# i7 8750h PL1 throttling after reapplying thermal paste



## Mezzmix (Oct 6, 2022)

Hello, i have a MSi GF72 8RE i7 8750h, GTX 1060 6GB, 16GB DDR4 that i have recently (6.Oktober.2022) changed the thermal paste on. Well, actually ive changed it 3 times now in a corse of 3 days because i was not satisfied with the result of the previous 2 attemps. The 3rd time i was really happy with the results but i noticed that the clockspeed of the CPU was throttling down to 3200-3300MHz under load, when before it was more like 3600-3900MHz. I have Throttlestop installed and active. I noticed that the PL1 and PL2 and EDP was throttling in some way. The PL1 kicks in at around 10-20 seconds and keeps my TDP at 45 (before the PL1 throttle around 76 TDP). I undervolted the cpu core offset voltage to -137.7, same goes with the cpu cache. I am pretty clueless with what this might cause so i would gladly appreciate any advice!
Edit: The cpu does NOT thermal throttle.

Thanks in advance!


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## unclewebb (Oct 7, 2022)

Mezzmix said:


> (before the PL1 throttle around 76 TDP)


Before what? Do you remember making any changes to the turbo power limits? Did you install any Windows updates? Are you using any MSI software like Dragon Center? 

At default settings, most laptops with an 8750H set the PL1 power limit equal to the 45W TDP value. That will cause power limit throttling and reduced performance at full load.

Post a screenshot of the ThrottleStop TPL window so I can see how the MSR and MMIO power limits are setup.


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## Mezzmix (Oct 11, 2022)

unclewebb said:


> Before what? Do you remember making any changes to the turbo power limits? Did you install any Windows updates? Are you using any MSI software like Dragon Center?
> 
> At default settings, most laptops with an 8750H set the PL1 power limit equal to the 45W TDP value. That will cause power limit throttling and reduced performance at full load.
> 
> Post a screenshot of the ThrottleStop TPL window so I can see how the MSR and MMIO power limits are setup.


Hi!

I also found out that my CPU usage while gaming is around 5-10%, while my GPU is used 100% most of the time.



unclewebb said:


> Before what? Do you remember making any changes to the turbo power limits? Did you install any Windows updates? Are you using any MSI software like Dragon Center?
> 
> At default settings, most laptops with an 8750H set the PL1 power limit equal to the 45W TDP value. That will cause power limit throttling and reduced performance at full load.
> 
> Post a screenshot of the ThrottleStop TPL window so I can see how the MSR and MMIO power limits are setup.


I have since disabled Throttlestop but i still expierience power limit throttling. I also recently installed the new windows 11 update.


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## unclewebb (Oct 11, 2022)

Mezzmix said:


> my CPU usage while gaming is around 5-10%


That does not sound right. Does ThrottleStop show this information or is some other monitoring software showing you this info? The best thing to do is to check the Log File box on the main screen of ThrottleStop before playing a game. This will give you an accurate record of CPU performance and any throttling problems. When finished testing, exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize the log file. It will be in your ThrottleStop / Logs folder. Attach a log file to your next post so I can have a look.

Don't be afraid to post some ThrottleStop screenshots too. You might not have something in ThrottleStop setup correctly.


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## Mezzmix (Oct 11, 2022)

unclewebb said:


> That does not sound right. Does ThrottleStop show this information or is some other monitoring software showing you this info? The best thing to do is to check the Log File box on the main screen of ThrottleStop before playing a game. This will give you an accurate record of CPU performance and any throttling problems. When finished testing, exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize the log file. It will be in your ThrottleStop / Logs folder. Attach a log file to your next post so I can have a look.
> 
> Don't be afraid to post some ThrottleStop screenshots too. You might not have something in ThrottleStop setup correctly.





unclewebb said:


> That does not sound right. Does ThrottleStop show this information or is some other monitoring software showing you this info? The best thing to do is to check the Log File box on the main screen of ThrottleStop before playing a game. This will give you an accurate record of CPU performance and any throttling problems. When finished testing, exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize the log file. It will be in your ThrottleStop / Logs folder. Attach a log file to your next post so I can have a look.
> 
> Don't be afraid to post some ThrottleStop screenshots too. You might not have something in ThrottleStop setup correctly.


i will send some log file data tomorrow, thank you for helping me


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## londeroarthur (Oct 11, 2022)

You can increase the TDP limit if you want. Just uncheck the "disable power limit control", check the lock box on the MMIMO and change PL1 and PL2.

PL1 = Default power limit (in watts)
PL2 = Turbo Boost power limit (in watts)

Your power is being limited to 45w after a few seconds because your PL1 is set to 45W when the turbo time limit reaches the limit. Try increasing PL1 to 70W for example.


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## Mezzmix (Oct 11, 2022)

I had throttlestop active before, i just disabled it because i thought it doesnt do anything anyway. So these where my settings before but the PL1 still throttles to 45 TDP. Some models with the 8750h just have a throttle set by the manufacturer i think. Well the biggest problem for me is after i updated to Windows 11 22H1 my cpu usage is at around 5-10% and my gpu usage is always at 100% when playing games.


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## londeroarthur (Oct 11, 2022)

You forgot to check the MMIO lock box


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## Mezzmix (Oct 11, 2022)

so i did what you said, but still it power limit throttles after a while.


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## londeroarthur (Oct 11, 2022)

Can you send me a screenshot of your TPL? The same window you sent before.


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## unclewebb (Oct 11, 2022)

Mezzmix said:


> still it power limit throttles


If you have MMIO Lock checked with the MSR PL1 power limit set to 70W and you are still getting power limit throttling at 45W, there is no easy fix for that. 

Some users have modified the IMON Slope variable so the CPU reports half as much power consumption compared to actual power consumption. I have never played around with IMON Slope so you will need to do some Google searching to see if this is possible to do with your laptop.


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## Mezzmix (Oct 11, 2022)

unclewebb said:


> If you have MMIO Lock checked with the MSR PL1 power limit set to 70W and you are still getting power limit throttling at 45W, there is no easy fix for that.
> 
> Some users have modified the IMON Slope variable so the CPU reports half as much power consumption compared to actual power consumption. I have never played around with IMON Slope so you will need to do some Google searching to see if this is possible to do with your laptop.


Alright! I will try that but my other problem is just that, as i said, was that my cpu usage is at around 5-10%, and my gpu 100% while gaming. Does it have to do with the Windows update i did maybe?



londeroarthur said:


> Can you send me a screenshot of your TPL? The same window you sent before.


sure


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## unclewebb (Oct 11, 2022)

Mezzmix said:


> cpu usage is at around 5-10%


The log file you posted above shows CPU usage of 95% to 100%. Where are you seeing 5% to 10%? Run a log file while gaming if that log file above was for something else.


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## Mezzmix (Oct 11, 2022)

unclewebb said:


> The log file you posted above shows CPU usage of 95% to 100%. Where are you seeing 5% to 10%? Run a log file while gaming if that log file above was for something else.


so i played 2 games now, first one was dying light and after that one bo3 zombies. I will send screenshots and the logs of both

and the 99% usage was from the built in stress test from throttlestop


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## unclewebb (Oct 12, 2022)

Mezzmix said:


> dying light




```
DATE       TIME    MULTI   C0%   CKMOD  BAT_mW  TEMP    VID   POWER
2022-10-11  21:31:15  31.36   77.5  100.0       0   79   1.0237   44.6   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:16  31.25   80.7  100.0       0   80   1.0248   44.7   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:17  31.36   79.8  100.0       0   81   1.0209   44.7   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:18  31.45   81.9  100.0       0   80   1.0558   44.8   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:19  32.02   69.1  100.0       0   78   1.0521   44.5   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:20  31.70   80.0  100.0       0   79   1.0258   45.1   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:21  31.46   89.7  100.0       0   80   1.0100   45.0   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:22  30.94   91.4  100.0       0   79   1.0320   44.8   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:23  31.30   83.5  100.0       0   81   1.0470   44.7   PL1
2022-10-11  21:31:24  30.98   91.3  100.0       0   80   1.0220   45.3   PL1
```

Dying light shows the CPU load varying between 70% and 90%. This game is giving your 6 core CPU a good work out. It could use a few more cores. Some games are not programmed to take advantage of multi-core CPUs. This game sure can.

It is limited by the 45W power limit. The CPU slows down as much as necessary to prevent power consumption from exceeding 45W. Until you find some magic way to get beyond that limit, your computer is running as good as it is going to run.

Here is some data from your other log file.

```
DATE       TIME    MULTI   C0%   CKMOD  BAT_mW  TEMP    VID   POWER
2022-10-11  21:38:30  39.00   11.2  100.0       0   72   1.2684   26.0
2022-10-11  21:38:31  39.00   15.8  100.0       0   67   1.2357   29.7
2022-10-11  21:38:32  39.00   16.0  100.0       0   70   1.2975   29.1
2022-10-11  21:38:33  39.00   15.1  100.0       0   71   1.2749   39.8
2022-10-11  21:38:34  39.00   15.7  100.0       0   74   1.3254   28.7
2022-10-11  21:38:35  39.00   11.9  100.0       0   67   1.2673   30.4
2022-10-11  21:38:36  39.00   25.4  100.0       0   82   1.2695   42.9
2022-10-11  21:38:37  38.95   21.6  100.0       0   68   1.2787   36.1
2022-10-11  21:38:38  39.00   11.9  100.0       0   73   1.2675   32.8
2022-10-11  21:38:39  39.00   17.2  100.0       0   71   1.2456   30.3
```

The C0% is much lower which simply means that this game does not need a 6 core CPU to run. It has not been programmed to take advantage of your CPU. Power consumption is less which is another sign that the CPU is not being fully utilized. Without any power limit throttling, the CPU multiplier is mostly steady at 39.00. That is full speed for your CPU. There is no more performance to be had.

The only issue you have is the 45W power limit that MSi is forcing upon your computer. I am not sure if there are any BIOS options to get beyond that limit. Probably not.


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