Kernel help for a noob

[jsf_x35a]

Hi all,
So this is my first time building my own kernel. I've decided to use suspend2-sources because I can get suspend working on my laptop without the hassle of patching gentoo-sources (I'm not quite familiar with patching a kernel yet). So I have two questions:

1) Are suspend2-sources and gentoo-sources similar or would I get a significant boost from using gentoo-sources and then patching it?

2) In the "Processor type and features" section of menuconfig, what exactly it "Timer frequency"? Mine is currently set at 250Hz. Should I change this? I need to use my laptop mostly for number crunching..... if that's relevant.\

Thanks

[desultory]

[jsf_x35a]

Thanks.