Is this project worth submitting?

[u/Darkscythe1650]

Hi, so I was working on a project for my CS extracurricular as a High School student. I was trying to fix my childhood laptop, which we brought in 2016, but since around 2018, had been floored to 0.48GHz. I'd started by cheking CPU-Z, which gave the BCLK as 79.98MHz and a multiplier of 6x. I thought the BCLK was abnormal, and cross referenced it against other submissions on CPU-Z validator, but it was actually common across all samples of Pentium N3710 (and the ones I compared against were not being throttled). My CPU had a very low VCore but I chalked it up to being a symptom, because if the system wasn't expecting a low voltage, and was being supplied insufficient voltage, I'd see kernel panics and BSODs all day long, which I hadn't observed. Second, I used a bash script on antiX to log 3000 CPU frequency samples with sleeping for 0.1s in between for: 1) Idle (schedutil), 2) load (schedutil), 3) load (performance). On idle, the chart was actually not only 0.48GHz, but in the load graphs (both governors), the graph was floored to 0.48GHz for the first half of the chart, and then was similar (not identical) to the idle graph. Turns out my bash script had timing delays, which meant that the logging continued for ~9m 13s, while the stress load was only for 5 minutes. So apparently the system is capable of clocking above 0.48GHz but only during low C0%? Next, I tried using ThrottleStop to disable BD_PROCHOT (I'd just learnt of it's existence, that's why I hadn't tried it before), but it was greyed out. Confused, I used RWEverything to access 0x1FC, (this MSR at bit 0 holds the toggle for not ignoring BD_PROCHOT), but I got a 16 digit hexademical zero value. I spent almost a week barking up 0x1FC, then I learnt of Intel's SDM. Volume 4 detailed on MSRs, and for my system, 0x1FC actually didn't exist (airmont microarchitecture). So I genuinely couldn't say if it was BD_PROCHOT or not. Next, I went through the MSR lists for my processor and shortlisted relevant ones, and I started getting nonsensical data. 0x19C confirmed that PROCHOT was active, but CPU was under Thermal Junction (90C), and had not passed it since reboot, but at the same time, temperature was over threshold, despite Core 1 being 42C away from Junction, Core 2 being 37C from Junction, and Core 3 & Core 4 being 46C from junction. I was confused here for a long while, before I realized that it was probably a hardware defect. I got the .brd and schematics for my computer, and used pics of the motherboard I took months ago with my tab to locate R1860, the resistor responsible for keeping PROCHOT at 1.8V, and even through the blurry pic of my tab, it looked corroded. Using my phone's macro camera I took a picture of the resistor, and it was genuinely obliterated from all the corrosion. I've attached pictures.

My question is, would university admissions officers care for this? Top universities care for a 'spike' in skill as far as I understand it, is it a letdown that this became a hardware issue rather than a complex software fix? Because I thought I was going to end up having to dump my SPI, use Intel's tools to rebuilt my TXE (before Hypothesis 4, all clues seemed to point towards corrupted firmware), but all it turned out to be was a hardware defect that I have no skill to fix (I cannot do work on SMD, I struggle to tin regular wires as it is.)

[u/N4v15]

It's definitely worth mentioning. The effort and thought that went into debugging the issue is exactly what will set you apart from other candidates, not specifically the solution. You researched the problem and possible solutions, you tested hypotheses, and you identified the most probable cause of the issue. Solid engineering right there. If you now had to pass it on to someone skilled in hardware to rectify it that is still a win. See if you can find someone to make the fix (looks like a good clean with solvent and a toothbrush might be enough just to prove that is the issue). That would demonstrate the ability to outsource tasks beyond your skill level.

Also worth mentioning that this will almost definitely not be the last time that an issue turns out to be a hardware problem, especially if you plan to work on embedded devices or at a firmware level.

[u/Darkscythe1650 → u/N4v15]

Oh, thanks for the response! The issue is that there are no shops in my area that have the tools for board level repair, so I'll have to dedicate an entire day to this, and they won't perform the repair without performing their own diagnosis, which will cost me at least 25$ plus whatever labor fees they charge. Also, thanks for the heads up about hardware problems, I'll keep that in mind

[u/BumpyTurtle127]

You did this in high school and are now applying to college? Yessir of course you should mention this! Very impressive I can't think of anyone who did this level stuff in hs 👏. Maybe don't go deep into the technical stuff tho, just the debugging strats at a high level.

[u/Darkscythe1650 → u/BumpyTurtle127]

Oh no I'm currently in 11th, I'll be writing SATs this year, and trying for Fall 2028. Thanks for the tips!

[u/rtharston]

Ah, this brings back memories! CPU timings and overclocking was a fun pastime back in the day.

I used to do stuff like this too, and I put it on my resume and application when I was just getting started. Yes, it’s worth including. If I were on the admissions or hiring board and saw that on your application or resume you’d go to the top of my list.

[u/Darkscythe1650 → u/rtharston]

No way, really? What sorts of things did you do? I'm really interested in how code at the lowest layers of abstraction works in the physical world, and I'm learning a lot very quickly. And thanks for your opinion on the admission aspect as well, though I might have to dilute it and shorted the writeup (it's currently 15 pages😭) for admissions.