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CPU Throttling at High Performance settings

Achib

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Hello,
New here and in need of help.
I’ve already scoured the net for this, but nothing works for me.
I’m using my laptop for audio production and i need it to be at maximum frequency all the time.
I’ve set it up for high performance, the minimum setting is at 100% but whenever it’s idle it goes back to a low power state.
CPU-Z says that it’s multiplier goes from 12-33x and that the buss is at 99.76mhz.
It’s an i7 3610QM
When I stress test it, it only goes up to 31x multiplier but i guess that’s normal for when all four cores are active, but when idling it’s at 12x.
This is a problem because I use it for live audio and it seems to affect my ability to use lower latency settings on the audio interface.
In BIOS I have only a few options:
Dynamic switching or Low Power
If dynamic switching is on, I can turn turbo boost on or off, but if Low Power is on, then Turbo boost disappears.
I tried going to low power and that just keeps it at 12x, I’ve tried turning off turbo boost, and then it keeps it at 23x no matter what happens.
If Turbo and Dynamic are both on it fluctuates between 12x-31/33x depending on the load.
I tried ThrottleStop but it helps nothing.
It can override the low power settings, but it can't keep it at max freq.
I’m at my wits end.
Please, Help!
 
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Might try in Windows power plan , cooling - active , not passive .

Also High performance power plan of Windows
 
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Your processor's base frequency is 2.3Ghz. You won't be able to "perma-force" it to run at anything above that. The rest is turbo boost. The key word in here is "boost" ie, temporary.
 
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I doubt the processor is to blame for the audio mishaps

Edit :What about setting min processor state at 75% , then , in Windows power plan

Any ssd ?
 
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Achib

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Your processor's base frequency is 2.3Ghz. You won't be able to "perma-force" it to run at anything above that. The rest is turbo boost. The key word in here is "boost" ie, temporary.

When i stress test it, it keeps at 3.1 GHz, so that is not temporary. Also, even if you're right, why does it keep going back to 1200 MHz? It should fluctuate between 2.3 and 3.1 GHz
 
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When i stress test it, it keeps at 3.1 GHz, so that is not temporary. Also, even if you're right, why does it keep going back to 1200 MHz? It should fluctuate between 2.3 and 3.1 GHz

Apparently 1.2GHz is the min frequency (multiplier x12 ) , to save power not throttling .

What about setting cooling to active and min CPU state = 75%
 

Achib

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I doubt the processor is to blame for the audio mishaps

Edit :What about setting min processor state at 75% , then , in Windows power plan

Any ssd ?


No SSD.

What could be to blame then?

I just tried 75% and it DOES stabilize it a bit, but it still drops to minimum occasionally. I tried 85 and 90 and 95. It's better than 100% percent but it always drops to minimum. Why can't the minimum be the standard freq (2.3GHz)?
 
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No SSD.

What could be to blame then?

I just tried 75% and it DOES stabilize it a bit, but it still drops to minimum occasionally. I tried 85 and 90 and 95. It's better than 100% percent but it always drops to minimum. Why can't the minimum be the standard freq (2.3GHz)?

Nearly every processor has several frequencies (speed step technology ) , used to save power i.e. power efficiency .

My CPU is i3 2350M 2.3GHz . So , no boost but a lot of frequencies : the base is 800MHz , 1000MHz , 1200MHz , 1400MHz, 1800MHz , 2300MHz If cooling paasive , it always goes to the base 800MHz , if the workload is not big or 0%

Try cooling Active not passive
 
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Achib

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Nearly every processor has several frequencies (speed step technology ) , used to save power i.e. power efficiency .

My CPU is i3 2350M 2.3GHz . So , no boost but a lot of frequencies : the base is 800MHz , 1000MHz , 1200MHz , 1400MHz, 1800MHz , 2300MHz If cooling paasive , it always goes to the base 800MHz , if the workload is not big or 0%

Try cooling Active not passive


Cooling is active. I just don't want it to go to the minimum state ever. That's what those power settings should solve, but they don't.
I even did a fresh Windows installation on a separate partition and the same happens.

I can disable turbo boost, and that keeps it at a constant freq of 2.3 GHz, but if turbo boost is enabled it starts going all over the place. All of this doesn't make sense to me at all, and if this is just the way it is and there's nothing to be done about it, then this whole speedstep technology is good only for environmentalists and people using PC-s for surfing.
 
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SSD has nothing to do with audio dropouts I'm afraid.

Thanks a lot for your time

I think its important the read/write storage speed and response time . Defrag the hdd .
 
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Get a laptop with faster CPU base speed and SSD?
 
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It will always go to the lowest speed , once the workload is little Apperently , there are times when the load drops and thus the speed too . .

Well he's complaining about the CPU speed, I think the problem lies somewhere else though...
 

Achib

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Well he's complaining about the CPU speed, I think the problem lies somewhere else though...

I would love if it were so, which would mean I could possibly fix it, but I have no idea what else could it be.
I optimized my machine for audio, did everything that's out there on the web, but I still can't get a latency lower than 256 samples.
It could be that the audio interface is fucked and I'll check that soon, but it works fine in all other respects.

In any case, it definitely has nothing to do with the HDD.

Anyway, the CPU throttling is the only idea I have. If anyone has another one, I will be extremely grateful.
 
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It's a laptop. It's probably thermal throttling.
 
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You speculate. It's ok to not know.

@OP - it depends on how the OEM of your laptop has the hardware programmed. Every manufacturer is different. Might not even be the CPU that's throttling, might be the power section of the motherboard.

Mine has Tj 85C and throttles at 83C ! Intel said what they said .

He didnt ask what the best max temp was . There is difference between optimal and throttle temp
 
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