Lenovo Intelligent Cooling and ThrottleStop

[boko_to]

I have looked in the forum to find a thread with that particular issue but I could not find one.
I have a Yoga X1 Gen3 ( i5-8350U) laptop. I have configured TS to manage the PL1/PL2 and the FivR. I have set the PLs at 25 and 30W, down from a default 44/44W.
I have adjusted the voltage offset to -85mV, running stable. Now the question is : Lenovo have implemented a control option of the Intel SpeedSteep in the BIOS, along with the respective power management profiles. On OS level this is managed by the so called "Lenovo Intelligent Cooling" applet.
Isn't it recommended to disable the "Lenovo intelligent Cooling" option in Win 10 so that it doesn't mess with TS? Lenovo have recently removed that feature from their Vantage app so I need to find another way how to remove it, as it is still present visible from the slider in the taskbar.
On the CPU, I don't get any PL warnings in the Limit Reasons but I do get all three "EDP Other" and "Thermal". The CPU thermal-throttles at 97-98 degrees, but still maintains a constant 2.7-2.8 GHz clock in Cinebench and drawing an average of 20-21 W. This is to be expected for such a thin laptop with a tiny fan and heatsink. I have also re-pasted the CPU however without actually seeing any gains.
What could be causing the "EDP Other" warnings - can it be something related to the PL4 limits, which I haven't changed?

 

[unclewebb]

Lenovo intelligent Cooling

I am not familiar with that. Some of Lenovo's software and throttling schemes are far from intelligent. I prefer to get rid of as much of their software as possible.

EDP Other

Power Limit 4 can cause EDP Other to light up red across all three domains at the same time. Your screenshot shows that this setting is locked. Try clearing the check mark out of the Lock box on the right hand side. Push OK to save this setting, exit ThrottleStop, shut down your computer, start back up, open the TPL window and see if the lock icon is still on the left side.

If the yellow lock icon is gone, I would try setting Power Limit 4 to a value of 0. This usually tells the CPU to ignore this limit. You can also try setting Power Limit 4 to the max, 1023.

Post a screenshot of the FIVR window. I also set IccMax for the core and the cache to the max, 255.75. This can help with some EDP issues. Not all throttling problems can be solved by using ThrottleStop.

The rest of your settings look great.

 

[boko_to]

I am not familiar with that. Some of Lenovo's software and throttling schemes are far from intelligent. I prefer to get rid of as much of their software as possible.


Power Limit 4 can cause EDP Other to light up red across all three domains at the same time. Your screenshot shows that this setting is locked. Try clearing the check mark out of the Lock box on the right hand side. Push OK to save this setting, exit ThrottleStop, shut down your computer, start back up, open the TPL window and see if the lock icon is still on the left side.

View attachment 300235

If the yellow lock icon is gone, I would try setting Power Limit 4 to a value of 0. This usually tells the CPU to ignore this limit. You can also try setting Power Limit 4 to the max, 1023.

Post a screenshot of the FIVR window. I also set IccMax for the core and the cache to the max, 255.75. This can help with some EDP issues. Not all throttling problems can be solved by using ThrottleStop.

The rest of your settings look great.

Thanks for you answer. I am unable to unlock the PL4 - however it allows me to change the MAX value : does it make sense to leave it like that? though, I see no change in the "EDP other" occurrences.

I think Lenovo Thermal Intelligence needs to be disabled. It is not a very transparent process. If I have no power profile selected in TS, is all the power management taken over by TS? Is it reasonable to use a Windows power plan while running TS?


FiVR:

 

[unclewebb]

I am unable to unlock the PL4

If the BIOS has locked Power Limit 4 then do not try to change it. Set Power Limit 4 back to 71 in ThrottleStop. You cannot change a locked setting. This is likely what is causing the EDP throttling. This register is locked so there is nothing you can do about it. Try setting IccMax to the max for the core and the cache. It probably will not fix your EDP throttling problem.

Does undervolting the System Agent accomplish anything for you? Most people leave this offset voltage at zero. If a voltage adjustment does not decrease power consumption or increase performance, I would not adjust it.

ThrottleStop works with whatever Windows power plan you are using. It does not modify the power plan in any way. I usually use the Windows High Performance power plan on my desktop computer. This power plan interferes less with ThrottleStop compared to some other plans. The High Performance power plan is usually hidden on many laptops. The High Performance box on the main screen of ThrottleStop should allow you to access this power plan if you want to try using it. Setting a Speed Shift EPP value like you have done will allow the CPU to slow down when lightly loaded. Most laptop owners prefer a slow CPU when lightly loaded.

 

[boko_to]

If the BIOS has locked Power Limit 4 then do not try to change it. Set Power Limit 4 back to 71 in ThrottleStop. You cannot change a locked setting. This is likely what is causing the EDP throttling. This register is locked so there is nothing you can do about it. Try setting IccMax to the max for the core and the cache. It probably will not fix your EDP throttling problem.

View attachment 300251

Does undervolting the System Agent accomplish anything for you? Most people leave this offset voltage at zero. If a voltage adjustment does not decrease power consumption or increase performance, I would not adjust it.

ThrottleStop works with whatever Windows power plan you are using. It does not modify the power plan in any way. I usually use the Windows High Performance power plan on my desktop computer. This power plan interferes less with ThrottleStop compared to some other plans. The High Performance power plan is usually hidden on many laptops. The High Performance box on the main screen of ThrottleStop should allow you to access this power plan if you want to try using it. Setting a Speed Shift EPP value like you have done will allow the CPU to slow down when lightly loaded. Most laptop owners prefer a slow CPU when lightly loaded.

This is with the High Performance power plan, Speed Shift off, PLs 25/30. Now the "EDP Other" flashing red under RING only. And the usual thermal throttle at 97 degree. Unfortunately because of the thermal throttle it cant sustain more than 20 W in Cinebench, regardless of the PL settings.
Cooling limits......
Thanks for the tips!