Extreme heat from Intel Turbo Boost Performance spikes can cause significant temperature rise.
Extreme heat from Intel Turbo Boost Performance spikes can cause significant temperature rise.
Hello! Your Ideapad 530s runs smoothly with the i5-8250U and MX150 GPU. Turbo boost is enabled by default, but games still stutter during play. Checking temps showed the GPU stayed around 65°C while CPU temps ranged from 75°C to 82°C, peaking at 92°C briefly. After turning off Turbo boost and switching to maximum processor state, stutters disappeared and temperatures dropped to about 66°C. This adjustment seems to help. Disabling Turbo boost can improve stability but may reduce performance gains. The BIOS update might have included this setting. Let me know if you need more tips!
The temperatures aren't excessively high. Alone, heat doesn't lead to performance problems. It's only when temperatures reach a certain point that thermal throttling occurs and performance drops. What actual clock speeds are there at those levels? Yes, Turbo Boost can significantly influence gaming performance. But since you're inquiring about it, it's reasonable to assume you didn't experience a noticeable slowdown.
The CPU performs nicely above 90°C, so you're safe. The GPU struggles when temperatures exceed 80°C, causing stuttering. To resolve this, increase the fan speed manually. Even with my RX580, if temps surpass 85°C it slows down significantly. I had to adjust the fan curve to maximum settings because the default is only 80%.
You wrote about how temperatures only start impacting performance once they reach a certain point. It seems the 85°C mark is where things begin to slow down. The idea that it's suddenly underperforming at 85°C isn't accurate—it's more about hitting a set temperature range. The manufacturer defines this threshold to control performance, so exceeding it causes throttling. It's possible for temperatures above 85°C to affect performance too, depending on the design.
When the game runs slow, the CPU operates at 3400Mhz, usage sits between 25-35%, and power draws 11-18 watts with noticeable frame drops. Turning off turbo boost brings it down to 1700Mhz, usage jumps to 40-80%, and power falls to 5-9 watts. No more stutters or frame drops—even older titles like Skyrim become playable.
Because it runs on a mobile chip, the gap between Turbo boost and base clock is usually quite wide. At 1700Mhz you're unlikely to notice any stutters, though FPS might drop noticeably. If it lags at 3400Mhz then another factor could be at play—still keeping those clocks running means thermal throttling isn't the problem, which is unusual.
I've been dealing with this for the past five months and haven't noticed much change in my overall FPS lately. About a year after purchasing, I didn't encounter this problem either. Could dust buildup in the fans or reduced fan speeds be contributing to this issue?
Some Lenovo laptops display an annoying issue where the thermal throttling temperature changes during use. Intel configures the 8250U to a maximum of 100°C. Certain models may suddenly lower it to 70°C or below. This causes the CPU to repeatedly drop to 800 MHz or less in a loop, which isn’t ideal for smooth gaming. To stop this, install ThrottleStop, adjust the Options window, and set PROCHOT Offset to 0—the default setting. Verify the Lock PROCHOT Offset option to ensure it stays fixed. Afterward, disable turbo boost completely, reset the processor state to full capacity, and share any screenshots if you need further help.
Hello, thanks for reaching out. I downloaded Throttlestop 9.2 and verified the PROCHOT offset, which was set to 6. I changed it to 0 and locked it, but the issue remains. I attached a video demonstrating how CPU stats change during gaming when Turbo Boost is disabled or when the charger is disconnected. In both cases, the clock speed drops and stuttering stops. Also, I haven’t encountered this problem for about a year after purchasing the laptop. test.mp4 Edited October 28, 2020 by krkeshav123