Task manager on Windows showing inaccurate CPU frequency data.
Task manager on Windows showing inaccurate CPU frequency data.
Hello all, I'm having a very strange issue with my htpc that I've never encountered before. Windows task manager is reporting my processor frequency as 0.4Ghz no matter what the processor is actually running at. The numbers reported by HWinfo mirror what the processor is supposed to be clocked at, so I don't think it's an issue with the processor or the hardware. The cpu usage numbers also seem incorrect, like it will claim 100% usage sometimes when HWinfo shows it closer to 75-80%. I'm completely stumped as to what could be causing this issue, and I'd appreciate any information that anyone might have about this problem. Here's my current HTPC setup: PCPartPicker Part List Type Item Price CPU AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor Purchased For $134.99 CPU Cooler be quiet! - Shadow Rock LP 51.4 CFM CPU Cooler Purchased For $44.90 Motherboard MSI - B450I GAMING PLUS AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard Purchased For $129.99 Memory Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory Purchased For $0.00 Storage Samsung - 850 EVO 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive Purchased For $0.00 Case Phanteks - ENTHOO EVOLV SHIFT Mini ITX Tower Case Purchased For $109.99 Power Supply Corsair - SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply Purchased For $89.99 Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts Total $509.86 Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-30 14:49 EDT-0400
There are certain oddities in the system, such as displaying only one clock speed when there are four cores that can be independently clocked (the selection process remains unclear). Additionally, Task Manager measures CPU usage based on how long the System Idle process was inactive. The creator of HWInfo relied on an Intel tool for its foundation. I believe, though, that Task Manager is primarily a user interface rather than a true hardware manager—it collects sufficient data to serve as a secondary feature. Moreover, if HWInfo demands elevated privileges, it likely depends on information that Task Manager typically doesn’t request, since the latter doesn’t require elevation (a positive aspect).
None of the clocks are ticking at 400Mhz, even when all cores run at identical speeds. It seems like the system isn't accessing the right register. Processes show idle tasks using about 99% of the CPU, yet the task manager claims only around 30% usage. I understand it can't match the precision of HWinfo, but building Windows machines for over 20 years has never come this close.
It seems HWinfo might need special permissions to function properly. If that's the case, it makes sense why it wouldn't restrict regular users from closing their own applications.