Why is my CPU clock speed dropping to 1.5 GHz (on an old CPU)?
Why is my CPU clock speed dropping to 1.5 GHz (on an old CPU)?
Sorry for the unclear English.
My computer is experiencing issues with reduced clock speed and power consumption. (This affects both the CPU and graphics card, but sometimes only one part is affected.)
Initially, everything worked fine. However, after switching the graphics card to GTX 1070 and upgrading the PSU to Aerocool 600W (previously it was RX460 with a 550W PSU, no issues), games like Apex Legends, Raft, and Black Desert ran smoothly at 90-140 frames per second without any problems. But after that change, the CPU clock and power usage started dropping on their own, sometimes reducing frame rate to 20-60 FPS for about 10-20 seconds (3.4 GHz drops to 1.5 GHz).
Before this point, after replacing the PSU with Aerocool 600W and using GTX 1070, my computer would freeze and restart during gameplay. But that symptom disappeared and now it behaves differently.
It seems my games are losing a lot of FPS even when graphics settings are low.
CPU temperature stays between 40°C and 66°C
Graphics card temps range from 50°C to 72°C (during gaming)
Processor: i7-2600
Motherboard: dh67bl
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1330
PSU: 600W full Aero Cooler
GPU: GTX 1070 8GB OC ASUS Dual (second hand)
Heatsink: Tsunami TSS - 8000 95W
I’m not sure exactly what’s causing it—PSU, CPU, or GPU.
IMG vvvvv
When clock drops
Normal
Update video when wattage and usage drop by 0.20 seconds
The symptoms vary unpredictably. Occasionally they appear or disappear completely, but during extended gameplay the issue grows more often.
It seems like there might be a power supply problem with the Aerocool model. Since both the GPU and PSU were purchased secondhand, how old is the PSU actually? How long has it been in use before you bought it? You should avoid buying used second-hand PSUs because they are crucial components. Although I'm not claiming the Aerocool model is the cause, your description suggests a power supply issue. Do you have another PSU available to test on your PC? Or would you consider testing the GPU on another system, perhaps someone else's?
Hey there,
It seems like your CPU might be throttling, but the temperatures aren't unusually high. When did you last change the thermal paste?
As @Metal Messiah pointed out, the PSU could be contributing to this issue. Aerocool products don't typically work well with PSUs. Generally, you'd see random restarts or crashes if the PSU was defective.
What Windows power plan are you using? Are all system and chipset drivers up to date for your PC? They seem quite outdated, and the driver issues might be causing this problem.
I have made all updates and attempted to reinstall Windows, but the issue persists. I changed the heatsink with silicone last week, yet the symptoms remain. My wattage continues to drop unpredictably. As the game runs longer, the problems become more frequent.
Hi
I replaced the power supply (not a used one). It seems the issue depends on whether it still has a wattage drop. It hasn’t happened as long and not as often as before. The problem might be with my CPU and mainboard being old or damaged. I also tried giving my GPU to a friend for a test session of about 1 day (10 hours of continuous gaming), but there was no issue.
I use a Corsair CV650 650w and after changing the PSU the issue persisted. I attempted to run CPU Burner with Furmark, which indicated that when the CPU hit 71 degrees and 100% load, the temperature fell to 50-60°C and the clock speed decreased. (Or just playing games, loading at 70-90% but at 65-70°C it drops randomly.)
(However, I used an old heatsink and the CPU stayed around 90-98°C without dropping the clock. It only started showing these symptoms after replacing the heatsink, even at 60-70°C.)