F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop Is this typical after a BIOS update? Checking the high idle settings and frequency.

Is this typical after a BIOS update? Checking the high idle settings and frequency.

Is this typical after a BIOS update? Checking the high idle settings and frequency.

K
KittyKat1378
Member
64
07-24-2022, 11:28 AM
#1
Hey everyone, I've been using my system for about a month now, here are my specs: Ryzen 9 9900X ROG B850-I Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Klevv Cras V 64GB DDR5 6400 CL32 When I first built the PC, I had some stability issues, but after tweaking a few BIOS settings, everything was running fine. At idle, it stayed around 4.4 GHz at 1V and 35W. Under boost, it would hit 5.6 GHz at 1.4V and draw around 162W, which seemed completely normal and stable for this chip. Temps were solid, never exceeding 72°C even under stress testing. However, after I updated the BIOS (to the latest version), things changed a bit. Now, while idle, my CPU constantly sits at 5.3 GHz, 1.4V, and still draws around 35W. But it never goes above 5.5 GHz or 100W under load, regardless of whether PBO is enabled or not. In HWMonitor, before the BIOS update, the power limit was shown as 162W. Now after enabling PBO, it shows a crazy limit like 1000W, but the CPU never actually draws more than 100W during testing. It feels like something's capping the actual power or performance behavior. I'm wondering: Is it normal for the CPU to idle at 5.3 GHz and 1.4V after a BIOS update? Shouldn't it drop to 4.4 GHz and ~1V at idle like it used to? Why is it stuck at 100W under load when it previously could easily pull 160W and boost higher? To be clear, I’m not getting any BSODs or crashes — it’s stable — but the behavior seems off, and I can't tell if it’s just a quirk of the new BIOS or something misconfigured. Any help or insight is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
K
KittyKat1378
07-24-2022, 11:28 AM #1

Hey everyone, I've been using my system for about a month now, here are my specs: Ryzen 9 9900X ROG B850-I Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Klevv Cras V 64GB DDR5 6400 CL32 When I first built the PC, I had some stability issues, but after tweaking a few BIOS settings, everything was running fine. At idle, it stayed around 4.4 GHz at 1V and 35W. Under boost, it would hit 5.6 GHz at 1.4V and draw around 162W, which seemed completely normal and stable for this chip. Temps were solid, never exceeding 72°C even under stress testing. However, after I updated the BIOS (to the latest version), things changed a bit. Now, while idle, my CPU constantly sits at 5.3 GHz, 1.4V, and still draws around 35W. But it never goes above 5.5 GHz or 100W under load, regardless of whether PBO is enabled or not. In HWMonitor, before the BIOS update, the power limit was shown as 162W. Now after enabling PBO, it shows a crazy limit like 1000W, but the CPU never actually draws more than 100W during testing. It feels like something's capping the actual power or performance behavior. I'm wondering: Is it normal for the CPU to idle at 5.3 GHz and 1.4V after a BIOS update? Shouldn't it drop to 4.4 GHz and ~1V at idle like it used to? Why is it stuck at 100W under load when it previously could easily pull 160W and boost higher? To be clear, I’m not getting any BSODs or crashes — it’s stable — but the behavior seems off, and I can't tell if it’s just a quirk of the new BIOS or something misconfigured. Any help or insight is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

T
TreeRex19
Member
194
07-26-2022, 02:53 AM
#2
Idling doesn't require the processor to operate at a reduced clock speed. The operating system offers power profiles that control whether the CPU runs slower or faster. On Windows, these settings are available in the control panel and default to balanced mode. This means the CPU uses a lower clock multiplier by default, with turbo adjustments made only when needed—clock speed rises as required by workload. If you choose High Performance or activate Ultimate Performance, your processor will consistently run at its maximum clock multiplier unless hardware factors like Intel TVB or thermal limits intervene. It's normal for the CPU to operate at full speed all the time. Reviewing Windows power plans and selecting balanced mode helps ensure efficiency. In benchmarks such as Cinebench, you can confirm if lower clock speeds correlate with better scores and stable temperatures. PBO settings and UEFI power limits don't influence this behavior. Resetting UEFI or re-seating the CMOS battery may resolve issues, but downgrading to an older firmware version is generally safe. If problems persist, modern boards often have a fallback firmware that can recover.
T
TreeRex19
07-26-2022, 02:53 AM #2

Idling doesn't require the processor to operate at a reduced clock speed. The operating system offers power profiles that control whether the CPU runs slower or faster. On Windows, these settings are available in the control panel and default to balanced mode. This means the CPU uses a lower clock multiplier by default, with turbo adjustments made only when needed—clock speed rises as required by workload. If you choose High Performance or activate Ultimate Performance, your processor will consistently run at its maximum clock multiplier unless hardware factors like Intel TVB or thermal limits intervene. It's normal for the CPU to operate at full speed all the time. Reviewing Windows power plans and selecting balanced mode helps ensure efficiency. In benchmarks such as Cinebench, you can confirm if lower clock speeds correlate with better scores and stable temperatures. PBO settings and UEFI power limits don't influence this behavior. Resetting UEFI or re-seating the CMOS battery may resolve issues, but downgrading to an older firmware version is generally safe. If problems persist, modern boards often have a fallback firmware that can recover.