Xeon X3470 features only 4C Turbo, never 2C or 1C Turbo regardless of settings.
Xeon X3470 features only 4C Turbo, never 2C or 1C Turbo regardless of settings.
On the main screen of ThrottleStop, activate the C6 button. Check for any C state activity. My cores maintain an average of 99.0% during the low power C7 state. Turbo boost functions properly. If a screenshot of your C states displays 0.0 for C3, C6, and C7 when idle, that explains why turbo boost isn't working as expected. The distribution of a single thread load across 1, 2, or all four cores doesn't affect performance. Turning off the device signals ThrottleStop to halt sending the Set Multiplier value to the CPU, restoring full control from Windows power settings.
It looks like this situation is quite rare. There doesn’t appear to be an option to manually set C-States beyond what’s built into the BIOS. Everything seems controlled there. Updated on October 29, 2022 by northstar1984 – BIOS image included
@northstar1984 C states may fail due to BIOS or Windows problems. Ensure you have the most recent BIOS version installed. Previously, 13 years ago, these issues were common and many users didn’t realize their role. Intel Turbo Boost often requires proper configuration. You haven’t performed a fresh Windows install, nor have you swapped drives from another machine. A clean installation helps prevent such errors. Access the Windows Power Options, press Restore plan defaults to reset settings. If idle C states still don’t activate, open ThrottleStop and adjust the AC setting. Change it to Off, then reapply. This clears interference with power plan settings. Doing this once will restore normal operation. If problems persist, consider other troubleshooting steps. Understanding these basics can help resolve Turbo Boost issues.
@unclewebb asks if you're using the newest BIOS release. You've tested from version 1.00 through 1.50, but nothing changed. A German forum post from February 9th, 2010, mentions a standard P55 Pro without USB3 and reports similar problems. He managed to upgrade his BIOS from 1.50 to 2.20 (AsRock suggested updating the CPU code on December 18th, 2009), which helped. Your release BIOS is 1.00, released May 19th, 2010. You inquired whether you recently installed Windows or swapped a hard drive from another machine. You performed a fresh Windows 7 installation on SSD 1 and Windows 10 on SSD 2. You also dislike swapping drives between PCs. You tried opening Power Options and using the Restore plan defaults to reset power settings, but it didn't work before you adjusted CPU power settings down to 0% and saved. If that failed, you opened the ThrottleStop C-states window, checked the AC box, changed it to Off, then applied again after verifying the AC setting. This method seemed effective. However, your C-states still aren't appearing. If they remain missing, you might want to try other troubleshooting steps. At least now you understand why turbo boost isn't working—C-states don't activate when idle. " Mr. developer of ThrottleStop: Thank you for your patience and clear guidance. Perhaps I'm still lacking C-states but now I have a better grasp of the issue. I can tell myself I've tried, so I'll accept it."