Why is there a constant power limit throttling?
Why is there a constant power limit throttling?
Non-overclocked 9900k processor. Just started using Intel Xtreme Tuning Utility to explore something else. A yellow light appeared and I noticed my CPU at normal speeds was throttling to power limits above 4.4 GHz. Windows Power mode is set to "Ultimate Performance Mode" and all other settings tried. I adjusted the multiplier between 51 and 40 but it didn’t help. When utilization drops, it goes back up to 4.8, but once usage exceeds around 20%, power limits activate and slow the CPU. I’ve been struggling with this for months—my temperatures are low, not gaming, just watching a YouTube video on Firefox with IXTU in the background while typing. No other programs running.
I completed assembling this just a few weeks prior to discovering the 10900k was available. I learned about its existence a couple of days before it launched. I sure would have owned both the 10900k and a 3090. All components: i9 9900K MSI MEG Z390 Godlike 32gb 3200mhz CS16 Dominator Platinum DDR4 MSI Gaming X Trio 2080ti EVGA 1000 G5. 1k watt 80+ Gold psu Enermax Liqmax 3 ARGB 360mm AIO Asus Tuff Gaming GT501 case 970 evo nvme 500gb ssd boot drive 2x 860 evo 1tb ssd's 2x WD Blue 1tb hdd's 2x WD Blue 500gb hdd's GELID GC-Extreme Thermal Paste CyberPower 1500VA pure sinewave ups Corsair K95 Platinum Corsair Nightsword mouse ASUS ROG Strix XG438Q monitor. 4k 120hz hdr 43" Samsung 6 series 43" monitor 4k 60hz hdr 43" Yamaha MG10XU mixer AKG P120 Mic 2x Eris 4.5" studio monitors 2x Teac 3" studio monitors
Wild speculation but ive seen some motherboards with power profiles. Not sure if MSI is one of them but it may be worth taking a look in the BIOS for something like that. I have severe doubts the Z390 board you have would be the issue. Also you havent mentioned thermals at all so if that can be clarified too that would be great
I purchased this board mainly because of its overly complex design. If the motherboard isn’t working properly, I’ll be upset. A $700 price tag is crazy. They built this for heavy overclocking, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find some strange settings I haven’t found yet that caused issues. I’ve gone through every menu, submenu, and sub-submenu in the BIOS, but I don’t remember seeing any power profiles listed. The CPU runs at 5% usage, 4.6GHz, and the specs say the motherboard is 44°C. There are several temperature sensors, including two thermistor jacks I’ve connected, so I’m not sure where the readings come from.
Did you adjust the Turbo Boost Power Max and Short Power Max controls in XTU? It’s likely safe to leave them open, but keep an eye on the temperature since higher power use generates more heat.
I just verified it was already configured as 'unlimited' for the "Turbo boost power max."
Are you using MSI Command Center or a similar tool on your machine? Sometimes the BIOS or certain programs fail to configure the turbo power limits properly. This issue has been frequent with systems that have MSI boards. Remove Command Center if it's active, then adjust the turbo settings manually in the BIOS—typically a value around 1023W for both long and short limits works well. The CPU can handle up to 4095.875, but some software rounds this up to 4096, which actually reduces the limit instead of increasing it. Overloading this register causes it to wrap around and set the power cap to 0W. If that doesn’t resolve your problem, use ThrottleStop, click the TPL button, and verify the Turbo Power Limits settings. Check Limit Reasons to identify any throttling events. Perform a basic stress test such as the built-in TS Bench. See what speed ThrottleStop displays and what appears in Limit Reasons. Share some ThrottleStop screenshots if you need further guidance. Before running ThrottleStop, delete XTU if it isn’t helping.
Awesome, I'll try that right now!! When you say "msi command center" are you referring to "MSI Dragon center"? Because i do have dragon center but do not have nor have i ever heard of msi command center. But if theres another msi program then im gonna try it!!! Dragon center has been giving me issues from day one.. overriding other rgb apps even when its told specifically not too.. Taking over devices i dont want associated with it.. i wish Corsair iCue could set motherboard and graphics card RGB.. Then i could uninstall dragoin center.. iCue works perfect 100% of the time.. Dragon center works perfect almost never. The live update checker is nice though.. It has a few cool features. But the vast majority of its use is for rgb only.
I just searched online and found something that seemed familiar. Try removing MSI Dragon Center, restart your system, and check if performance improves. If not, use ThrottleStop. Share some screenshots while the CPU is under load and throttled—I’ll help identify the issue. The Limit Reasons window can reveal power or other throttling problems.