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General ThrottleStop questions

hardware_failure

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Oct 31, 2023
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Hello everyone, new to these forums, lots of questions.

First off, I LOVE ThrottleStop, it is amazing. I have a lot of systems, both old and new and ususally undervolt my CPU's when I can. (all intel)

I was wondering (and Im sorry if my google kung fu sucks) is there a big ol general guide to ThrottleStop, especially the FIVR settings?

I mess with the Offset Voltage all the time with positive results. I have absolutely NO IDEA what IccMax is or what it does so I dont mess with it.

If I have a dedicated video card, is there any point with messing with the Intel GPU settings? If I change the default video from "auto" to whatever in BIOS the onboard video still seems to be "active".

I also love to play with the Speed Shift setting to keep CPU's clock as low as possible when idle and then slightly boost it up just barely enuff to get say 98% max depending on what Im doing.

Right now I am playing with an i5 6500 (skylake, I know its old) and undervolting the heck out of it with postive results. How far can I go with a CPU like this? Do I just keep knotching it down until I get a crash?

Thanks in advance for any feedback!
 

unclewebb

ThrottleStop & RealTemp Author
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
Messages
8,072 (1.33/day)
I LOVE ThrottleStop
Me too!!

ThrottleStop gives full control of many different Intel processors going back 15+ years to the Core 2 Duo era. It is also able to fix a lot of throttling problems that laptop manufacturers have created.

Post a few screenshots of the main ThrottleStop window as well as the FIVR and TPL windows. That is the easiest way for me to see your settings without having to ask 101 questions.

There is no real guide for ThrottleStop. You learn ThrottleStop by using it. The download includes a few links to websites and videos that show the basics and I am usually around to answer any other questions you might have. The forum here on TechPowerUp is full of useful information about ThrottleStop.

IccMax can be used to limit the maximum amount of current going to the CPU. I hate throttling so I always recommend setting IccMax to the max, which is 255.75 for your i5-6500. Many of the limits that Intel have created are really not necessary. Intel CPUs ran fine for years without power or current limits.

With a desktop CPU, if the low power C states are enabled in the BIOS, there is not much point in running the CPU slow. The C states are used to save power. Slowing the processor down when lightly loaded is really not that necessary. I prefer to hunt down and get rid of useless background tasks. That is the best way to reduce power consumption and heat.

Do I just keep notching it down until I get a crash?
That explains undervolting. Run a few benchmarks or stress tests as you lower the voltage to make sure the CPU is still stable. If you ever get a blue screen or if a test reports an error, you have probably gone too far. When a CPU complains or crashes, it needs more voltage. I am not sure how much voltage a Core i5-6500 needs to be stable. Start by adjusting the core and cache offset voltages equally.

There is no reason to get too carried away trying to find the absolute minimum or perfect voltage. A little bit of extra voltage beyond the minimum helps ensure stability. You do not want to come up with a setting that constantly needs to be tweaked every time the sun comes out from behind the clouds.
 

hardware_failure

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Oct 31, 2023
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Wow thanks for the great reply! I tried to respond yesterday but I think the techpowerup forums were having issues.

Anyway, I have some screenshots, and also some questions. Also, I made an error, the CPU is a i5 6400, not 6500 (sorry, have alot of systems)

The question is: this CPU is rated at a max turbo speed of 3.3Ghz (33x100) but Im maxing out at 3.1? Any idea why that might be?

Attached are screenshots of full load and idle. CPU core and Cache have the same settings, Offset voltage at -125.0 and IccMax 79.0. System agent has the same -125.0 volts but an IccMax of 20.00 (those are the default IccMax when loading ThrottleStop)

Thanks again.
 

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unclewebb

ThrottleStop & RealTemp Author
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
Messages
8,072 (1.33/day)
Why are you using an old ThrottleStop version? Try using ThrottleStop 9.6

CPU is rated at a max turbo speed of 3.3Ghz (33x100) but Im maxing out at 3.1?
ThrottleStop reports the maximum multipliers in the FIVR window.

1698857276309.png


As more cores become active, the maximum multiplier drops to 31. Requesting any turbo ratios higher than the default values will be ignored by the CPU. Setting all of the turbo ratios to 33 will be ignored.

If the maximum multiplier is only 31 when the CPU is lightly loaded, check to see if the C states are enabled in the BIOS. Use the TS Bench and set it to 1 Thread to lightly load the CPU when testing. Check the ThrottleStop C States window when your computer is idle. It should show some core C state activity. Most people do not realize that the low power C states need to be enabled in the BIOS if you want to be able to access the higher 33 multiplier when the CPU is lightly loaded.

IccMax 79.0
I prefer to set IccMax to the max, 255.75, for both the core and the cache. There is no need for this limit.

Checking Speed Shift EPP and setting this to 150 can reduce maximum performance. With a desktop CPU, I do not check the Speed Shift EPP box in ThrottleStop. Use the Windows High Performance power plan and EPP will be set to 0. The Balanced power plan usually sets EPP to 84 and the Power Saver power plan usually sets EPP to 153. Use one of those power plans and Speed Shift EPP should be taken care of by Windows.

I only undervolt the core and the cache. If your computer is 100% stable with everything undervolted -125 mV then you can leave your voltage settings as is. There is no reason to undervolt anything unless it helps your computer run cooler or faster or reduces fan noise.
 

hardware_failure

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Joined
Oct 31, 2023
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Why are you using an old ThrottleStop version? Try using ThrottleStop 9.6
Good question. Lazy I guess? Just replaced with 9.6. Thanks.

ThrottleStop reports the maximum multipliers in the FIVR window.

View attachment 319813

As more cores become active, the maximum multiplier drops to 31. Requesting any turbo ratios higher than the default values will be ignored by the CPU. Setting all of the turbo ratios to 33 will be ignored.

If the maximum multiplier is only 31 when the CPU is lightly loaded, check to see if the C states are enabled in the BIOS. Use the TS Bench and set it to 1 Thread to lightly load the CPU when testing. Check the ThrottleStop C States window when your computer is idle. It should show some core C state activity. Most people do not realize that the low power C states need to be enabled in the BIOS if you want to be able to access the higher 33 multiplier when the CPU is lightly loaded.
Ahh this makes sense now. I guess that is just by design and cant really change the turbo kicking down with all cores in use.

This machine is a used production Lenovo computer I got on ebay for like $57 bux shipped with 16gb ram and a 512gb SSD, a little side project of mine. Anyway suffice to say I dont think it has such settings to adjust in BIOS, it is very limited. I honestly dont even really know what "C States" are, guess its time to read up and edjumicated my self.

I prefer to set IccMax to the max, 255.75, for both the core and the cache. There is no need for this limit.

Checking Speed Shift EPP and setting this to 150 can reduce maximum performance. With a desktop CPU, I do not check the Speed Shift EPP box in ThrottleStop. Use the Windows High Performance power plan and EPP will be set to 0. The Balanced power plan usually sets EPP to 84 and the Power Saver power plan usually sets EPP to 153. Use one of those power plans and Speed Shift EPP should be taken care of by Windows.

I only undervolt the core and the cache. If your computer is 100% stable with everything undervolted -125 mV then you can leave your voltage settings as is. There is no reason to undervolt anything unless it helps your computer run cooler or faster or reduces fan noise.
Okay, Ill throw the IccMax up. I always use the Performance plan vs others with desktop machines. I didnt know that Windows actually changed the EPP with power profiles. (never seen an option to mess with it when making a manual plan) I guess Ill uncheck the Speed Shift EPP and see how (if) anything changes.

Im not really concerned with faster but def always like cooler and quieter.

I also thought that it might draw less power from the PSU? Maybe its negligble. This unit only has a 280w PSU and I threw a $55 AMD RX580 in it from Aliexpress. I had to use a SATA -> 8 pin PCIE adapter for power. I know this is pushing it, I undervolt and under the power the heck out of it with MSI afterburner, and I can see a huge difference in HWiNFO with power draw when doing this. I guess I just like to push the envelope to see what I can get away with.

Thanks again for the feedback / advice.
 
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Hello guys! Do you need to click on Turn on to use the windows defender feature?
 
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