CPU issues
CPU issues
I've observed many stutters while playing games from light to heavy, especially during YouTube video playbacks. Usually this happens during transitions between videos or at the start. At first, my settings were perfect: core ratio 47, negative offset -0120, XMP enabled. I used these for years without any problems. Recently I researched and found a concept that matches my experience—clock stretching. My core clocks show 4700MHz, but my actual clocks are much lower, between 100-800MHz. This big difference occurs during light to medium gaming or regular tasks, making the effective clock unstable. The only stable moment is during Cinebench tests. I've tried resetting BIOS, updating firmware, cleaning components, and even reinstalling Windows, but I'm still puzzled. Your CPU cooler is an NH-D15 in a Corsair Air 540—please let me know if this helps.
During stress testing, the CPU reaches peak temperatures near the mid-70s across every core. Cooling issues haven’t been detected since the temps stay below 80°C.
The effective clock speed only makes sense when the core is operating at full capacity. At that stage, it should match the core clock speed. Otherwise, don't rely on effective clock data for anything else. Cinebench should utilize all cores. Ensure the effective clock and core clock remain consistent during testing. Many timing discrepancies stemmed from Windows Defender manipulating system timers, which disrupted HWiNFO's accurate calculation of effective clock speed. If you encounter this during Cinebench, execute ThrottleStop 9.6 and the clock stretching issue should resolve. Both CPU-Z and HWiNFO indicate a maximum multiplier of 44. It seems the BIOS configuration or turbo ratio settings might be incorrect. Consider running ThrottleStop and share a screenshot of the FIVR window. Also, provide a TPL screenshot to understand your turbo power limits.
Got it, I won't expect high clock speeds during gaming or light tasks. I set the defaults and turned on Intel's standard settings, which caused the multiplier to display x44. Thanks for your input—I'll download throttlestop and share the details.
The Effective Clock mainly reflects the workload on a CPU core. Reporting it as a percentage would have been more intuitive for HWiNFO. At low loads, it displays below the top speed. When a core is completely busy, it matches the Core Clock reading. It’s generally just a vague figure unless every core is fully utilized.