Clock limit when turning off Intel Speedstep

[HyRise]

So I've read that speedstep can cause stuttering in-game so I went to turn it off in bios and when I came back I noticed my CPU clocks at only .8mhz when its supposed to be 3.4-3.6. I've tried to turn on high performance but that didn't work, i also tried CPU performance mode in bios and that didn't work either. I'm lost and don't know what the issue can be and no one online seems to have the same issue with the same laptop. I'm trying this on a Alienware 15 R3 i7 7700hq gtx1070 16gb ram. When I turn speedstep back on, the clock speed bounces back up to 3.4-3.6 like normal but I get the occasional stuttering or motion judder.

 

[eidairaman1]

Bios limitation, use @unclewebb Throttlestop

Probably overheating too, also there are many threads relating to nvidia stutter.

You just need to use search here or go on youtube

Your Bclk or multiplier might be dropping or the FSB (w/e they call it today)

I would check bios settings and windows power properties

 

[unclewebb]

@HyRise - On some Dell laptops, turning off SpeedStep in the BIOS locks the CPU to 800 MHz. With SpeedStep disabled, there is no way for Windows to increase the CPU speed. This "trick" is definitely not a good idea on Dell laptops.

The 7700HQ is a 7th Gen processor which means it supports the newer Speed Shift Technology. Dell never bothered to enable Speed Shift back then which was kind of dumb. If you download ThrottleStop, you can use it to enable Speed Shift and a whole lot more.

Some Dell laptops have a wide range of throttling issues. Some of their laptops have 3 or 4 unique throttling methods all killing performance at the same time. Many people get frustrated because fixing one problem might not fix all of the problems.

In the ThrottleStop TPL window, enable Speed Shift. Post some screenshots of the various ThrottleStop windows including the FIVR and TPL windows so I can make some suggestions. You can also turn on the Log File option and go play a game for at least 15 minutes. When finished testing, exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize your log file. It will be in your ThrottleStop / Logs folder. Attach a log and some screenshots to your next post.

There is 16 pages of info about setting up ThrottleStop on TechPowerUp and lots of videos on YouTube. Time to do some homework. It can make a big difference when ThrottleStop is setup correctly. Learn the basics and I will help you with the rest.

ThrottleStop

Optimize and tweak your Intel processor

www.techpowerup.com

 

[HyRise]

@HyRise - On some Dell laptops, turning off SpeedStep in the BIOS locks the CPU to 800 MHz. With SpeedStep disabled, there is no way for Windows to increase the CPU speed. This "trick" is definitely not a good idea on Dell laptops.

The 7700HQ is a 7th Gen processor which means it supports the newer Speed Shift Technology. Dell never bothered to enable Speed Shift back then which was kind of dumb. If you download ThrottleStop, you can use it to enable Speed Shift and a whole lot more.

Some Dell laptops have a wide range of throttling issues. Some of their laptops have 3 or 4 unique throttling methods all killing performance at the same time. Many people get frustrated because fixing one problem might not fix all of the problems.

In the ThrottleStop TPL window, enable Speed Shift. Post some screenshots of the various ThrottleStop windows including the FIVR and TPL windows so I can make some suggestions. You can also turn on the Log File option and go play a game for at least 15 minutes. When finished testing, exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize your log file. It will be in your ThrottleStop / Logs folder. Attach a log and some screenshots to your next post.

There is 16 pages of info about setting up ThrottleStop on TechPowerUp and lots of videos on YouTube. Time to do some homework. It can make a big difference when ThrottleStop is setup correctly. Learn the basics and I will help you with the rest.

ThrottleStop

Optimize and tweak your Intel processor

www.techpowerup.com

I thought I already tried speedshift and it didnt work but I tried again and it boosted my clock back up to 3.6-3.8 in game with speedstep off. I also undervolted the cpu and it helped a lot with the stuttering. Though there is still stuttering in-game so im out of ideas. Heres the ss and log file.
The log got stopped short because of windows blue screen crash saying "video tdr failure" is this from the undervolt or a faulty driver version?

 

[unclewebb]

When Speed Shift is enabled, having SpeedStep enabled or disabled does not make any difference.

In the FIVR window, I would set IccMax for the core and the cache to the maximum, 255.75. Multiple throttling methods are not necessary.

In the TPL window, clear the Disable Power Limit Control box and check the MMIO Lock box.

The log file shows the CPU running at a consistent speed. No signs of any throttling. Try running another log that goes for a longer period of time. At least 15 minutes of gaming will help show any problems. Exit ThrottleStop when done testing so it can finalize the log file.

The Nvidia GPU speed goes up and down at the start of the log file. Maybe that happened just when you started the game before you started playing.

Your Intel GPU undervolt will not do anything unless you also undervolt the iGPU Unslice by the same amount. I recommend not undervolting either of these. When gaming, the Intel GPU is barely used. Undervolting it is likely to cause instability long before it reduces power consumption any meaningful amount.

For the 8th and 9th Gen CPUs, you can undervolt the core significantly more than the cache. These two voltages do not need to be set equal to each other. Do some testing with Cinebench R20.

MAXON Cinebench R20.0 Download

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winn

www.techpowerup.com

Bump the core in steps of -25 mV and see if there is any improvement in performance or temperatures. Many similar 8th Gen CPUs are stable at -125 mV cache and -200 mV core and get better Cinebench scores compared to setting both offset voltages to -125 mV.

 

[HyRise]

When Speed Shift is enabled, having SpeedStep enabled or disabled does not make any difference.

In the FIVR window, I would set IccMax for the core and the cache to the maximum, 255.75. Multiple throttling methods are not necessary.

In the TPL window, clear the Disable Power Limit Control box and check the MMIO Lock box.

The log file shows the CPU running at a consistent speed. No signs of any throttling. Try running another log that goes for a longer period of time. At least 15 minutes of gaming will help show any problems. Exit ThrottleStop when done testing so it can finalize the log file.

The Nvidia GPU speed goes up and down at the start of the log file. Maybe that happened just when you started the game before you started playing.

Your Intel GPU undervolt will not do anything unless you also undervolt the iGPU Unslice by the same amount. I recommend not undervolting either of these. When gaming, the Intel GPU is barely used. Undervolting it is likely to cause instability long before it reduces power consumption any meaningful amount.

For the 8th and 9th Gen CPUs, you can undervolt the core significantly more than the cache. These two voltages do not need to be set equal to each other. Do some testing with Cinebench R20.

MAXON Cinebench R20.0 Download

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winn

www.techpowerup.com

Bump the core in steps of -25 mV and see if there is any improvement in performance or temperatures. Many similar 8th Gen CPUs are stable at -125 mV cache and -200 mV core and get better Cinebench scores compared to setting both offset voltages to -125 mV.

So it would be the same on my 7th gen cpu if i keep undervolting the core only to see if it improves? And ill try to get another log but my game froze and started making a weird buzzing sound before I got the chance to. Is that from the cpu or gpu side because sometimes its the blue screen and sometimes it just freezes. What should my cinebench score be? So I can adjust for it with undervolting. I ss some of the times it stuttered in game.

I freeze and have to press the power button to restart because I undervolted cpu core at OV to -150mv and cpu cache is OV -125mv. Perfectly fine when I dont.

 

[Ferd]

sometimes its the blue screen

Since you mentioned Bsod , knowing the error code will allow people to help you further.

 

[HyRise]

Since you mentioned Bsod , knowing the error code will allow people to help you further.

Its okay now undervolting really didnt help that much, my temps are staying below 80 like they should without undervolting. I have noticed that it stutters only when im moving or running in-game, and I also noticed that whenever I do run my cpu shoots to 80-90% usage from 40-60% when staying still. This is causing occasional slight stutter but overall it looks great. Any tips on how to make cpu usage steady when in motion? Its like that on all games.

 

[unclewebb]

   DATE       TIME    MULTI   C0%   CKMOD  BAT_mW  TEMP   NVIDIA GPU     VID   POWER
2021-09-21  19:52:40  33.96   82.9  100.0       0   98    1658    77   0.9095   29.2   AVGTEMP
2021-09-21  19:52:41  33.17   97.0  100.0       0   98    1658    77   0.9287   30.1   AVGTEMP
2021-09-21  19:52:42  33.02   97.7  100.0       0   97    1658    77   0.9292   30.1
2021-09-21  19:52:43  33.49   70.6  100.0       0   94    1683    77   0.8995   26.8
2021-09-21  19:52:44  33.93   77.0  100.0       0   96    1683    77   0.8931   28.7   AVGTEMP
2021-09-21  19:52:45  33.23   96.4  100.0       0   97    1658    77   0.9259   30.0
2021-09-21  19:52:46  32.94   96.3  100.0       0   97    1658    77   0.9044   29.9   AVGTEMP
2021-09-21  19:52:47  32.74   96.2  100.0       0   97    1671    77   0.8932   29.6   AVGTEMP
2021-09-21  19:52:48  32.90   85.3  100.0       0   95    1671    77   0.8923   28.1   AVGTEMP

The log file is showing some AVGTEMP average temp throttling messages. That might have something to do with the throttling. The CPU is at 98°C.

The C0% column shows 97.7%. That means your CPU is being fully used. You could benefit from a faster CPU as well as a couple of more cores. In 2021, game developers do not waste their time optimizing their code so it runs smoothly on 4 core CPUs.

One way to free up some CPU cycles for smoother game play is to reduce or eliminate all of the on screen monitoring you are doing. ThrottleStop is a very efficient monitoring tool. Many other apps are not. Also keep a close eye on how many background apps are running while gaming. A 4+ year old mobile CPU is not enough horsepower for the game and background apps you are running.

 

[HyRise]

Im running this on high graphics not ultra and ive seen people on youtube with the same setup running the same game at ultra. What are some dell throttling methods. I was running no background apps. Heres a log.

 

[unclewebb]

   DATE       TIME    MULTI   C0%   CKMOD  BAT_mW  TEMP   NVIDIA GPU     VID   POWER
2021-09-22  16:14:36  33.13   52.1  100.0       0   97    1772    83   0.9510   24.3   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:37  33.74   49.9  100.0       0   99    1772    83   0.9039   24.8   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:38  32.79   49.3  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.8864   25.5   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:39  32.22   53.8  100.0       0   98    1734    82   0.9308   24.6   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:40  32.65   53.1  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.9155   24.4   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:41  32.42   57.2  100.0       0   98    1734    82   0.9298   24.4   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:42  31.88   54.5  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.9094   23.9   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:43  31.94   59.3  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.8960   25.1   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:44  32.43   49.9  100.0       0   99    1759    83   0.9063   24.4   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:45  32.65   55.2  100.0       0   96    1759    83   0.9290   24.3   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:46  32.55   45.0  100.0       0   95    1759    83   0.9393   24.2   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:47  32.72   52.3  100.0       0   98    1759    83   0.9288   24.2   AVGTEMP

You are getting constant AVGTEMP warnings. The CPU is running at 95°C to 99°C while this is happening. Stuttering while in game should be expected when the CPU is constantly bouncing off the thermal throttling limit. You need to improve the cooling.

Did you exit some background tasks? C0% usage is not as high during this log file. The 7700HQ has a 45W TDP rating. You should be able to run your CPU at that power level without it overheating and throttling. Your log file shows that the CPU is only at 24W to 25W.

undervolting really didn't help that much

Undervolting is not helping that much because your cooling system is overwhelmed. Fix the problem.

 

[HyRise]

   DATE       TIME    MULTI   C0%   CKMOD  BAT_mW  TEMP   NVIDIA GPU     VID   POWER
2021-09-22  16:14:36  33.13   52.1  100.0       0   97    1772    83   0.9510   24.3   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:37  33.74   49.9  100.0       0   99    1772    83   0.9039   24.8   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:38  32.79   49.3  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.8864   25.5   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:39  32.22   53.8  100.0       0   98    1734    82   0.9308   24.6   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:40  32.65   53.1  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.9155   24.4   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:41  32.42   57.2  100.0       0   98    1734    82   0.9298   24.4   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:42  31.88   54.5  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.9094   23.9   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:43  31.94   59.3  100.0       0   97    1734    82   0.8960   25.1   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:44  32.43   49.9  100.0       0   99    1759    83   0.9063   24.4   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:45  32.65   55.2  100.0       0   96    1759    83   0.9290   24.3   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:46  32.55   45.0  100.0       0   95    1759    83   0.9393   24.2   AVGTEMP
2021-09-22  16:14:47  32.72   52.3  100.0       0   98    1759    83   0.9288   24.2   AVGTEMP

You are getting constant AVGTEMP warnings. The CPU is running at 95°C to 99°C while this is happening. Stuttering while in game should be expected when the CPU is constantly bouncing off the thermal throttling limit. You need to improve the cooling.

Did you exit some background tasks? C0% usage is not as high during this log file. The 7700HQ has a 45W TDP rating. You should be able to run your CPU at that power level without it overheating and throttling. Your log file shows that the CPU is only at 24W to 25W.


Undervolting is not helping that much because your cooling system is overwhelmed. Fix the problem.

I have repasted and cleaned out the fans, I also have a laptop cooling pad so I don’t know what the issue could be.

 

[unclewebb]

I have repasted

What paste did you use and how did you apply it? Some popular pastes that work well on desktop CPUs with their integrated heat spreaders do not work great on bare die laptop CPUs.

 

[HyRise]

What paste did you use and how did you apply it? Some popular pastes that work well on desktop CPUs with their integrated heat spreaders do not work great on bare die laptop CPUs.

I used Corsair XTM50 Performance Paste. I have used it on a desktop pc and on a gaming laptop and they worked quite well. I also saw better temps from when I first got the laptop to the repaste, after a week or two it got to 100 degrees like you see now.
Update: Im very confused now because I just did a cpu stress test for 5 minutes and my temps look great (I did ramp up my fans to 100% and lifted my laptop). I think I was getting poor airflow in the throttlestop log before. Ill do a cpu stress test for 15 minutes and post it here. Im really confused why most games stutter now. Although the most power usage was 30W at 70C, shouldn't I be getting 45W?
Update 2: still same temps after 15 minutes but still at 30W
Update 3: My turbo was off so I was only getting 2.8mhz, ill try a 15 minute test with turbo on. Heres the log. My C0% is really high though im not sure if that matters or is what is causing my stuttering issue.
Update 4 (the last straw)- I undervolted to see if I could get better temps which I did but I also got a lower clock speed to around 3.3mhz and im only getting 35W max. I think im missing something or I need to improve cooling more. Heres ss and Logs

I used Corsair XTM50 Performance Paste. I have used it on a desktop pc and on a gaming laptop and they worked quite well. I also saw better temps from when I first got the laptop to the repaste, after a week or two it got to 100 degrees like you see now.
Update: Im very confused now because I just did a cpu stress test for 5 minutes and my temps look great (I did ramp up my fans to 100% and lifted my laptop). I think I was getting poor airflow in the throttlestop log before. Ill do a cpu stress test for 15 minutes and post it here. Im really confused why most games stutter now. Although the most power usage was 30W at 70C, shouldn't I be getting 45W?
Update 2: still same temps after 15 minutes but still at 30W
Update 3: My turbo was off so I was only getting 2.8mhz, ill try a 15 minute test with turbo on. Heres the log. My C0% is really high though im not sure if that matters or is what is causing my stuttering issue.
Update 4 (the last straw)- I undervolted to see if I could get better temps which I did but I also got a lower clock speed to around 3.3mhz and im only getting 35W max. I think im missing something or I need to improve cooling more. Heres ss and Logs

Heres another log, cpu stays at max 25W and 80C could this still be a thermal issue or is dell restricting my wattage? I’m going to clean out the vents and repaste again later today and hopefully it fixes the issue, if it doesn't I don’t know what the problem could be.