Results show CPU speed is less than anticipated during testing.
Results show CPU speed is less than anticipated during testing.
Hello everyone, I just bought a used i7-4790k CPU to fit my old motherboard. While playing games, I noticed an improvement in performance, but I expected even better results. After running some benchmarks, I found that my CPU is underperforming significantly. I had the BIOS set to turbo mode and power-saving mode at performance. My CPU usage stayed around 4.54GHz during idle, with almost no background activity. I was told it’s normal for turbo to run high during idle, but it often exceeds the manufacturer’s specs—rated at 4GHz with a turbo of 4.4GHz. During testing, I reached only 3.35GHz turbo, which is far below expectations. The first benchmark after gaming showed 4.15GHz, and I see this trend in the history. I suspect my power supply might not be sufficient for the system. I checked a link showing a 1080Ti combo with an i7-4790k on a B85M-G R2.0 motherboard, along with two HDDs and one extra drive. My power supply is rated at 550W, and I have a Aorus engine with Gigabite tool. I tried adjusting the GPU power limits to 90% and 75%, but the CPU didn’t improve noticeably at either setting. I’m wondering if under heavy load during gaming, the system gets enough voltage. The GPU is running at average performance too. I also think BIOS settings could be affecting things. Please let me know if this helps clarify my situation. Thanks for your time.
Reviewed the temperature readings? Which CPU cooler is in use? Are you leveraging Intel chipset drivers? Is CPUBalance being applied? Did you update the motherboard BIOS?
Which board are you running? For best results, aim for a CPU with a clock speed above 4.8GHz—Haswell models work well for overclocking. If you're sticking to stock or a non-overclockable chip, it's not worth the effort; skip the K-cores and don’t bother with any CPU at all.
Using B85M-G R2.0 before attempting an overclock at 4.8 lets me aim for 4.4 while playing. Currently I see 3.5 during gameplay, but reach full 4.5ghz when idle. My CPU runs around 74°C, and Intel says the max should be 72°C. Think temperature might be limiting the higher clock speeds. I suspect my 550W power supply might not provide enough power. The GTX 1080 Ti could be drawing all available energy. My CPU doesn’t have enough capacity for full GHz. Does this make sense? I don’t want to invest in a new PSU just in case it won’t help. I applied thermal paste myself—maybe I used too much. The fan is properly seated on the CPU, but the paste quality seems questionable. Also, the dust has been cleaned from the fan.
Typically you require a Z series motherboard to boost K series CPUs. Use ThrottleStop and share some screenshots. Keep the main window, FIVR and TPL open. Launch the Limit Reasons window and upload a photo when your CPU throttles to 3.5 GHz. Enable the Log File feature so you can track your CPU performance during games. Attach a log file and images to your next post. Your Intel CPU won’t begin thermal throttling until it hits a maximum core temperature of 100°C. The lower TCase temperature spec you mentioned isn’t important.
Use a cooler placed on top of the CPU to help with heat management.
EDP CURRENT also showed some red moments but wasn't visible in the screenshot. I see SPEED FAN reports my CPU at 70 while ThrottleStop says 99. HWMONITOR lists 99c, which is confusing. After playing for several hours, is this a problem? 2022-02-25.txt
The reported temperatures are inaccurate. Your core temperature is reaching 100°C, triggering thermal throttling and reducing CPU speed. Consider using a better heatsink or cleaning/replacing the thermal paste. Extend the data logging period—just one minute isn't enough. Play for 15 minutes if feasible. Exit ThrottleStop once testing completes so your log file is finalized.
I don't believe the 100 is correct because it drops much faster than expected. At the end of the log, you noted I used the Windows key to save and left Warzone, which happened quickly. Regarding the VRM, does reaching maximum capacity cause any issues? I plan to switch to a different thermal setting and see how it performs. In BIOS it's around 75 as well, so I'm still unsure.