It boosts performance by increasing clock speeds for better gaming and multitasking capabilities.
It boosts performance by increasing clock speeds for better gaming and multitasking capabilities.
Hello! We purchased a PC with an Asus Prime B660M-A board and an i5-12400F chipset for my partner. We observed that the CPU reaches up to 75 watts and 80°C. On the benchmark tool, the utilization in the CPUID HWMonitor app is 159%. Our motherboard has a TUF build with the same model but only consumes 60 watts, operates at 60°C, and shows 100% usage. How can I reset my Prime board so it doesn’t overclock? All configurations are identical on both boards.
But the default power cap for a 12400F should be around 65W, not 75 or 60? Either way, it can be changed in the BIOS. The exact wording varies among manufacturers but usually includes "power limit" or "PL" in the name—like turbo power limit or PL1—with a number input. You can adjust it to your preference; I believe the highest allowed for a 12400F is 117W, though Intel doesn’t force board makers to stick to strict limits because higher power boosts their benchmark scores.
12400F is advertised by Intel with a base power rating of 65W and a maximum turbo capacity of 117W. Running above TDP alone doesn’t always mean overclocking. Intel permits system builders to define maximum power limits, which for now are typically acceptable. Various motherboards can have different default power restrictions. Generally, premium boards tend to support higher limits, whereas budget models with weaker power delivery usually cap lower. In more detail, the motherboard might enable performance tuning that effectively raises these limits. Consider disabling Asus Performance Enhancement (APE) if you want to focus on raw performance. If the adjustment mainly changes power caps—especially for non-K CPUs—it’s safe as long as your cooling solution can handle the increased demand.
The data shown by CPUID HWMonitor reflects how much turbo boost your CPU is using. The 12400F runs at a base speed of 2.50 GHz with a maximum boost up to 4.40 GHz. When it hits 4.40 GHz, the boost rate equals 176% of base; at 4.00 GHz it’s about 160%, matching HWMonitor’s reading closely. As more cores engage, boost automatically lowers. This is the intended behavior of the 12400F. If another machine displays only 100% utilization, it likely has a malfunction—possibly turbo boost turned off. At 2.50 GHz / 2.50 GHz the ratio is 100%, which aligns with the 159% reported by HWMonitor. Turbo boost remains standard on most Intel chips for the past decade. Disabling it would be counterproductive. Your setup is functioning as designed; turbo boost is essential. The Task Manager’s numbers may not reflect the true state due to rounding.
I refreshed HWMonitor and it now shows 159% under load. Until now, all my PCs stayed near 60°C during turbo. I never adjusted anything on the motherboard—maximum energy saving was already active. My girlfriend’s machine gets hotter sometimes, reaching 80°C, which means her performance is a bit better. The CPU cooler is identical for both of us, using the factory paste. Would you think her processor would benefit from a larger cooler?
The 12400F has no overclocking support. It doesn’t allow any speed adjustments. Its processor operates at its maximum rated performance thanks to Intel Turbo Boost. Intel discourages users from disabling this feature, as it runs at full capability. Intel favors high performance and speed over low power consumption. An 80°C temperature is typical for an Intel CPU. Consider upgrading to a larger cooler with a quieter fan for reduced noise.