Please help me interpret(and possibly fix) this behavior in the "limit reasons" in ThrottleStop.

[Coyote67]

Hello! I am a COMPLETE beginner to ThrottleStop and I know very little about it beyond the few articles that I've read. So I've been given an HP Pavilion 15 cx-0056wm by my friend that I fixed and have been using for quite a while. However, it has these TERRIBLE lag spikes when everything lags. Recently, I found a reddit thread about this computer where another user with the same computer fixed his problem with fps drops in game by reducing CPU clocks, which is why I downloaded ThrottleStop and decided to learn how to tune my computer using it. (I tried doing what that person said, reducing clock speeds to 3.3-3.5ghz, and it didn't work) I found this "limits" page in the ThrottleStop interface and I understand that the yellow means the limit previously happened, and red means they are happening, and that this is DEFINITELY not normal behavior.
Video of behavior being referenced: "Limit Reasons"
Little info about the computer at the time of the video: Only running applications was chrome with one tab (gmail) and discord in the background. This is a fresh windows install (installed a couple weeks ago) that I have changed nothing on besides disabling all telemetry and removing classic windows bloatware, and there is no "weird" software/bloatware on it. All my ThrottleStop settings are default (I reset the clock speeds after trying to reduce them as it didn't work).

Laptop Specifications (HP Pavilion Gaming 15 cx-0056wm): Intel i5-8300H, GTX 1050ti, 16gb ddr4 2667MHZ RAM, 250gb Kingston SATA SSD.
All my drivers are updated, (as windows was installed recently) and I got the drivers from windows update and intel driver update assistant (I tried getting them from HP but they were outtdated because windows manufacturers like to pretend older models of their products don't exist when giving updates LOL)

Thank you in advance for any help, and I'm sorry for the long post.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I don't know what the "CPU GPU RING" buttons on top do, but this behavior is the same across all of them.

 

[unclewebb]

Thanks for the video.

PL1 and PL2 flashing red is the CPU saying that it is power limit throttling. I am not sure why the power limits of your laptop are set so low. This is definitely a problem that should not be happening. Were you plugged in during that video? Is the battery alive or dead? Can it hold a charge for more than 30 seconds? Gaming laptops need to be plugged in so they can reach maximum performance. Many gaming laptops are a bit of a con. Some are barely powerful enough to surf the net when running on battery power let alone trying to play a game.

Post screenshots of the ThrottleStop TPL and FIVR windows. There might be some clues in there. I cannot suggest any adjustments until I see how your computer is presently setup.

 

[Coyote67]

I just had the realization that it usually only happens when plugged in and upon that realization, I unplugged my laptop and after a couple minutes the limits stopped flashing so frequently (although they did continue flashing at longer intervals, probably about every 1-2 minutes). The battery is very alive, it can hold enough charge for me to work for about 4-5 hours with light usage. Yeah gaming laptops do tend to be very weak on battery, I always use it plugged in if I'm gaming (which is very rare however). I have attached screenshots of the TPL and FIVR windows.

 

[unclewebb]

In the Turbo Power Limits window, try checking the MMIO Lock box near the top right of that window. Clear the Disable Controls box in the Power Limits Control section. This will allow ThrottleStop to manage these two sets of power limits.

Your CPU seems stuck at a lower than expected speed. Try checking the Speed Shift box in the TPL window.

Turn on the Log File option on the main screen and go do some testing. With your laptop plugged in, go play a game for 15 minutes. Attach a log file when you are finished testing so I can see how your laptop is running with the new settings that I have recommended.

 

[Coyote67]

I changed the settings you recommended and have attached a log file after 15 minutes of gameplay (minecraft) with my laptop plugged in.

 

[Coyote67]

I don't know if you'll be able to see this in the log file but I think the settings didn't make a difference as the lag spikes were just as frequent.

 

[unclewebb]

Your HP laptop is broken and unusable for gaming. It looks like HP is using an embedded controller (EC) to force feed low ball power limits to the CPU. The 8300H has a 45W TDP rating. At times your laptop is reducing the power limits to as low as 5W. This causes severe throttling which forces the CPU to slow down to 800 MHz. It will be impossible to play any game at this speed. Maybe Solitaire but that is about it. There is no easy fix for EC based throttling.

If you checked the MMIO Lock box and cleared the Disable Controls box then there is nothing ThrottleStop can do about this type of throttling. There is no warranty so all you can do is sell or dispose of this laptop and move on. Really sad that manufacturers dreamed up some horrible power limit throttling schemes like this. It makes your laptop unusable.

 

[Coyote67]

Ok, thank you very much for the clear explanation! I will probably just end up buying a new laptop. Thanks for all your help! Have a great day