in the program depend only on the core you have.
Preset processor operating modes Set CPU (presence or absence depends on the core):
Interactive- interactive mode, drives the CPU frequency in real time, almost always at full performance.
Smartass- mode based on Interactive. It features a faster reduction in frequency when idle, and also reduces the frequency to a minimum when the screen is off.
Conservative- runs at the lowest possible CPU frequency and increases step by step if necessary.
Userspace- allows you to change the CPU frequency, either manually or dynamically, at the discretion of the software.
Powersave- reduces the CPU frequency to the lowest possible level.
Ondemand- runs at the lowest possible CPU frequency and increases to the maximum when the CPU load reaches 100%.
Performance- sets the maximum value of the CPU frequency, prohibiting changing the frequency value downward.
Download the SetCPU program for Androidyou can follow the link below.
Developer: MichaelHuang
Platform: Android (device dependent)
Interface language: Russian (RUS)
Root: Required
Status: Full
Have you noticed that a fresh Android, right out of the box or after flashing it, just flies? But some time passes, and no trace remains of the former speed. The system interface becomes thoughtful, the launch of programs slows down, and even things that should not slow down in principle manage to slow down. Why does this happen and how to deal with it? Let's figure it out.
Operating system updates are not compatible with an old smartphone
Each device goes on sale with the version current at that time operating system, which most fully matches the characteristics of this gadget. If after some time the manufacturer releases an OS update for your smartphone or tablet, then you will undoubtedly acquire new functions, but it is far from a fact that the device will work just as fast. When a new one is installed on an old smartphone Android version, brakes are almost inevitable.
How to fix it
You must make your own choice between functionality and speed. If you do not have a very powerful device, then it makes sense to abandon new versions of the OS. However, keep in mind that the older the version of Android on your smartphone becomes, the fewer applications will be compatible with it.
Sometimes this problem can be solved by switching to alternative, lightweight firmware - for example, LineageOS. But the best, and often the only option is to buy a new one. Especially if you are still the proud owner of a gadget with Android 2.3 or 4.2 on board.
New versions of applications are not compatible with an old smartphone
Developers are constantly focusing on new devices and optimizing their programs for their capabilities. Many applications after updates function more slowly than before, take up more space and consume more system resources.
The majority of developers do not take into account the needs of users using old hardware. For example, mobile Chrome - now it takes up about 200 MB of smartphone memory, not counting program data and cache. For smartphone applications in, say, 2014, such gluttony seems unthinkable.
How to fix it
You can block the application - use it old version. But this can lead to the fact that the old browser will be incompatible with new web pages or old cloud storage clients will not be able to log in. So this is a questionable decision.
Another option is to use special, lightweight versions of applications that are available in many popular programs. For example, Facebook Lite instead of a full-fledged Facebook client, Skype Lite instead of heavy Skype, Opera Mini instead of power-hungry Chrome, and so on.
Background processes are taking up too much memory
Have you installed three dozen programs after purchasing your device and are not going to stop? Do you think that if an application is not active, then it does not consume system resources?
This is wrong. A bunch of installed programs are automatically loaded when the system starts, consuming processor resources and occupying the memory of your device. Separately, we need to remember the various live wallpapers and desktop widgets, most of which do absolutely nothing useful, but at the same time load the system.
How to fix it
Disable live wallpapers, widgets and other things you don't really need. that you don't use. Look at the list of background applications and stop those that you do not need. This can be done manually or using Greenify. This application shows which programs load the most on your smartphone and allows you to control their background activity. Greenify can work on both rooted and non-rooted devices.
There is not enough free space on your smartphone
The built-in storage devices of your gadget work in such a way that if they are almost completely full, their performance can be significantly reduced. This is due to the methods by which information was recorded on the internal memory of the device.
Therefore, for fast system operation, it is important that at least 25% of the internal memory remain free. This will not only help maintain performance, but also reduce wear and tear on the built-in media.
How to fix it
If your smartphone is capable of accepting an SD card, try to move as much data as possible to it from the internal memory. Save movies, music, podcasts, pictures and other content to an external drive. there application data, if possible.
And such a thing as photographs is generally better to store in the cloud - especially if there are a lot of them. Cache files also sometimes take up a lot of space - they are used from time to time.
Those smartphones that do not support SD cards, as a rule, have their own impressive amount of memory. But it can still end. Therefore, periodically free up space on your device and make sure that some of the memory is not full.
Another option is to do a hard reset of the smartphone, after taking care of. Then install on your device only those applications that you really need.
Unfortunately, smartphones sooner or later begin to slow down, and they become outdated much faster than computers. You can try to deal with this using the indicated methods, put up with using the gadget exclusively as a “dialer” and a player, or finally buy new smartphone- the choice is yours.
Undoubtedly, the main problem in the operation of modern mobile devices One might call it a lack of autonomy. We would all like our smartphone or tablet to work longer without being connected to charger. However, we see that this problem is reluctantly addressed by manufacturers, and there is virtually no progress in battery technology. We can say that the problem is global. “Slow” Android, “super-optimized” iOS, “fast” WP7, “exotic” MeeGo – regardless of the platform used, we hear users’ dissatisfaction with the operating time of their devices during active use.
Once again, I allow myself to express the opinion that with the same milliampere hours in the battery, with the same tasks, similar intensity of use of network interfaces, with the same number of background services and, most importantly, with the same operating time with the screen backlight on, the battery life of devices on different platforms is approximately the same. At least this is exactly the case in smartphones. I can say this based on personal experience operation. From time to time, screenshots of “record” battery life indicators that pop up on the Internet, when devices (regardless of the platform) are operated mainly in gentle and sleep modes, only confirm that I am right. Any modern smartphone, on any platform, can be easily discharged in 4-6 hours. At the same time, it will be able to work/lie for about 5-6 days in sleep mode with synchronization and rare screen activations.
However, it is worth noting that, nevertheless, some minor improvements in the form of increased battery life of modern Android flagships are present. This is achieved by reducing the manufacturing process of processors and chips, improving their operating efficiency in terms of improving performance without increasing power consumption, some slight increase in the capacity of base batteries, the use of energy-saving technologies in displays, and optimization of the operating system, finally. After all, something is happening inside the fast-growing Android? In principle, we can say that there were no significant differences between the first and second generation devices. However, now that we have the third wave of devices on our hands and are preparing for the fourth, it seems to me that we can talk about such a phenomenon. This is noticeable and I can name a quantitative increase in the autonomy of “new” devices – approximately 10-20%.
All of the above is also true for the current flagship of the platform – the phone Samsung Galaxy SII. Compared to the previous model, autonomy is also slightly increased. Of course, this improvement could be attributed to an increased battery – by just 10%. However, given the dual-core processor, increased clock speed, larger screen size, and noticeably improved performance, I'd say there are some optimizations to be made. And yet, how can we further increase the autonomy of the device in active operation mode?
SGS2 is a very powerful device. I would even say that it is too powerful. Do we always need this power? Even without any experiments, we can assume that no. But let's check this statement in practice. We decided to try reducing the maximum operating frequency of the main processor and see how this affects the operating experience of the device. At the same time, we planned to use the device hard to install it maximum autonomy at maximum load. Besides, let's see do we need these gigahertz, which producers feed us? DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? That is, we will try to find a comfortable threshold for reducing the processor frequency.
Well, I think that the purpose of the experiment is clear, let’s proceed to its implementation.
So, how did we slow down the galaxy?
Our first task was to properly mount the dual-core, two-headed team of hot Exynos twin stallions. For these purposes, a core with overclocking capability was selected, which runs on Revolution HD 3.1.1 firmware and is called RAGEmod. Any other kernel with the ability to change processor operating parameters, for example Siyah Kernel, is also suitable. To directly control the processor, the SetCPU program was used (reins and shafts in the first diagram), with the help of which the horses were taken by the bridle - the upper threshold of the central processor frequency was set at 800 MHz.
Why was this particular value chosen? It was determined experimentally as the minimum required for the normal operation of most games on Android. Naturally, this is understandable - games are the most resource-intensive process. And with a processor frequency of 800 MHz, no slowdowns are yet noticeable; basically, everything always works fine.
Our special correspondent, junior researcher at the Moscow division of KeddrOlab Alexander Kurenkov reports on the results of field tests:
Recently, thanks to several cedar readers and ordinary logic, I decided, instead of increasing the letters and numbers next to the Apple inscription, to switch to the Android operating system. Naturally, the choice fell on one of the most powerful models on the market – Samsung Galaxy S2. Considering that I am still in school, it coincided that I bought the phone during the holidays. He was at home, always in WiFi networks and near the outlet. At first, what the graphs showed was enough for me (~4-5 hours in hard use mode) - after all, I still didn’t understand what and where - I was studying the OS. When it came to weekdays, I thought that the phone would live at the level of an iPhone (well, under WiFi, I didn’t notice much of a difference, because time flew by quite quickly), but everything turned out to be completely different! On the first day, I decided to just see what would happen and used it in “normal mode” for weekdays, but when I began to monitor the battery, I realized that at this rate it would not survive until lunch. I had to reduce the load and try not to use it at all. Anyway, somewhere in the evening I had 5% left for 2-3 days (at lunchtime I charged 25-30%). What I actually did:
1. Internet (ICQ, vk, twitter, a little youtube) ~20-30 minutes;
2. Games (I still wanted to spend a couple of minutes playing with toys) ~ 5-10 minutes;
3. Camera (well, it’s clear that it was necessary to capture some information) ~2-3 pictures per day.
After thinking and looking at my usage schedule, I realized that the phone uses its full power quite often, because I don’t play snake games, but 3D games. Something had to be done about it. First I remembered that Android is an open system and here you can overclock the processor (and therefore lower the frequency too), then I consulted with Vladislav and in the evening I fixed the maximum threshold frequency for the processor at 800 MHz. It helped, the phone began to live in “as always” mode longer. So if you are not satisfied with how much your animal works, you can try lowering the frequency. The second option is a reinforced battery.
I also sat for a few days with the maximum CPU frequency capped at 800 MHz, seeing some savings in battery usage with my normal usage.
I don’t play games, unlike Alexander, so basically one charge is enough for me for 12-13 hours. At 800 MHz I went out for 14-15 hours. Naturally, such an assessment is very subjective, but I tried to give approximately the same loads, turning on the phone screen with a certain frequency and performing my usual actions - viewing mail, Twitter, clicking on links and watching online videos.
However, I went even further and decided to set up a profile system that would regulate the operation of the processor depending on the current situation, since the SetCPU program allows you to configure a certain number of such profiles. In addition, I decided to observe the frequencies and power consumption of the smartphone to understand what real benefits such fine tuning provides.
Here's what I got:
As you can see, I get the maximum performance of the device by overclocking the processor to 1.4 GHz when charging from a network power supply and using the standard 1.2 GHz when charging from a USB PC or laptop. When operating on battery power, the maximum processor frequency was gradually reduced in the following steps:
100-70% – 1200 MHz
70-50% – 1000 MHz
50-30% – 800 MHz
Below 30% – 500 MHz
We can say that I did not experience any inconvenience when using the phone due to such a decrease in the maximum processor frequency. The only thing is that at the last stage, with a limit of 500 MHz, one could notice weak system lags when complex tasks ah and scrolling your desktop with a 3D effect (Go Launcher EX).
Conclusions after the experiment:
1. Reducing the maximum operating frequency of the processor for SGS2 to 800 MHz practically does not bring any noticeable inconvenience when working with the phone, even in 3D games. Video playback also occurs without problems. However, recording 1080p video from the camera may be stuttering
2. Reducing the maximum processor frequency to 500 MHz can still be tolerated if you do not particularly load your smartphone and are not bothered by lags when scrolling. It is no longer possible to play games at this frequency due to noticeable slowdowns.
3. You won’t feel any huge benefits from lowering the maximum processor frequency in SGS2, because in fact, most At this time, the smartphone operates at 200 MHz, the same frequency is used when the device sleeps when the screen is turned off. When scrolling through tables, menus, or launching programs, the processor frequency increases to 500-800 MHz, sometimes up to 1000 MHz. And only when shooting video in 720-1080p and playing games, the operating frequency rises to the standard maximum of 1200 MHz.
Therefore, you will feel the savings from lowering the upper threshold of the used processor frequency only if you use the device very intensively for complex tasks, often shoot videos and play a lot of games. For example, I can also assume that there will be some savings when using GPS navigation for a long time (not tested). If, under standard processor operating conditions, you now have much more than 12 hours of battery life, for example 15-20 or more, you should not even start such games with frequencies. But if you use your smartphone very actively and have a current battery life of less than 8-10 hours, you can use such sophistications to get an additional hour and a half of battery life. Agree, in some situations this is quite a significant increase.
Try and experiment; fortunately, the procedure for lowering the processor frequency is absolutely safe. The only thing you may encounter is system slowdowns and interface lags.
The best result of the maximum operating screen time that I have seen on a standard battery was obtained a few days ago on the RevolutionHD v3.1.1 firmware with the Siyah Kernel 2.2 nolog kernel:
In continuation of this article, I am announcing the next topic for the 3rd series of KeddrOlab ScreenCast, which I will try to publish in a few days: using and setting the SetCPU program, types of processor profiles (CPU governors), overclocking & undervolting.
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