System struggles to increase performance despite settings.
System struggles to increase performance despite settings.
Hey everyone, I hope everything is okay. My system has an Intel i7 8086K that used to run smoothly at 5.1/5.2GHz a while back. Now it’s stuck at 4GHz even when under heavy load, and I can’t seem to get it to ramp up. I tried resetting the BIOS but didn’t see any improvement. Any ideas or workarounds would be great!
You have an Asus ROG Strix Z370-E with a CPU that reaches around 60°C under heavy load, using a high-performance power plan. A screenshot of the XTU graph and ThrottleStop from Cinebench shows the frequency remaining steady.
For your situation, it’s best to fix the CPU cores at the speed you need. Intel’s Turbo mode can be a bit unpredictable. You might want to set it to 5Ghz and see how temperatures behave under stress—if they exceed 90, it could explain why it caps at 4Ghz with Turbo enabled. Possible solutions: turn off ASUS MultiCore Enhancement, disable Intel SpeedStep, and activate Turbo Mode while selecting the High performance plan in the OS settings.
@ThyFreaK Exit XTU. Combining ThrottleStop with XTU simultaneously can lead to conflicting CPU register updates. You may achieve similar results by modifying the Windows power plan. Consider setting the Minimum processor state to 99% to disable Intel turbo boost, ensuring a baseline speed of around 4000 MHz. Keep the Maximum state at 100% so the CPU can still boost up to 5.0 GHz. If you intend constant ThrottleStop activation, use the default Windows High Performance plan with both states at 100%. This helps avoid conflicts between Windows and ThrottleStop. Adjust Speed Shift Min to 40 and Max to 50 for optimal performance. Note that with Windows 11, these settings might not function as intended, potentially causing a struggle between ThrottleStop and Windows over CPU control. Opt for the default High Performance plan and check the Speed Shift EPP setting on the main ThrottleStop interface—change it from 128 to 84—to bypass the plan restrictions. This prevents the CPU from being locked at high speeds under light load. Display screenshots of your ThrottleStop TPL and FIVR interfaces if you’d like to review your current configurations. If BIOS supports low-power C states, you may not need these adjustments since they help manage power use automatically. C states lower idle temperatures and reduce power draw when cores are inactive. Fast or slow cores have minimal impact on heat when C states are active. I usually run at full speed once the machine is powered on.
Thanks for your response. I've followed the guidance and haven't received a ball yet. The TPL photo is available, and the FIVR image is in hand. You're right about the XTU being closed—C states might be restricting CPU performance. I'm currently running a Cinebench test to see if results improve.
Windows 11 appears to be handling your CPU settings improperly. While Cinebench is active, does the Limit Reasons section display any red indicators? The previous image showed EDP OTHER lighting up red under the RING column, which shouldn’t occur. This likely means only ring MHz are being restricted. Review the FIVR monitoring table to check the Cache Ratio reported during Cinebench execution. In the FIVR interface, press the 50 button within the All Core section. Within the TPL window, verify that the MMIO Lock box is selected. This functionality includes a special code to bypass hidden maximum multiplier limits. I’m confident this will resolve the issue since otherwise your CPU isn’t utilizing the full multiplier. During testing, ensure you’re using the Windows High Performance power plan with default settings. Use the Restore plan defaults option if needed. Confirm both Min and Max processor states are at 100%. If you continue facing problems, a tool exists to extract all CPU register values—this data might contain the solution.