@mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Post #1504674
2026-04-21 18:46 UTC
The Turbo button actually *slowed down* your processor for backwards compatibility reasons. Older software was expecting the CPU clock to be below a certain threshold, and would crash (or run way too fast) if the clock was too fast. Sort of like old games tying the physics to the framerate, then the physics gets all weird when the frame rate changes. The Turbo button was a way to boot old programs without needing to dig into your BIOS to downclock the CPU manually.
Old games were especially bad about it. They’d rely on the CPU clock for in-game timing, so the game would basically run in super speed if the CPU clock was too fast. The Turbo button allowed you to slow the CPU down to make those games playable again.
Replies (3)
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@lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2026-04-21 19:29
Gonna add a turbo button to my PC that does nothing except light up an LED and turn on a really loud fan.
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@jaaake@lemmy.world 2026-04-21 19:35
I mean, the light indicated when turbo was engaged and you would disengage it to slow it down. Maybe you had hooked up your jumpers backwards?
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@prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-04-21 18:58
Why in the hell did they call it "turbo" when it's literally the opposite