Can someone explain how slots work when overclocking?

Question

I have been trying to use the DX/D2 Overclocker app on a rooted Droid X and I have been having a hard time finding good sources of information about overclocking. The app provides preset profiles for stock settings and other overclock speeds, but not much information besides that. For instance, here are settings for the stock Droid X:

• Slot 1: 400000 / 27
• Slot 2: 700000 / 38
• Slot 3: 900000 / 50
• Slot 4: 1100000 / 56

As I have come to understand, slot 1 refers to the minimum speed and slot 4 is the max speed. I assume that the other slots are for levels in between the min and max, but what are these sections for? How can I figure out how to set these slots in order to get better performance out of the device?

Answer 1

Each slot refers to a specific clock speed that your phone's kernel allows (in your case, 400mhz to 1.1 ghz). Therefore, these clock speeds can vary between different kernels (different values or even more slots). In the case of the Droid X or Droid 2, you are stuck with the stock kernel due to the locked bootloader.

I'm more familiar with using SetCPU. SetCPU lets you manually choose which clock speeds you want your phone to run at. You choose a min clock speed, a max clock speed, and how you want it to scale (ondemand, performance, etc.). You can also setup profiles with SetCPU that allows your phone to run at certain clock speeds under certain conditions. For example, you would want to lower you clock speed when the phone's screen is turned off. You may also want to lower the clock speed when your battery is below a certain battery % to try and pro long battery life as long as possible.

If you're wanting to conserve more power, set the clock min and max clock speeds low. If you're wanting better performance, then set them higher. On my phone (Droid 1), I use an undervolted kernel and typically run at a 250mhz min, 600 mhz max clock speed to conserve battery.

If my answer doesn't fully answer your questions, leave a comment and I'll try to help you further.