# I need help. Undervolt Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 Intel Core i5 9300H



## Purple-Noise (Sep 17, 2021)

Hi. I just installed Throttlestop and was wondering what could be an optimal undervolt configuration for my computer. The device I am using is an Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 Intel Core i5 9300H. I've been fiddling with the settings a bit, but I'm afraid I did something wrong, or what do I know. I wouldn't want my computer to get slow because of a bad configuration. could someone help me?


----------



## unclewebb (Sep 17, 2021)

Purple-Noise said:


> optimal undervolt


No one in a forum can guess what an optimal undervolt is going to be for the CPU in your laptop. Only you can test your laptop.



Purple-Noise said:


> I'm afraid I did something wrong


Your settings look OK. Are you having any problems?

In the FIVR window I would set the core and cache IccMax to the maximum value, 255.75.

In the TPL window I usually set Power Limit 4 to 0 which tells the CPU to ignore this setting.

Do some Cinebench testing.









						MAXON Cinebench (R20.0) Download
					

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winn




					www.techpowerup.com
				




Some people get better results by undervolting the core more than the cache. Maybe start with the core and cache both at -130 mV and see what your baseline score is. Bump the core offset in steps of -25 mV and see if your results improve.

Most 9th Gen CPUs are not 100% stable with the cache at -146 mV. You might have a good CPU that can be undervolted that amount without any problems. Make sure you can at least pass the TS Bench 960M test. This test should not report any errors.

A lot of Acer laptops are set internally to power limit throttle at the rated TDP which is 45W. When testing with Cinebench, open ThrottleStop Limit Reasons and watch for PL1 or PL2 power limit throttling to light up red. Watch what power consumption is reported when this happens.

Acer low balled the thermal throttling temperature (PROCHOT) and set it to throttle at 92°C instead of the Intel recommended 100°C. Acer also locked this setting so there is nothing you can do about it.


----------



## Purple-Noise (Sep 17, 2021)

unclewebb said:


> No one in a forum can guess what an optimal undervolt is going to be for the CPU in your laptop. Only you can test your laptop.
> 
> 
> Your settings look OK. Are you having any problems?
> ...


This is what I got the limit reasons while I was rendering in 





Cinebench, isn't there any problem? I'm sorry if I'm being a bit annoying, but I'm just learning about Undervolt and it's getting very complicated.

Do you think I should touch the Turbo Power Limits settings?


----------



## unclewebb (Sep 17, 2021)

unclewebb said:


> A lot of Acer laptops are set internally to power limit throttle at the rated TDP which is 45W.


Your screenshot while Cinebench testing confirms this. Your laptop is power limit throttling right at 45.0W. This is the rated TDP for the 9300H.









						Product Specifications
					

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




					ark.intel.com
				








With Limit Reasons open it shows PL2 lighting up red under the CORE column. That also confirms power limit throttling. There is nothing you can do about this. Some manufacturers allow you to go beyond 45W. Your Acer laptop does not allow this.

The other thing you see under the CORE column of Limit Reasons is THERMAL lighting up red. Your CPU is thermal throttling which means it will slow down just enough so it does not exceed the low ball 92°C thermal throttling temperature that Acer has set. Once again, there is nothing you can do about this. The Intel document above shows that 100°C is the maximum safe temperature for a 9300H but Acer has decided to ignore this advice.

Did you try doing any Cinebench testing while using different voltage offset values for the core and the cache?



unclewebb said:


> Some people get better results by undervolting the core more than the cache. Maybe start with the core and cache both at -130 mV and see what your baseline score is. Bump the core offset in steps of -25 mV and see if your results improve.



Your laptop is running about as good as it is going to get. The power and thermal limits that Acer enforces are unfortunate. You lose some performance compared to similar laptops that are left unlocked. ThrottleStop cannot be used to over come the hard limits that Acer has set.


----------

