Lowest possible CPU speed limits are being used.
Lowest possible CPU speed limits are being used.
During the download of crucial files to an external storage device, everything felt unusually smooth. Navigation appeared instant, folder access was quick. What was happening? I reviewed Task Manager and HwInfo, both showing normal CPU activity. I’m extremely excited right now. Since this is my college computer, I can’t afford to spend money on a new one at the moment. My most uncertain idea is that it resolved itself while playing Subnautica—water spilled, threads were active, memory was intact, and progress saved. It only stabilized once I began exploring the Subnautica folders in my C drive. I’m not an expert, but it seems the system detected problems with those files and restored a save point, fixing the main issue. Or perhaps it was just a lucky coincidence. Either way, my troubles appear resolved. Thanks to everyone who shared ideas below. I gained valuable insights through this experience.
Original Post: I own a Dell XPS 13-inch laptop running an i5-1135G7, with a 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and Intel Iris Xe. It operates on Windows 11 64-bit and uses BIOS version 3.11.0. This is mainly my college machine, but while I was away for a break I played some light games. When water splashed onto the keyboard, it caused significant damage—shutting down immediately. I cleaned it thoroughly, disassembled it, replaced the battery, and reassembled. After that, the display lit up with RGB effects and it booted into Windows, though very sluggish. Some investigation in Task Manager revealed a low 0.19 GHz clock speed (about 8% usage). All other components looked normal. I tried reinstalling the battery twice, ran diagnostics, adjusted BIOS power settings to their maximum, and even changed some thermal controls. The CPU test showed a passing result at 2.41 GHz. I also checked safe mode, where performance remained steady at 100% with the correct frequency. One forum suggested reverting to an older BIOS version, which did update automatically. I plan to back up data before attempting a factory reset if needed. Notably, the laptop stayed cool during these steps, indicating no thermal throttling. I’m still puzzled by the speed in safe mode but see it as a minor oddity.
I haven’t attempted to play games, yet routine chores and simple actions are noticeably lagging.
Ensure it runs in the high-performance power setting. It might be a short circuit from water damage. Good news it functions and you can preserve your data. If this doesn’t improve with the high-performance plan and speed remains poor, the repair likely won’t justify the expense.
Looking into your device’s background, turning off all power-saving options is now possible. Verify your battery configuration to ensure optimal performance. I recall someone faced a similar problem and resolved it by adjusting the battery settings—its built-in sensors might have been affected by moisture.
Install throttlestop and set it to fully utilize the CPU's maximum boost across all cores.
Verify your power plan first; ensure the maximum processor state isn’t excessively low. Then examine processor sensor data using hwinfo, focusing on thermal throttling indicators and CPU temperatures. If improvements are possible, consider applying throttlestop cautiously, monitoring temperatures closely during adjustments. I’ve noticed a tablet’s thermal sensor providing inaccurate readings, and throttlestop has partially restored performance.
Thanks for the feedback. Hwinfo works well for the first time. I also experimented with throttle stop but it didn’t affect the multiplier or prochot. It appears to reach maximum core usage at 200 MHz without any temperature problems.
Have you attempted to remove the battery and use only AC power? I came across an online discussion where someone reported that disconnecting the battery for a while resolved a comparable issue: Dell XPS 13 9350 became nearly nonfunctional within a day – Dell Community.
Close HWiNFO and share some ThrottleStop images showing FIVR, TPL, and Limit Reasons screens. When Dell laptops freeze at very low speeds, it's usually due to BD PROCHOT throttling. Have you removed the BD PROCHOT folder from the main ThrottleStop screen? Some models use an internal controller that sets turbo limits to zero, which can also lead to minimal speed. Look at the MMIO Lock section in the TPL window—this area is at the top right. BD PROCHOT throttling issues appear and disappear unexpectedly. The next time your laptop slows down, try ThrottleStop for a proper check.