Some laptops use an embedded controller (EC) to enforce power limits. The EC turbo power limits are separate from the MSR and MMIO power limits. ThrottleStop has no control over the EC power limits.
Not all manufacturers use EC power limits but some do. This lower power limit is sometimes only enforced when the Nvidia GPU is active. You might get full CPU power when running Cinebench but get power limit throttling when playing games. A very shady business practice for Lenovo to sell you an 8750H with a 45W TDP power rating but prevent you from using the full 45W when trying to play a game. That is about as honest as buying a car with a V8 engine but finding out later that only 2 or 3 of the 8 cylinders actually work when going up a hill.
You can also try checking the Lock box in the Power Limit Controls section of the TPL window. This will lock the MSR power limits. I do not think Lenovo is changing the MSR power limits but checking the Lock box will prevent them if they are.
That's mainly because Cinebench is properly optimized to use All Cores - that being its main purpose (stress/bench-marking tool). Just run a Multi-Core CPU test with Cinebench - and you'll see "All Cores running in C0% state at 100% and Max Frequencies". Same can't be said about most games. Even tho, it's true that some are more GPU dependent (a detail worth taking into account) - despite being 2023 (almost 2024) - quite a lot of titles (even recent ones) - still struggle to use all cores efficiently and consistently.
Same way, just test some games and monitor their multi-core usage. In older titles - you'll even see 1 core getting close to 90% or higher - while the rest hovering around 2% - 10% (less or more - but not by far). In modern/recent titles - which are actually capable of using Multi-Core CPUs (not that efficient - i might add) - all CPU cores (be it physical or virtual/hyper-threading) will hover around 20% - 60% (less or more - but not by far) - directly correlating to CPU's power usage (also around 20% - 60%). BUT, it's still possible to max-out the CPU usage. For example: Disable your browser's Hardware Acceleration and run a YouTube video in 8K - while playing said game. That's usually enough to fill the CPU usage gap - running at 100% while gaming - which also translates to the CPU Wattage running at maximum "and above (while the Short Power PL2 boost - is kicking in)".
Well, I didn't get the chance to test some of the latest High End CPUs from the most recent generation - so who knows - maybe those are capable enough to run all the above below 50% (so maybe run Cinebench too while gaming on above
). But it's definitely valid for older less powerful CPUs.
Side note: All above CPU percentages are directly related to Multi-Core usage in C0% State. Not frequency. Even if the frequency is running at a constant 4000 Mhz (if this value was set as a limit) - the cores can still chill in C0% state at 20% - 60%.
Buying a laptop is a real crap shoot. Many manufacturers over promise and under deliver. The throttling schemes they use are never publicly documented. They act surprised if anyone is ever smart enough to figure out why their new laptop is performing so poorly. The sales sheet never includes any fine print that says your 45W CPU will be limited to only 17W when trying to play a game.
Even tho i agree - than some OEMs - do just that "to avoid warranty issues (main interest of every OEM is to sell their products "but also to be functional - at least during the time they're covered by warranty)" - Windows Power Plan is filled with "hidden options" which are basically throttle features or options for controlling throttle/power management. Here's "some (to name a few)" examples from my power plan:
What can i say... tweaking ThrottleStop - was the easy part (thank you for that
), but tweaking above power option to fit my needs (also the laptop's limitations) - was the time consuming part. On a Desktop - you can simply switch to Performance/Ultimate Power Plan - and do couple of extra tweaks beyond that, but.... on most laptops - High Performance Power plan - should be hidden from start (as a power plan option) - cause in most cases it can do more harm than good. So yeah, i do agree (vehemently) - that buying a laptop is indeed still a crapshoot "if you expect to use it at its maximum potential". And that's just it - the components can still work as advertised if... you brake the chassis apart - and move all the internal components in a big enclosure (basically a desktop sized case) - where they can be properly cooled. But ofc, that would be rather stupid (beats the purpose of a portable system).
And sure, everyone has their reasonable excuses:
- Microsoft will tell you that Windows by default is optimized for the general population. But, they offer guides and options - to fine tune it for specific requirements.... you just need the time and knowledge to dig for that info and test it out.
- Game Developers will tell you that CPUs are not that efficient compared to GPUs - so it's in your best interest for the GPU to take the heavy load - which also helps the CPU to run cooler and use less power. Can't deny it's a good point - but at the same time it's a half backed excuse. I mean sure, if the CPU was used more efficient - you'd only get a maximum of around 20% higher performance at almost 50% higher CPU usage - but sometimes that's exactly what's needed for a game to run smooth with the owned GPU (not everyone can afford to switch to a RTX 4080/4090 or the equivalent from AMD). That being said, what they're actually saying is more like - optimizing a game to use resources efficiently takes A LOT of extra work and skill - and they simply don't have the staff to fill that gap (despite of working for billion $ companies).
- OEMs and Manufacturers will use the portability as an excuse (you can't have both... both the power of a desktop and the portability of a laptop / there's not much one can't expect from small fans and thin enclosures, maybe that will change in the future... ) - which sure - i guess it's a valid excuse... but then why not sell them at a more "portable" price (-20% the performance of a Desktop equivalent at +20% the extra price - if not more)?!
But now the CPU don't go below 1.0GHZ on desktop this use the battery life right ?