Lenovo Y540 experiences throttling despite optimal temperatures
Lenovo Y540 experiences throttling despite optimal temperatures
Hey guys,
I recently purchased a Lenovo Y540 with an i7 9750H and RTX 2060. When I tried to run Witcher 3 and AC:Odyssey, the temperatures were excessively high (around 95°C). I began making adjustments—first updated the BIOS and drivers. After that, I started undervolting with INTEL XTU. It seemed to help; after setting it to -0.150 and lowering the clock speed, everything worked properly. The only downside was that XTU would reset the clocks often.
Then I switched to Throttlestop and removed XTU while restoring to the default profile. Once I re-applied similar settings, I achieved stable temperatures for both CPU and GPU. However, in games I was still throttled to around 800 MHz because of "BD PROCHOT".
I realized I could disable this feature, but many online users have cautioned against it, and I’m puzzled as to why it’s happening even though my temps are normal. I’m also using Lenovo Performance mode and the laptop is plugged in. I suspect another component might be overheating, though I can’t pinpoint which one. I just updated the Intel Thermal Framework, so that’s something to consider.
Edit: I’m still on an older BIOS and software version. AIDA64 is functioning well, but gaming throttling persists.
BD PROCHOT means a “bidirectional processor hot.” This term describes how the signal can be sent by the CPU itself to lower its temperature or by another part to prevent overheating. For instance, if your GPU starts overheating and could harm itself, it might send this signal to cut the CPU’s speed, thus reducing the workload that caused the overheating.
https://www.extremetech.com/computi...ac...-ii-speeds
After a more detailed check, I noticed all parts are maintaining acceptable maximum temperatures. The PCH reaches a peak of 72°C (uncertain if it's elevated). My graphics card is throttling under load, yet the CPU consistently displays "BD PROCHOT". Could PD PROCHOT result from power constraints being applied?
Thank you for your response! The issue isn't PROCHOT, it's BD PROCHOT. It's about bi-directional throttling in the signaling CPU due to heat. All other components are functioning well and maintaining good thermal performance. The GPU is experiencing power and voltage throttling. Here are some images showing the problem:
https://imgur.com/a/yxdhpsS
View: http://imgur.com/gallery/yxdhpsS
and
https://imgur.com/a/2BuSvn7
View: http://imgur.com/gallery/2BuSvn7
BD PROCHOT means a “bidirectional processor hot.” This term describes how the signal can be sent by the CPU itself to lower its temperature or by another part to prevent overheating. For instance, if your GPU starts overheating and could harm itself, it can send this signal to cut the CPU’s speed, reducing the workload that caused the overheating in the first place.
https://www.extremetech.com/computi...ac...-ii-speeds
Hi All,
Thank you for your response. I identified the issue as power throttling of the GPU, and I managed to resolve it using the steps outlined here:
View: https://www.reddit.com/r/Lenovo/comments...ttling_in/