Valve employee inadvertently mixed up CPU unit prefixes in latest Steam beta, resulting in sluggish CPU readings. Swift update rectifies the issue.
In the realm of science, SI prefixes are sacrosanct, that is unless you're a computing scientist. Then, the debate over prefix-mega versus mebi can get a bit heated. A programmer at Valve found himself in the middle of the prefix wars when displaying CPU clocks in the Steam performance overlay, but the team quickly fixed it with a patch.
Last week, Valve introduced a performance overlay to the current Steam beta, and it's quite snazzy, showing frame rates, clock speeds, processor utilization, and memory consumption, all in a convenient bar you can place around your screen.
However, in the patch notes for the beta Steam client, Valve "fixed the Mhz/Ghz conversion for CPU speed values in Performance Monitor to ensure values aren’t 2.4% lower than expected." So, how does one miss 2.4% of a CPU's clock speed? The answer lies in the prefixes.
Let's say your processor is running at 3,500 MHz, but you want to show that in GHz. Since Hz is an SI unit, one uses the SI prefix system where G stands for giga and is a multiple of 1,000. In other words, the clock speed is 3.5 GHz. What Valve did was use the computer science prefix of gibi, which is a multiple of 1,024.
Using simple math, 1,000 divided by 1,024 and subtracting 1, then multiplying by 100, gives a percentage difference of approximately 2.34%. Not quite 2.4%, but it's clear where Valve made the mistake. It's a minor thing, but it's funny that Valve, a company known for its precision, made such an error.
Other companies should take a page out of Valve's book when it comes to fixing their overlays or performance monitors as quickly. For example, Nvidia's Frameview often forgets key bindings or folder selections. Again, the team behind it is small, but if Valve can do it, so can others.
Personally, I prefer MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server when it comes to performance overlays. However, it's nice to have options, and it'll be interesting to see what Valve does with their little bar.
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Nick Evanson, a physics and IT teacher, fell in love with gaming and computers in 1981. He has been writing about tech for decades, from Sinclair ZX81 to the modern PC. Despite his obsession with GPUs and open-world RPGs, Nick is known for his precision and attention to detail.
- In the world of gaming, Nick Evanson, a physics and IT teacher, prefers MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server for performance overlays, showcasing his attention to detail even in the realm of gaming.
- Valve, a company known for its precision, made an error in using the computer science prefix of gibi instead of the SI prefix of G in the Steam performance overlay, leading to a 2.34% difference in CPU's clock speed display.
- Other companies could learn from Valve's quick fix when it comes to overlay or performance monitor errors, such as Nvidia's Frameview, which often forgets key bindings or folder selections.
- In the realm of gaming news, reviews, and hardware deals, the PC Gamer team keeps readers updated on the latest stories and the best deals, providing options for everyone, from budget to high-end gadgets.
