# Acer Nitro 515-55



## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 7, 2021)

Hi there, I got a little laptop (acer nitro 515-55 with i5-10300h and gtx1660ti) and I've had some problems undervolting it. Back in octomber I "achieved" good temps on it(75-78 Celsius degrees) with -125mv on Core and -125 on Cache but then they released a new bios update (1.08->1.10) that locked undervolting/overvolting settings. Yesterday I finally unlocked it and tried to do some undervolting again as the temps got back to 92 Celsius degrees in games (they became sluggish, don't know how to undervolt GPU)
Now I've tried these settings and at least there is no power throttling(only an EDP warning) . Could you guide me in doing better settings for this processor ? Are these good ? 

Thank you.


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## unclewebb (Apr 7, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> Could you guide me


Turn on the ThrottleStop log file option and go play a game for at least 15 minutes. This will create a record of your computer's performance. Check the Nvidia GPU box in the Options window so your GPU temp and MHz are included. It will be a lot easier to make suggestions if I have some data to look at. Attach a ThrottleStop log to your next post.

The maximum turbo ratios for your CPU are 45, 44, 43, 42. You do not have an unlocked K series CPU so there is no point in setting the turbo ratios any higher than their default values.

Checking the FIVR - Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits box is always a good idea.

You said that you obtained good results with the core and cache set to -125 mV. Why is the cache set to -62.5 mV now? There is no magic 2:1 ratio that you have to follow. Set the voltages to whatever works best and is stable.

In the TPL window, did you lock your turbo power limits? The TPL window shows that you are requesting 58W and 100W for your turbo power limits but at the top, the CPU is set to 58W and 60W. I would unlock this setting, shut down your computer so the CPU can reset itself and then I would set the TPL values appropriately. You only need to lock the power limits if something else on your computer is changing these limits.

Try running Cinebench R20 when adjusting your voltages. Cinebench scores are a good indication of your CPU performance.









						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


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 7, 2021)

So,I've tried to do changes as you said but i observed that by default PL1 is 70 and PL2 is 107. Should I let them by that or change them to 60 ?

And in Cinebench i got 2025 score (compared to 2042) on CPU


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## unclewebb (Apr 7, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> Should I let them by that or change them to 60 ?


Why do you want to change your power limits to 60? What problem are you trying to solve?



unclewebb said:


> Turn on the ThrottleStop log file option


The log file you posted does not look like a ThrottleStop log file. 


```
Package TDP - 48.456051237899309612931156686
```
Reporting 27 digits after the decimal point is a little excessive.   

A ThrottleStop log file allows me to quickly see how your computer is running. The log file you posted does not.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 7, 2021)

This should be it  Didn't know where to find it


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## unclewebb (Apr 7, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> This should be it


That looks much better. I can quickly scroll a ThrottleStop log file up and down and easily see any problems. Guess what? No problems!

The log file looks great. Both the CPU and GPU are running at their full rated speed. No temperature issues or throttling issues. The CPU peaks at ~80°C. Everyone buys 6 core laptops but there seems to be a lot less throttling and overheating issues on the 4 core laptops. Looks like your undervolt was a big success.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 8, 2021)

That is very nice to hear, thank you very much for helping me


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 9, 2021)

Later edit: I've left all the settings on stock values to see how much difference is between stock and undervolt. Tried RDR2 for a few minutes. Should i leave all the settings on stock rather than undervolting it and maybe breaking something ? (undervolted gpu and it started to appear artifacts on screen or even not starting the games)


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 13, 2021)

So I've been trying to get some values right, seems like these are pretty good for the laptop although it still gets hot sometimes. The game was CS:GO. Any other suggestions I'm welcome to hear, thank you

Later edit: second log file is from playing RDR2 High settings


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## unclewebb (Apr 13, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> although it still gets hot sometimes


It is a high performance CPU and GPU shoved into a laptop. Of course it is going to run hot. Intel is still using the same 14nm technology that they have been using since 2015. There is no way to get this kind of performance out of old technology without it running hot. 

The log files look good and performance looks great. That is all that is important.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 13, 2021)

For some reason the temperature keeps going up back to 92 degrees after 30-45 minutes of gameplay and in CS:GO laptop just freeze out of nowhere and i gotta reboot it to get back. Whatever values i put, there seems cs:go doesnt accept unvervolt


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## unclewebb (Apr 13, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> doesn't accept undervolt


The screenshot you posted shows that your undervolt is working correctly. If your temperatures keep going up, you need to replace the thermal paste.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 13, 2021)

I've replaced it 4 days ago 
Arctic Mx4


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## unclewebb (Apr 13, 2021)

MX4 pumps out in some laptops. It lasts about 1 week.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 14, 2021)

So i should get a new paste ? It was creepy to see processor going on -0.125mv on both core and cache then not even working on -0.080 mv


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## nguyen (Apr 14, 2021)

Crashes in-game could be caused by the GPU also, not just CPU related. 
MX4 will pump out under high operating temp (it liquify and flow out from the CPU/GPU silicon), thermal paste with higher viscosity will last longer under extreme operating temp.
My recommended thermal paste would be: 
_Kingpin KPX
_Thermagic ZF-EX
_Thermalright TF-X
These pastes require you to heat them up with a hair dryer so that they become less vicous and easier to spread, once applied properly they can last a long time.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 14, 2021)

Searched all 3 but out of stocks unfortunately. Been thinking of Kryonaut


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## nguyen (Apr 14, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> Searched all 3 but out of stocks unfortunately. Been thinking of Kryonaut



Yeah stay away from Kryonaut for laptop, that paste would pump out pretty quickly too, tried it on my Triton 500 and it pumps out in less than a month. 

Well you can try other newer paste like NT-H2, Gelid GC-Extreme and if you can keep the operating temp lower enough, they can last longer.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 14, 2021)

Alrighty, so for GPU what testes can I do to see its performance ?


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## nguyen (Apr 14, 2021)

Try 3Dmark Timespy, or Shadow of the Tomb Raider demo with built in benchmark and compare your score to Jarrod's tech. (1080p Highest settings)
Also use Afterburner OSD and use the FPS graphs to see if you have any fps stutter in-game.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 14, 2021)

The Gpu is fine, i tried to repaste and spread it even now just to make sure it absorbs most heat. Got back in throttlestop, undervolted with -0.125 mv on both and after 10 minutes it froze again.

This is the log, until 1:09 it was working fine, then it froze and i needed to restart it


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## unclewebb (Apr 15, 2021)

DisguisedPigeon said:


> -0.125 mv on both


Many 10th Gen mobile CPUs are only stable with the cache at -75 mV. If your computer froze, it is telling you that it needs more voltage.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 15, 2021)

I've seen some other guys with same processor so they said they couldn't achieve -0.125mv on cache so ....yes, maybe i could lower the values to achieve stability. I've bought NT-H2  paste as @nguyen said and i'll be waiting until i can replace MX4 from the CPU and GPU. In shadow tomb raider demo I had 70 fps compared to jarrod's almost-same laptop (i5-10300h and gtx1600ti max-q) so I guess Gpu is still fine. So I guess this is it, maybe the new paste will let me achieve something like 82-85 degrees compared to 90 with spikes to 95 degrees even with cooling pad at maximum speed. Thank you so much for helping me @unclewebb and @nguyen  , hope I didn't stress you too much 

Later edit: at these settings seems CSGO didnt crash in 2 minutes like on -0.125mv values


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## unclewebb (Apr 15, 2021)

@DisguisedPigeon - I noticed in your Limit Reasons screenshot that BD PROCHOT throttling was triggered. This one can lock a CPU to 800 MHz. Consider clearing the BD PROCHOT box on the main window of ThrottleStop. Your CPU will still thermal throttle and slow down to protect itself if it ever gets too hot whether this box is checked or not.

BD PROCHOT allows external sensors to throttle the CPU. It is rarely necessary and can cause some serious slow downs while in the middle of a game.

Let us know when you get the NT-H2 installed. Run a consistent test like some TS Bench threads to check for temps on day 1. Test again a week or a month later to see if there is any pump out.

I noticed that TechPowerUp is upgrading their cooler test system. If you scroll down to the hardware they are using you will see their choice of thermal paste, Noctua NT-H2.
TPU approved.   









						CPU Cooler Test System Update 2021
					

With new hardware comes the need for test system updates, and we have instituted a massive overhaul of the testing process for CPU coolers. The biggest change is the addition of an AMD test bench alongside Intel so we can provide you with a better look at the performance offered. Not to mention...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 16, 2021)

So, I applied the paste, as a small inspection it seems more dense than mx4, that paste came off almost liquified after 2 days of use which surprised me. But this paste seems good, it applied very easy and these are the tests after boot-up. Seems a good improvement over MX4


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## unclewebb (Apr 16, 2021)

Temps look good so far. NT-H2 is designed to work better at high temps without breaking down. Hopefully this new paste lasts longer than a week.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 16, 2021)

and these are temperatures in Hearts of Iron IV and RDR2


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## unclewebb (Apr 16, 2021)

@DisguisedPigeon - The first half of that log file shows constant GPU throttling. Temperatures are OK so not sure why it is throttling. 

At 10:15 you stopped playing and then at 10:30 when you resumed, this problem went away. Do you remember changing any setting related to the GPU?


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 16, 2021)

nope, not a thing changed for GPU


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## unclewebb (Apr 16, 2021)

The first half of the log file shows the GPU MHz constantly cycling. The second half of the log file does not show this. Do you monitor GPU performance in game with Afterburner?

It looks like a GPU temperature or power limit is holding the GPU back. At first the GPU is being held to about 52°C and then in the second part of the log file the GPU is able to run consistently faster and goes up to 79°C. Big difference.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 16, 2021)

Maybe because of Hearts of Iron ? It sometimes changes to Intel Graphics and then comes back to gtx. I'll inspect it


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## unclewebb (Apr 16, 2021)

You should get better performance and more consistent performance if you can force it so it is always running on the Nvidia GPU.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 17, 2021)

And these are for somewhat an OC and UV for GTX 1660TI. Don't know very much about OC but Undervolt was pretty good and stable


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## unclewebb (Apr 17, 2021)

The CPU and GPU speeds look very consistent in that log file.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 20, 2021)

And these are the temps for today for NT-H2


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## nguyen (Apr 20, 2021)

Another tip to reduce thermal is to set the max FPS option in Nvidia Control Panel.
For single player game like RDR2 I would set the Max FPS to 60 (with Low Latency mode to Ultra) that way you can reduce the thermal and noise of your laptop. It would improve your gaming experience by reducing the severity of framerate drop (stutter)
Consider lowering some settings so that you game can run the game at above 60fps before being capped, so the framerate cap would actually be of use.


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## DisguisedPigeon (Apr 20, 2021)

That actually brought down the temps from 88-90 Celsius degrees to 83-85 degrees, couldnt have thought about it. Thank you so much for this tip


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