Performance drop remains unclear at 12,700k units.
Performance drop remains unclear at 12,700k units.
A few weeks ago I mainly used Intel Extreme Tuning Utility just to check the readings. It consistently showed a high core frequency around 4.9 GHz and a TDP near 125 W during stress tests. Benchmarks recorded about 7500 points. Recently it reported 3.6 GHz with 80 W TDP, and benchmarks dropped to roughly 4500. Notably, Windows Task Manager displays 75% usage when XTU shows full utilization. The E cores reach close to 3.6 GHz (near the advertised limit), while the P cores stay around 2.5 GHz. The speed optimizer didn’t help much. I haven’t changed anything except possibly a recent Windows update or driver install. While the power and heat reduction isn’t bothersome, regaining that performance feels challenging. I’m unsure what caused this change—anyone else noticed similar issues? Any suggestions for troubleshooting?
Verify your motherboard BIOS version and ensure it matches the latest updates available.
I have a 12700K and faced a similar problem with an Asus TUF DDR4 Wi-Fi board running the 1504 BIOS. Despite adjusting overclock, undervolting, and negative offset settings, none of these changes affected my 12700K performance. The stock behavior was also unusual—my CPU drew a lot without reaching high speeds, and the motherboard showed instability with random crashes roughly every two weeks. A few months later, after updating to BIOS version 1720 and skipping another update, everything functioned properly. My overclock tests, stock checks, and undervolt settings all worked smoothly on the 12700K since mid-August. I’m using it around 24 hours daily. Maybe a BIOS update is worth considering? Also, does your Event Viewer display any CPU voltage or stability issues? Is XMP enabled?
Updated BIOS to the latest release. XMP activated. Previous versions couldn't handle my purchased RAM at full speed, but now they do—still no change for the CPU. I'm capped at 2.49 GHz on the cores. Attached a screenshot from a 5-minute stress test with the speed optimizer enabled. You have other suggestions? I just installed XTU recently, so perhaps the issue lies in the software. I'll try uninstalling it and stress-testing it with another program to see if that resolves the problem.
Installed a Unistalled XTU, reset the BIOS to its standard settings, and re-enabled XMP. The P-Core frequency remains locked at 2.49 Arg.
Well, I found it, and it was really dumb. There is a "power saver" setting hidden in the general settings that I must have turned on at some point. It worked well to save power, I have to say, but it was in kind of a funny spot. Funny thing is that the setting stayed active even after XTU was uninstalled.