Question I9-14900K CPU Speed Reduction?
Question I9-14900K CPU Speed Reduction?
Recently I've observed that my processor experiences some problems while idling in Windows, even though there are no major processes running or games active. Specifically, the CPU load is between 9%-12%, the temperature ranges from 55°C to 64°C, and the clock rate is 5686 MHz. The rest of the system and software remain stable: Lian Li Galahad 2 LCD status, MSI GeForce RTX 4090, 32 GB G.Skill DDR5 7200 MHz RAM, PRO Z790-A MAX WIFI (with the latest BIOS update - 7E07vM9), and Windows 10 64-bit with Balanced Power Plan.
I have tried several adjustments in the BIOS:
- OC → CPU Features → Enhanced Turbo (Disabled)
- OC → CPU Cooler Tuning (Intel)
- CPU Core Voltage Mode = Adaptive + Offset
- Offset Mode Sign = (-)
- Offset Voltage = 0.075 V
The issue has been present for about a week now. Although I didn’t encounter any problems with networking or the GPU, I noticed performance drops in games like CS2. I haven’t performed any overclocking yet, but it seems I might need to downclock slightly. I’m unsure what steps to take or where to look for more guidance. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Turbo and speed step are required for the CPU to be able to downclock
That is a very significant load for a CPU with 24 cores and 32 threads. Intel CPUs are designed to quickly ramp up to full speed with a load like that.
I have a similar mobile 14900HX with the same number of cores and threads. When my computer is idle at the desktop with nothing open, the CPU is mostly idle. The average CPU load is more like 0.1% which is a tiny fraction compared to your 10% load.
I allow the CPU to run at full speed when lightly loaded. The CPU speed is not the problem. You have something running in the background on your computer that you are not aware of. Open the Task Manager, use the Details tab and find out what is running on your computer when it is supposed to be idle.
If you want a CPU to downclock when it is lightly loaded, I would enable Speed Shift Technology in the BIOS. Speed Shift replaced SpeedStep when the Intel 6th gen CPUs were released.