# Removing power limits on a 4th gen i7?



## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 12, 2021)

Hi everyone, I have an Asus K550JX with an i7-4720HQ with a 50mV undervolt. I have noticed that the laptop constantly power throttles, so I tried to unlock the limits but it didn't do anything (9.2 stable). After it failed to unlock the limits, I upgraded to the latest beta (9.2.9 as of now), which shows a "Shut down computer to unlock." message when I try to unlock the power limits. However, when I shut it down and then turn it back on it's still locked. Is there something else I need to do or this laptop's power limits simply can't be unlocked? Thanks in advance.


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## unclewebb (Feb 12, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> Shut down computer to unlock.


This new feature only works if you used ThrottleStop to lock the turbo power limits. If the BIOS is locking your power limits, you cannot use ThrottleStop to unlock them.

Some 4th Gen mobile CPUs allow you to enable the ThrottleStop PowerCut feature. When your computer is idle, set the VCCIN voltage to 1.79 V and press the Apply button. Now check the PowerCut option in the FIVR window and press Apply again. Look in the FIVR monitoring table. Does it show that the VCCIN voltage is Locked? After you do this, try running a simple benchmark and see what ThrottleStop reports for power consumption while your CPU is loaded. Post a screenshot of the FIVR window if you need help.

When PowerCut works correctly, it will trick the CPU so full load power consumption is reported extremely low. This was how one could get around the turbo power limits. Make the CPU think that power consumption is low and turbo boost will last forever.

Here is an example when PowerCut is enabled on a 4700MQ. Full speed, full load and only 3.0W of power consumption. Not a hint of throttling.



http://imgur.com/Z5iMcdr


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 13, 2021)

Hey, thanks for the reply. I probably won't use PowerCut because the warning that ThrottleStop shows is very scary and I can't afford to lose this PC (my power adapter provides 120W but I don't know how much the laptop consumes at full load right now), but I think there could be another solution. On Hackintoshes, it is a very common practice to mod the BIOS to unlock the MSR 0xE2 (CFG-Lock) register for writing, which when unlocked allows macOS to properly manage the power consumption. The reason the BIOS needs to be modded to accomplish this is because most motherboards (laptop and desktop) lock this register and many do not have any option to unlock it in the GUI. If CFG-Lock indeed controls the power limits, could following this guide unlock them?


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## unclewebb (Feb 13, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> MSR 0xE2 (CFG-Lock)


I know Apple users need this unlocked but all this lock applies to is the package C states. When this MSR is unlocked, you can adjust the maximum package C state. It does not control the power limits or the multiplier or anything else. Only the package C states. If you look in the ThrottleStop C States window, it will show you if this MSR is locked. If a computer locks this register in the BIOS, the only way to unlock it is by modifying a UEFI variable or with a BIOS option. Very few computers have an option for this in the BIOS.


LegoLivesMatter said:


> the warning that ThrottleStop shows is very scary


I believe that people need to take full responsibility for their actions. The scary warning is just a reminder of that.

I have set the VCCIN voltage as high as 2.29 V on my 4th Gen 4700MQ laptop. Many years later after doing that, it still runs great. The default VCCIN voltage is somewhere around 1.75V to 1.80V. Some CPUs will run reliably with the VCCIN voltage down around 1.60V. My computer is not 100% stable with VCCIN at 1.75V so that is why I recommend a hair under 1.80V. If a computer is stable at this setting, it is OK to go lower. I prefer to start with a little extra voltage and slowly work my way to a stable setting.

I designed ThrottleStop so I can just drag the VCCIN slider all the way to the right and get a VCCIN voltage that works well for my computer. You will probably not hurt anything by trying this but best to leave it alone if your laptop is important to you.


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 15, 2021)

> I know Apple users need this unlocked but all this lock applies to is the package C states. When this MSR is unlocked, you can adjust the maximum package C state. It does not control the power limits or the multiplier or anything else. Only the package C states. If you look in the ThrottleStop C States window, it will show you if this MSR is locked. If a computer locks this register in the BIOS, the only way to unlock it is by modifying a UEFI variable or with a BIOS option. Very few computers have an option for this in the BIOS.


Shame, would have been very helpful otherwise.


> I have set the VCCIN voltage as high as 2.29 V on my 4th Gen 4700MQ laptop. Many years later after doing that, it still runs great. The default VCCIN voltage is somewhere around 1.75V to 1.80V. Some CPUs will run reliably with the VCCIN voltage down around 1.60V. My computer is not 100% stable with VCCIN at 1.75V so that is why I recommend a hair under 1.80V. If a computer is stable at this setting, it is OK to go lower. I prefer to start with a little extra voltage and slowly work my way to a stable setting.


Does a higher VCCIN allow it to use more power?


> I designed ThrottleStop so I can just drag the VCCIN slider all the way to the right and get a VCCIN voltage that works well for my computer. You will probably not hurt anything by trying this but best to leave it alone if your laptop is important to you.


What is the chance of damaging my laptop?

Thanks for the reply.


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## unclewebb (Feb 15, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> Does a higher VCCIN allow it to use more power?


On a mobile CPU, there is no reason to set VCCIN to the highest possible value. I just wanted to let you know that I tried this on my 4700MQ and it survived. If a person accidentally set the VCCIN voltage incorrectly, there is a good chance that their CPU will survive. ThrottleStop includes a Range option. If the Range is set to 1.80V, it would be impossible to set this any higher. This is a safety feature. Leave this set to 1.80V max.

The 4th Gen mobile CPUs have a bug I do not think was ever fixed by Intel. When the VCCIN voltage is locked to a fixed value, the power consumption data calculated within the CPU will be reported too low. The screenshot I posted above shows this bug. Even at full load, the CPU thinks it is only running at 3.0W. Actual full load power consumption is probably close to 60W. 

That is all the PowerCut feature is doing. It allows you to lock the VCCIN voltage to a fixed value so you can take advantage of this bug within the processor. When a CPU does not report power consumption correctly, it can use full turbo boost indefinitely as long as it does not get too hot.



LegoLivesMatter said:


> What is the chance of damaging my laptop?


How is anyone in a forum going to know the answer to that question? I own and have tested one computer. Using PowerCut on my laptop has not damaged it.

Having the VCCIN voltage set to 1.75V or 1.80V is normal for this CPU. All I am doing is setting the VCCIN voltage manually instead of using the Default setting.


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 15, 2021)

> On a mobile CPU, there is no reason to set VCCIN to the highest possible value. I just wanted to let you know that I tried this on my 4700MQ and it survived. If a person accidentally set the VCCIN voltage incorrectly, there is a good chance that their CPU will survive. ThrottleStop includes a Range option. If the Range is set to 1.80V, it would be impossible to set this any higher. This is a safety feature. Leave this set to 1.80V max.


Understood.


> Actual full load power consumption is probably close to 60W.


I just measured my dGPU's power consumption with Unigine Superposition and HWSensors and it peaked at 30W. If my CPU also consumes about 60W with PowerCut and the charger provides 120W, there should be no problem, right? I know this does not account for the rest of the system's power consumption (screen, SSD, peripherals, ...), but I don't believe that consumes 30W or more.


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## unclewebb (Feb 15, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> there should be no problem, right?


You will never know until you try. My 4th Gen laptop also has a 120W power adapter. I have never had a problem with it.

For most laptop power adapters, it you overload them, they will trip. That means they will stop putting out any power so your laptop will have to switch to battery power. If this ever happens, unplugging the power adapter from the wall should reset this safety feature.


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 15, 2021)

> You will never know until you try. My 4th Gen laptop also has a 120W power adapter. I have never had a problem with it.


Does your laptop have a discrete GPU?


> For most laptop power adapters, it you overload them, they will trip. That means they will stop putting out any power so your laptop will have to switch to battery power. If this ever happens, unplugging the power adapter from the wall should reset this safety feature.


That's a massive relief. I might try PowerCut after I repaste this thing.

Also a correction of my last comment: I measured it using HWInfo64, not HWSensors.


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## unclewebb (Feb 15, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> Does your laptop have a discrete GPU?


Yes. It has one Nvidia GT755M.


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 15, 2021)

unclewebb said:


> Yes. It has one Nvidia GT755M.


Do you happen to know its power consumption?


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## unclewebb (Feb 15, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> power consumption?











						NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M Specs
					

NVIDIA GK107, 980 MHz, 384 Cores, 32 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 2048 MB GDDR5, 1350 MHz, 128 bit




					www.techpowerup.com
				




The GT755M has a 50W maximum rating.


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 15, 2021)

I just did another test with OCCT and this time the GPU power consumption shot up to 44.2W. Could this high of a consumption be a problem?


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## unclewebb (Feb 15, 2021)

LegoLivesMatter said:


> Could this high of a consumption be a problem?


No idea. Do you want to run your CPU at full speed so you can run OCCT or do you want to do this so your computer can play games better? You will have to test your computer to find out what it is capable of.


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## LegoLivesMatter (Feb 15, 2021)

I want less throttling, which in turn increases performance.


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## Zakaru91 (Feb 18, 2021)

Hi I have your own notebook I recently solved the thermal throttling problems by polishing the heatsink with polish and revolutionizing the airflow by overturning the fan and drilling the case, currently after more than 1 hour of play I have max 68 ° cpu and 63 ° gpu
(overclocked + 135mhz clock and + 220mhz memory clock) but I continue to have edp current limitation on core and ring with consequent lowering of the clock on 3.2 ghz.
I would like to know if you have solved with the solution proposed by ziowebb


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