The Acer ThrottleStop Thread

ThrottleStop 1.93
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/ThrottleStop.zip

Hopefully this version will correctly detect your CPU and give you the SLFM option and correct VID information.

 

Yesterday after all the tests were done and I changed the voltage I tried prototype one more time to see how it goes.

It gave a little freeze after 2 minutes. I opened task manager to see if it was still active and it was so I pushed the activate button and at 1280 X 720 and all other settings maxed out I was able to play over 3 hours without any problems.

So Unclewebb... Is it still necessary to install 1.93 to see if the slfm option shows up? And b.t.w. why would I want to see the slfm option... or better... what am I suppose to so with it?

Nevertheless thank you for all the work you've done and for all the quick reply's you give. Also... I cannot find any donation link or button for all the hard work you've done... where o where do I donate?

 

You'll find a way if you take a look at RealTemp About.

 

I downloaded this today as I was having some problems streaming HD video, it has help, can anyone tell me what the settings should be for an 8930g?

 

spaanplaat: Version 1.93 uses the correct VID formula for your CPU. It's free software so you might as well download the correct version for an X9100.

I was interested to see what your multiplier is reported as at full load. A few seconds of Prime95 Small FFTs or 1 or 2 threads of Super PI mod would be enough. If it shows 11.5 then that means it is working correctly. The idle multiplier is more dependent on your Windows settings. Does GPU-Z report a x1 Link Width? My desktop has an old 965 chipset that had that bug sometimes. When the Link Width drops to x1, gaming performance takes a big hit. It would be nice to know if this is a problem just for you or if it is a problem for many Acer owners or maybe it's a RealTemp problem.

The ThrottleStop menu in the system tray has a Donation option. Thanks for your support. Good software depends on feedback from users so it can support as many different combinations as possible. If you're busy, not a problem but when you have some time, post some more info so I can make ThrottleStop better for everyone.

Big Col: When you download ThrottleStop and first run it, the program is in monitoring mode. Leave the top 4 boxes unchecked and then turn on the Log File option and turn on the More Data option and then go and do a stressful activity. If you notice a slow down then keep track of what time it happened at and then you can go back in the log file when you are done and see what the data says. If you're not sure, send it my way. You can upload it easy to www.sendspace.com or just post a chunk of your log file here.

Chipset clock modulation is the problem for many Acer laptops. The log file should show two columns of 100.0% for the two types of clock modulation. You want your computer to be running at 100.0%. If one of these columns shows 50.0% then your computer is running half as fast as it should be.

A check mark in the Chipset clock modulation box will fix this if this is a problem for your laptop. A log file tells me everything I need to know. Post one and I'll help you out.

 

Seems I forgot to disable powermizer... that's why the bandwidth was only 1x.

Also I think everything is working like it should now.

Here is a piece from the log while running prime95

DATE TIME MULTI C0% CKMOD CHIPM DTS

02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:45 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:46 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:47 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:48 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:49 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:50 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:50 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:50 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75
02/05/10 22:21:50 11.50 100.0 100.0 100.0 75


And here is a screenshot....



And I finally found the donate button

It's on your way.
8FN09951F7745981L

And thanks again... you did what Acer should have done.

 

Thanks spaanplaat for your donation to my projects. Much appreciated.

That log file looks better. An 11.5 multiplier and no chipset clock modulation is going on so your Acer is finally running at full speed.

That version of RealTemp you are using is a testing version for a QX owner I was working with a while ago. I'll e-mail you a link tomorrow to a version that reports the multiplier correctly like ThrottleStop does.

It's good to see that you have all 16 lanes open for business between your CPU and GPU. When my buggy chipset used to randomly drop down to x1 it used to drive me nuts. You could always tell because anything 3D would become choppy when it happened.

Only one question. With SLFM not checked in ThrottleStop does it make any difference or do you still see reported multipliers of 3.0? I think the Windows settings take over from anything that ThrottleStop can do at idle so it will probably still drop down to 3.0.

 

Important information is missing off the warning statement when you first start throttlestop.....
No where does it mention that... to much use of this program when gaming causes weight gain, I have now put on 7lbs and I no longer need a belt for my jeans.
Although kevin your program is very helpful to my notebook it is also very fattening to the user !!!

Thought we call all do with a bit of humour , even though the 7lbs part is not at all funny
Please amend your warning details

 

Unclewebb I went back to 1.92. For some reason I cannot get it to run stable with 1.93. System just shuts down after 30 minutes of gaming. Checked all the logs, and everything is as it should be. Tried several different settings and voltages but could not get it running stable. Was busy all weekend until I reverted back to 1.92 with my old settings and everything is all right now.

Thought I'd let you know.

PS. Could you explain to me what the SLFM function is for?

 

SLFM stands for Super Low Frequency Mode. That drops the internal bus speed in half from the typical 266 MHz down to 133 MHz.

6.0 X 133 MHz = 800 MHz

It can be difficult to report this accurately so CPU-Z and ThrottleStop will report this as a 3.0 multiplier.

3.0 X 266 MHz = 800 MHz

This should never be used except at idle but some Dell laptops can turn on SLFM during the middle of a game and really kill performance.

Edit: I originally thought that SLFM would only work with even multipliers but I think it works with all multipliers except the 0.5 half multipliers.

The only difference between TS 1.92 and TS 1.93 is how the VID is reported. TS 1.93 uses the VID formula that is suitable for the Core 2 mobile CPUs like your X9100.

Run CPU-Z and TS 1.92 and see how much voltage you are using for a stable setting. Transfer the CPU-Z VID setting into TS 1.93 and stability should be exactly the same. If there is a difference in stability between these two versions then my guess is that you must be running slightly different core voltage between the two versions. That could cause more heat and less stability or going the other way with less voltage could also decrease stability. If you match the core voltage up using CPU-Z to monitor VID, there should be no difference.

 

Tested and worked on Windows 7 x64, no issues.

Works better than RMclock.

Biggest issue, no startup options. I would like to see an autostart with Windows, and for it remeber settings.

I have to keep switching it back on.

 

Task Scheduler.

 

i think unclewebb should make a startup option built-in. does it work if you add a shortcut to the startup folder or to the registry?

also, i still haven't tried this because undervolting using rmclock has solved the issue for me. some questions:
1. is this a better method?
2. i have disabled the lower multipliers and kept only the highest (12x) in rmclock. i couldn't do that in throttlestop right?
3. i have set the voltage (for 12x) to 0.9875V. could i set it like that in throttlestop?

if i want to start using throttlestop, i want to stop using rmclock because i think its better, so i hope you can help

 

The Task Scheduler is the best way in Vista or Windows 7 to get a program to auto start. Here's a tutorial I wrote on how to use it.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3970161&postcount=3657

It gives you complete control of your start up items and I like that.

If you are an Administrator on your account then you can also drag a link to ThrottleStop into your StartUp folder and you can probably also add an item into your registry but I'm not a fan of those methods because they don't work correctly with UAC which some people like to run.

hna: If you have RMClock set up and you have absolutely no issues then there's no need to change. Even with RMClock, some users still have issues with chipset clock modulation kicking in which can kill performance in the blink of an eye. You can run a log file with ThrottleStop to find out if this is an issue for you while gaming or doing any demanding task on your laptop.

Windows 7 works differently on some motherboards at idle. Does ThrottleStop report a 12X multiplier on both cores at idle when you are using RMClock? It's best to go into the Control Panel -> Power Options and to set the Minimum processor state to 100% to try and keep the multiplier at its maximum at idle.

Give ThrottleStop a try. Use CPU-Z or RealTemp to monitor VID and turn off RMClock and see what your laptop reports. Post some pics if you're not too sure. ThrottleStop should let you adjust your VID just like RMClock lets you do. RMClock is a better program in many ways but can't automatically handle chipset clock modulation and for what you want, you might find that ThrottleStop is a better option that uses less resources.

 

it seems to vary between 11 and 12

so if i check Chipset Clock Mod (at 100%), set multiplier at 12, and vid at 0.9875, it is like running rmclock (with my settings above) but ensuring that no throttling occurs what so ever, also with less resources needed right? if it does that, i'm definitely dumping rmclock. please clarify.

edit: i have set the multiplier at 12 in throttlestop, and bsod occured
edit2: i set the vid to 0.9875 in throttlestop and no bsod occured
edit 3:what's the clock modulation for in throttlestop?
edit4: throttlestop sets the same vid for all the multipliers right?

 

Voltage needs to be set first in ThrottleStop and then the desired multiplier. I should build in a safety feature to prevent some of the BSOD issues that can result if you go for full multiplier before adjusting the voltage.

There are two different types of clock modulation used on laptops to slow them down and all of the laptops that I've heard about tend to use one method or the other. Acer uses chipset clock modulation and doesn't use regular clock modulation so you don't have to check that box in ThrottleStop. Checking Chipset Clock Modulation and setting that to 100.0% is good enough.

ThrottleStop isn't as well integrated into the operating system the way RMClock is. It should set the same VID for all cores. One user said it's kind of like a one speed transmission and he was quite happy with that. It tries to force your CPU to use whatever settings you choose. Some operating systems depending on how you have them set up might ignore what ThrottleStop wants and will use SpeedStep to slow your CPU down at idle anyhow. Post a screen shot or two of ThrottleStop at idle and at full load so I can see how it looks and to learn a little more.

It's easy enough to open up Task Manager to see what program consumes more resources. After you go into stand by mode and come back out, the operating system cleans up most programs and dumps unneeded libraries, etc. so it's usually best to compare running programs then. ThrottleStop doesn't have as many features and is less advanced so tends to be less resource hungry.

Edit: Make sure C1E is disabled if you want a stable multiplier at idle.

 

i've attached the pics. the multi isn't stable at idle (whats ce1?).

also, if i set the multiplier at 12x its like setting the min power state in the power plan profile to 100% right? if so, which method do you recommend?

 

You can usually adjust C1E in the bios but if there is not a setting in the bios then try adjusting it in the RealTemp Settings window.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/RealTempBeta.zip

This usually controls the multiplier you end up with at idle on the Core 2 CPUs. When ThrottleStop shows your reported multiplier jumping up and down at idle it is usually because this is enabled. Disable it, set your minimum processor state to 100% and set the 12 multi using ThrottleStop and your idle multiplier will usually be steadier.

If this adjustment works for you and your bios does not have any option to control C1E then I will add this feature to ThrottleStop in the near future. It's just another power saving option but you seem more concerned with maximum performance so you might as well disable it.

 

i do not have any option to control C1E in bios. wish you could add it

i've noticed that cpuz sees it as a constant 12x when set. why?

also, why do i have to set my minimum processor state to 100% AND set the 12 multi? if i set the min processor state to 100, isnt it redundant to set the multi to 12x?

 

I'll add C1E adjustment if you show me a screen shot with C1E disabled and the multiplier in ThrottleStop very close to 12 at idle instead of floating all over the place like it can do.

CPU-Z is not accurate at idle when reading the multiplier. It reads a single register within the CPU. You have two choices. You can write code that immediately samples the multiplier or you can put a tiny 1 millisecond delay in your code to try to let the CPU settle down before reading it so the act of reading it isn't actually changing it. Neither method is accurate. At idle it will either report too high or if you do the delay trick it will read too low.

The most accurate method is the method ThrottleStop uses and is also recommended by Intel. It uses two high performance timers for each core within your CPU and can very accurately track even the tiniest changes in your average multiplier. There is a very small amount of random variation at idle like maybe +/-0.01 in most cases but that's still way more accurate than CPU-Z. This method also shows you when you have power settings in conflict with each other. That's when you see the multiplier doing the dance at idle.

Good question. On the Dell laptops when you start blocking clock modulation, the bios will ignore the Minimum processor state and attack the multiplier instead or vice versa. That's why forcing both the multiplier to its maximum and forcing chipset clock modulation to 100% makes sure that your computer can run at full speed.

Within the CPU, VID (requested voltage) and FID (the multiplier) share the same single register. If you are adjusting VID using ThrottleStop then it would probably be a good idea to lock FID as well.

At the end of the day this is all up to you. Set your computer up however you like and however it works best for you.

 

hmm. ive set the min state to 100% with set multi at 12, and it is not dancing anymore constant 12! so hows disabling C1E useful now?

 

and another question. im running at .9875V. when i lowered to 0.975 it bsod in rmclock.

when i use TS and try 0.975, it doesn't bsod, but orthos gives this error:
FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected.

why is that?

 

C1E may already be disabled. Use RealTemp and toggle C1E on and off and see how that changes your reported multiplier at idle. On my Core 2 Duo, when C1E is enabled, the multiplier is not steady at idle and dances all over the place. That's why I leave this unchecked or disabled.

When you are reducing VID, you will find that every CPU needs a unique amount of voltage to remain Orthos or Prime stable. As soon as you start getting rounding errors in Super PI or in Orthos then that is a sign that you have gone too far and your CPU is telling you it needs more voltage so give it some more voltage.

Orthos stable is usually good enough for me but many users also like to be LinX stable which is a more demanding test.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=201670

The level of stability that is appropriate for your computer depends on what you're doing with it. Obviously if you're running a nuclear power plant then you need to make sure that you have enough core voltage and your computer is rock solid stable. For game stable you might be able to use less core voltage and be completely stable compared to how much voltage you need to be Orthos stable.

When you are on the edge of stability then it's random chance what program crashes first. RMClock and ThrottleStop are both adjusting the same register in your CPU so what program crashes first when you go too far is mostly luck.

Now where's a screen shot or two so I can see if a C1E option needs to be added to ThrottleStop?

 

ce1 is already unchecked in realtemp.

thanks for your great program and thorough support. i wont be using rmclock anymore

 

As soon as you check C1E in RealTemp then you'll probably see dancing multipliers as internally your multiplier is constantly dancing back and forth between 6 and 12 because Windows and the CPU itself are fighting over control of the multiplier. CPU-Z and other programs that sample your CPU multiplier once per second are not capable of showing you stuff like this.

Thanks for the 101 questions hna and screen shots.

I learn a little from every user I help and it gives me new ideas about things that could be improved and changed as well as added to ThrottleStop without it becoming big and bloated. I kind of like the simplicity of ThrottleStop. RMClock is a great program but can be a little over whelming for new users.

If you have any ideas about a new feature that you would like to see in ThrottleStop then just let me know.

 

it's dancing again even though i havent changed anything. weird, i've tried setting c1e in realtemp on and off but nothing changed. also, the multi is at 10 in realtemp and changes from 6 to 12 in cpuz. i've selected the high performance (at 100 min power when oplugged) and set multi to 12 in TS.

 

also thanks for linx. at 0.9875 it gave an error in a couple of minutes. so i set it at 1v and no errors! it seems pretty accurate i recommend this over orthos

 

Hi, so i have a Acer aspire 6935G. Now, i had that throttlingproblem, which luckily throttlestop fixed. Now, my problem is that my computer just shuts down after a while of playing. Any of you have any idea of why ? Is it some settings in throttlestop i could change in order to prevent the computer from shutting down ? Here's how my "throttlestop" "looks". I really hope there's atleast something i could change, so i dont have this shutdown problem.

Click for pic (large)

 

The reason for the shutdowns is likely because your CPU is getting way too hot. You CPU isn't even fully loaded in your screen shot yet it is showing a temperature of 100C. You need to improve your cooling solution. It might need cleaning or it might just be inadequate. Find a way to lower your temperatures and your stability will likely improve. Run a ThrottleStop log file while gaming and post it here so I can have a look.

What CPU do you have so I can look up the specs for it.

You might have to under volt your CPU to try to get control of your core temperatures.

 

Here's the CPU specs:

Click for pic (large)

Could you try to help me undervolt it if possible ? ( If thats a possible solution )

 

ThrottleStop isn't going to help much if your CPU is legitimately overheating!
Have you cleaned your fan intake and exhaust ever?
Do you use a cooling pad?

You can undervolt rather easily using ThrottleStop, by ticking the Voltage ID box and decreasing the voltage. Just make sure to stress test using ORTHOS to ensure that your system is still stable at the lower voltages.
There are tons of guides online, but they may use RMClock instead - different software, same idea.
I'd honestly look into other solutions before undervolting - a stock system should NOT be running at those temps.

Also - please use thumbnails or links to large pics - they distort and stretch the page.

 

Well, never cleaned it actually. Tho it is a laptop and im cinda afraid of opening it, don't wanna 'destroy' anything. The temperatures are about 40-50'Celsius. Which shouldn't be that bad. I'm running 64 - bit if that has anything to say. And if i dont use throttlestop, then i have to play with lag from h***. Well, tons of guides. Well, couldn't you guys have possible solution regarding what i should undevolt to ? I did decrease it a little, very little. Didn't really have any effect, well i think i was able to play a bit longer. But i don't really wanna format the computer. And the last thing i wanna do is to send it to acer.

 

Your temperature in game is well beyond 40C or 50C. Go into the ThrottleStop.ini file and enter

TJMax=105

which is the appropriate value for a P7350.

Now run the log file option and go play a game for 15 minutes. Upload the log file to www.sendspace.com and post a link here or have a look in the log file for your CPU temperature. It will be sky high. The heatsink might not be snug against the CPU, the thermal paste might be poor or your laptop might be full of dust bunnies so the cool can't worker properly.

You need to have a look at some of these issues first because there seems to be something more going on.

TehSuigi explained under volting quite well. Run a stress program like Prime95 or Orthos and slowly reduce the VID until it reports errors. Be prepared for a BSOD or hard crash. Once you've found this point then increase VID until your computer is stable. Don't be working on something too important when lowering your core voltage. This can help temperatures but you need to also get to the cause of the problem.

 

I'll try doing what you said tomorrow. Hope i'll be able to create the log file before my system shuts down. I'm gonna try after im done with that and undervolt. just really hope i don't have to send it to support. Thats out of the question for now.

 

Tho, this couldn't by any chance be driver-related ? Because of what i remember i didn't have this problem with vista, however sine vista decreases the performance i'm not gonna use it.

 

I'll wait until I see your log file tomorrow. You might have some minor problems with drivers, etc. but I think your main problem is hardware related. I've seen some heatsinks in laptops that are very poorly attached and just fixing that can make a big difference in temperatures and stability.

 

So today i cleaned my laptop as best as i could. However, i don't think dust is the problem. Since the vent wasn't that dirty at all. Off course, it was a little "dusty" so i cleaned it as good as could. . Now, order to maybe reduce the heating i placed the laptop on two books as shown here : http://img694.imageshack.us/i/img0182i.jpg/

The next step now would be to create the log file you talked about uncle. Or should i just try to undervolt it ? What are your suggestions ?

 

*Update* My PC hasn't shut down once since i did what i said earlier today. Was able to play Bioshock 2 for some hours without any problems at all. I'm not sure if the problem is fixeed. But i'll let you guys know if this problem occours again.

 

At least now you've confirmed that your problem is heat related.

Drop voltage a little at a time while running Prime95. Some users have improved their peak core temperature by 20C doing this so it is well worth trying. Once you find out how much voltage your CPU needs to run stable, you might be able to run your laptop for hours even on a flat surface.

 

What is the newest version of ThrottleStop?

I am using 1.91 and it shows X9100's voltages wrong (too low). It doesn't matter though, I can check the correct V with CPU-Z.

 

Yes, i'll try do that. But its indeed heating yes, but my pc wasn't that dirty at all either.

 

Quakecry, even elevating the back of the system can improve its airflow. I've personally got my 6920G propped up at the back with SD card cases.

 

The X9100 was not being recognized as a mobile CPU a couple of versions ago but I think that bug has been fixed and it should be OK now.

ThrottleStop 1.93
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/3/1794507/ThrottleStop.zip

Alternate Link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/dtjos2

 

Hello dear uncle!

My friend has tried to use your program, but it says "CPU not supported". His computer has serious throttle-problems, and he would be grateful if you could update it for his CPU.

Here is his CPU: AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-62 (2 CPUs), ~2.1Ghz

Thanks.

 

ThrottleStop is only designed for Intel CPUs at the moment. Pretty sure unclewebb could throw in some code for AMDs, though.

 

Unfortunately the throttling scheme is totally unique to the brand of CPU so what works on an Intel CPU would not work on an AMD CPU. I haven't owned an AMD CPU in over 3 years and I have no access to one so there is no way that I can do any testing to develop a version for AMD.

 

Too bad

Thanks anyway!

Kind Regards powerfull499

 

Thank you so much unclewebb and angelwings for making this awesome program

I have had my acer for just over a year and it never started all this until last month and have been looking for a solution and then i found this and it works perfectly

Thanks jaccoo

 

i see you have updated it 1.94. thanks! what are the main changes?

 

It was unclewebb that made the program, I just helped spread the word and was the first person to test it on an Acer notebook but your very welcome, its helped alot of us. Happy Gaming