Speed issues under heavy load detected.
Speed issues under heavy load detected.
Recently I upgraded my SLI GTX 670 to a GTX 970 to prevent bottlenecks, and today I purchased an i5 2500k to replace it for overclocking purposes. My goal was to achieve a clock speed of 4.5Ghz, as there are ample guides for the i5 2500k at that frequency. Although I didn’t expect to reach higher speeds, I decided to test if I could push it to 5Ghz, since some sources suggest that around 10% of i5 2500k models managed to hit that level. The processor does reach 4.5Ghz, but when adjusting the frequency ratio to 50 or 51, it doesn’t approach it. After launching Task Manager and monitoring, I observed the CPU consistently at 4.68Ghz with fluctuations down to around 4.5Ghz. The concern arose during benchmarking, where the speed gradually decreased to 3.9Ghz and remained there until stopped, then slowly returned to 4.68Ghz. I set the voltage to 1.4V because I wanted maximum stability and didn’t want to worry about overheating, aiming solely for performance gains. During testing, temperatures rose into the low 70s and high 60s, which I didn’t think would cause speed drops, especially immediately after starting a benchmark when the system hadn’t had time to warm up. I’m also checking if the CPU slows down when the speed is reduced to 4.5Ghz. I’m relatively new to CPU overclocking; I only understand basic concepts like safe voltage ranges and their effects. Prior experience was limited to my i5 2500k, where I set it to 3.8Ghz and found the lowest stable voltage, leaving it unchanged despite a turbo clock of 3.7Ghz.
My system details:
i5 2500k
Asus Strix GTX 970 4GB OC
MSI P67A-GD55 (b3)
4x4GB HyperX Fury DDR3 RAM
Kingston 120GB SSD
Toshiba 1TB HDD
CoolerMaster GX750W Bronze
CPU cooled by CoolerMaster Nepton block, GPU equipped with a full-cover EKWB block.
There are several aspects I recommend examining:
(1) check your configuration for intel speedstep and C-state in the BIOS. Consider turning them off, as each BIOS may have unique features and menus. These details could differ based on your motherboard and location.
(2) adaptive mode can cause significant changes to your vcore. Try using override mode. Also, verify your LLC (load line calibration) to see which mode is active.
(3) navigate to Windows and Power Options, ensuring you choose the High Performance plan.
(4) to identify what is causing throttling during your stress test, install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU). Search for it online. Open it and compare.
There are several aspects I recommend examining:
(1) check your configuration for intel speedstep and C-state in the BIOS. Consider turning these off, as each BIOS may have unique features and menus. These details could differ based on your motherboard and location.
(2) adaptive mode can cause significant changes to your vcore. Try using override mode. Also, verify your LLC (load line calibration) to see which mode is active.
(3) navigate to Windows and Power Options, ensuring you choose the High Performance plan.
(4) for precise identification of what’s causing throttling during your stress test, install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU). Search online and compare it with your stress test. The bottom right will show which part of your setup is affected.
These are just some tips. Other factors might be involved... But good luck.
By the way, upgrading your PSU would be wise. The one you currently use is a low-tier, low-quality unit, which probably contributes to throttling. A 750w tier 1 PSU would be much better.