The laptop frequently shuts down due to overheating.
The laptop frequently shuts down due to overheating.
I'm working through your ThrottleStop adjustments. Your setup includes an Acer Predator Helios i7-10750H with an RTX 2060, 16 GB RAM, and you've been testing various settings. You mentioned undervolting, disabling certain features, and even locking MMIO. The issue arose when playing Apex, which caused crashes and throttling instead of stable performance. It seems your laptop might be drawing excessive power, possibly due to overheating or instability. Consider checking the thermal paste, ensuring proper cooling, and reviewing recent updates or BIOS changes. Let me know if you'd like more specific guidance.
We performed basic stability checks before proceeding. At the very least, we executed the TS Bench 960M test. If your system freezes or logs even a single error, the CPU requires higher voltage support. Most 10th Gen mobile processors begin to become unstable around -70 mV. Many machines will crash during gaming if you exceed that point. Adjust the core and cache to -70 mV, then reset all other parameters to +0.0000. There’s no need to lower the Intel GPU voltage. The bulk of performance comes from the Nvidia GPU; reducing its voltage without affecting power use or heat output is unnecessary. Keep the System Agent at +0.0000. If crashes persist during gaming at -70 mV, consider lowering it to -60 mV or -50 mV. A functioning machine should operate smoothly. TVB throttling activates when the CPU hits 65°C or 70°C, reducing speed by 100 MHz to manage heat without noticeably cutting performance. If you prefer not to see this, close the FIVR window and avoid checking the Thermal Velocity Boost settings. When that option is enabled, the CPU signals TVB throttle. Intel doesn’t offer a real “boost” feature—this is just a misleading name. Set IccMax for both core and cache to 255.75 for better EDP handling. Enable Log File recording so you can track performance. Test gaming for about 15 minutes, then close ThrottleStop to finalize logs. Save the log file to your ThrottleStop/Logs directory. Many laptops, like the Acer Predator series, have insufficient cooling. The 10750H model has a TDP of 45W. Setting PL1 to 100W forces the cooling system to work beyond its design limits. Doing so could require lowering power limits to around 45–60W for PL1 and PL2. Your CPU is already at 83°C with just 31W of power—setting PL2 to 280W for a brief period is unrealistic. Can your cooling system handle such loads? If dust removal didn’t help, consider replacing the thermal paste.
Here’s a revised version of your notes:
@unclewebb Thanks for your reply! I haven’t tried anything at -115 mV yet. I’ve shared my current settings – I tested -100 mV on CPU Core & Cache with no issues, and max ICC on Core & Cache. Done. To be honest, my laptop doesn’t seem to have enough cooling. I followed the PL1 & PL2 settings you mentioned. I cleared some dust a while ago, but it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference.
I have a few questions:
1. I’m in a tropical area where it’s usually hot, and I don’t use my laptop in an air-conditioned space. Does that raise my temperature noticeably?
2. I’ve noticed throttling around 91°C when battery drops below 100%, even when plugged in. What does this mean?
3. Setting core ratio to 40 causes the temp to spike. What does that suggest?
4. I’m considering capping PL1 & PL2 at 30W and 45W since my cooling isn’t great. Will that work?
5. Since I’m not very tech-savvy, what maintenance tips would you suggest for my laptop? Do you have any video recommendations?
6. Regarding thermal paste, which brand do you think is best for me? Also, is redoing it really complicated?
7. I attached some logs from playing Apex for about an hour (PL1 & PL2 at 40 and 55°C). It throttled severely without exceeding 91°C. What could be causing this?
2023-03-12.txt
@ElHombre 1) Excessive heat in a room will cause your laptop to become significantly warmer than when used in a cooler environment. Laptops lack efficient cooling systems, making them less effective than desktop units. The trapped heat has limited options for escape. 2) Certain laptops lower power usage when the battery is depleted, often employing EDP throttling. Your system logs indicate some instances of this behavior. Fixing it is generally not feasible. 3) Running the CPU at maximum capacity and full power overwhelms the cooling system, leading to overheating and automatic throttling. 4) Setting power limits too low can hurt performance. Choose settings that balance speed and stability. 5) Look up your laptop model on Google or YouTube for disassembly guides or similar devices. A factory manual might be available online. 6) I’m uncertain which thermal paste is optimal for your machine. Personally, I steer clear of MX-4 and favor Noctua NT-H2. The effectiveness of thermal paste depends on the contact between heatsink and CPU. You may need to experiment with different types. Search further online. 7) After completing a game, exit ThrottleStop to ensure all performance data is saved to the log file. The final log segment doesn’t reveal CPU throttling issues, possibly due to incomplete data in the last minute of play. Clear the old log and generate a new one. Begin logging from the start of your session and stop ThrottleStop once done. This will keep only relevant information in the file. It seems GPU performance might be the main factor affecting speed.
You appreciated the help a lot. After trying several configurations, I believe the issue lies with Chrome. I experimented by playing Apex without Chrome open and didn’t throttle for a while, then increased it to 94°C at the end. From what I understand, GPUs are more sensitive to heat than CPUs. It seems my GPU might be triggering throttling first, especially when CPU temps were around 88°C. Your thought about GPU being the culprit is correct. Regarding the yellow lights on TVB and EDP, I’m not sure what’s causing them, but I’ll check the attached log file for details. Thanks again, 2023-03-14.txt