[nycdunz]

just browsing thru the system preferences and under energy prefpane i noticed that the g5's ship with the default setting for automatic... was wondering how come its not on "Highest" wouldnt i get better performance overall this way? or does "automatic" mode autosense how hard the cpu is working and adjusts accordingly to what i'm doing? not sure quite I understand how this "automatic" mode works... can someone clear this up for me. Thanks.

[d.fine]

Originally Posted by nycdunz

or does "automatic" mode autosense how hard the cpu is working and adjusts accordingly to what i'm doing?

Yes, thats it. It will give you full CPU power if you ask it. I think this function is more suited for PowerBooks, because it will see to it that the CPU temperatures stay lower and your battery will last longer. In the G5's you could argue that it sees to it that overal CPU temperatures stay a little lower, and therefore cause less fan speed-ups...
It's just a choice people make. Some want full power at all times at their fingertips, some prefer automatic, and just use full power when needed. Personally I have my Dual 2.0 on automatic, because I don't need the full CPU power at all times, and when I need it, I will get it.
My PowerBook is on automatic as well, here it is to keep it cooler and make the battery last longer. In the PB you can set it up so that it is on 'Highest' when using the power supply, and on 'Automatic' when running on battery power, which is what I did, and most other people I think.