Using Throttlestop for FFXIV - is it suppose to throttle a bit when game is on and do I need to click "Turn On" option?

[Nore12345]

I just set up throttlestop and the temps are great. I'm wondering 2 things though.

I undervolted the CPU core and cache by -80.1mV and changed the clock speeds on the bottom left down about 2 each (it went from 50 with 1 core active and 41 with 8 cores active to 48 with 1 core active and 35 with 8 cores active). To clarify this is the section in the FIVR that is labelled "Turbo Ratio Limits" (where it has 8 values, because my CPU has 8 cores, ranging from 1 Core Active to 8 Cores Active). While running tests (TS Bench and Cinebench) I get consistent 34.00 in the FID section on all 8 cores. But when I start FFXIV, I noticed at first the FID was 34.00 for a few minutes but then the FID goes down just a tiny put like 33.5 or 33.7 and fluctuates constantly. Is this normal? I'm new to this so I wasn't sure if it is meant to stay at 34.00 while gaming now. If this is normal, then how do you know exactly if the CPU is thermal throttling? (Just a note, the FPS in the game is good, I have it at 120 limit and it stays at 119-120 outside the major cities and 110-120 in major cities so everything in the game seems fine without any performance loss from lowering CPU voltage).

Also, since I changed the "Turbo Ratio Limits" section, do I need to select the "Turn On" option from the task bar? Currently the throttlestop icon is green and the "Turn On" option is unchecked. I know the undervolting is applied whether or not you have this option selected, but I was not sure about if you changed the "Turbo Ratio Limits"? I found this info regarding the Turn On/Off button: "Turn On - Turn Off controls Set Multiplier, Chipset Clock Modulation and Clock Modulation. A lot of 8th Gen CPUs that have Speed Shift enabled do not need to use any of these 3 settings. Clock modulation throttling is rarely used on modern laptops." I was not sure what Clock modulation is though, or if that is what I did?

Thanks!

 

[unclewebb]

Post some screenshots of how you have ThrottleStop setup. Turn on the log file option and play a game for at least 15 minutes. Attach a log file if you would like me to have a look.

The log file will show if there is any throttling in progress. Thermal or power limit or perhaps something else.

When a CPU is fully loaded, the CPU multiplier is usually very steady. When you have 8 cores and 16 threads, this CPU will be lightly loaded for a lot of games and tasks. The multiplier might not be as steady depending on your turbo ratio settings. It might constantly vary hundreds of times per second depending on how many cores are active. That is normal.

Newer laptops and CPUs can still use Clock Modulation throttling but it is extremely rare that any of them do. The log file will show if this type of throttling is being used.

without any performance loss from lowering CPU voltage

Lowering the voltage never lowers performance. It usually lowers power consumption and heat output. Depending on the situation, that can help improve performance.

 

[Nore12345]

Post some screenshots of how you have ThrottleStop setup. Turn on the log file option and play a game for at least 15 minutes. Attach a log file if you would like me to have a look.

The log file will show if there is any throttling in progress. Thermal or power limit or perhaps something else.

When a CPU is fully loaded, the CPU multiplier is usually very steady. When you have 8 cores and 16 threads, this CPU will be lightly loaded for a lot of games and tasks. The multiplier might not be as steady depending on your turbo ratio settings. It might constantly vary hundreds of times per second depending on how many cores are active. That is normal.

Newer laptops and CPUs can still use Clock Modulation throttling but it is extremely rare that any of them do. The log file will show if this type of throttling is being used.


Lowering the voltage never lowers performance. It usually lowers power consumption and heat output. Depending on the situation, that can help improve performance.

Thanks for the response!

I can post the screenshots but I have not used this log file option before. Is that on throttlestop itself? Do you have a link on how to do this exactly?

I'm not 100% sure if FFXIV is using all 8 cores (I read the game does use all cores though). The FID is pretty stable I think, it usually fluctuates between 33.4 and 34 with the numbers changing consistently. I was just curious because during the benchmark testing, the number is always 34.00 for all 8 cores during the entire test, so I was not sure if the FID for all 8 cores is meant to be 34.00 while a game is running?

Regarding Clock Modulation, what I was wondering is, because I lowered the "Turbo Ratio Limits", does this count as Clock Modulation? I know that throttlestop lowers the Core and Cache voltages whether or not you select "Turn On" but I'm wondering if the "Turbo Ratio Limits" are also active when "Turn On" is not selected? I think they are though since as I mentioned above the FID is always near 34 (and my limit for 8 cores active is set to 35).

As for lowering the voltage, I think I misspoke there. I did lower the voltage, but I also underclocked the CPU a bit using Turbo Ratio Limits, which is why I mentioned that FPS and performance seem fine.

Thanks again!

 

[unclewebb]

Put a check mark in the Log File box to begin ThrottleStop data logging. When finished gaming or testing, exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize your log file. You can find this file in the ThrottleStop / Logs folder and it will have today's date in its name.

Turbo Ratio Limits and Clock Modulation Throttling are two different things. On newer CPUs, there is usually no need to touch the Clock Mod setting. It is rarely if ever used anymore. Most manufacturers prefer to use power limit throttling to slow their computers down.

The Turn On / Turn Off box only controls three things. Clock Modulation, Chipset Clock Modulation and the Set Multiplier feature. When Speed Shift is active (SST), the Set Multiplier feature no longer does anything. The two different types of Clock Modulation are rarely if ever used so for most users, the Turn On / Turn Off box is not that important anymore.

FPS and performance seem fine.

Modern CPUs are very powerful. Most games do not need 8 cores let alone 16 threads. Many games are not CPU intensive so you can slow your CPU down a little to reduce heat without any noticeable difference in game performance.

If you want the CPU to run at a more consistent speed, use the Windows High Performance power plan. That should automatically set Speed Shift EPP to 0 which tells the CPU to run at full speed regardless of load. You can check the FIVR monitoring table to see what Speed Shift EPP value the CPU is currently using.

It is normal for the FID to vary a little when the CPU is not fully loaded. When using the Windows Balanced power plan, it might vary a lot.