The ThrottleStop Guide

HP uses Poor cooling solution but thermals can be managed if one correctly uses TS and configure DPTF for max performance.

 

I can definitely tame the heat issue, but that appears to come with a seriously lower benchmark score, expected?

I will post screenshots shortly of course.

I see mention of configuring DPTF, where/how is this done please?

Appreciate the responses thank you

 

Hey, I'm having a problem and I'm wondering if it's normal behaviour on the new generation of laptops.
I've tried this on 3 new laptops: MSI GS73 with GTX 1060, ASUS GL704GM with GTX 1060 and MSI GS75 with RTX 2060. All 3 with Intel i7-8750H. If I'm gaming and let the processor go into turbo-boost, the discrete GPU boosts as well and performance is as it should be. If I click on "disable turbo" in throttlestop, the GPU goes well below base clock. The 1060 goes to 1200 MHz and below, the 2060 went as low as 500 MHz. I can achieve the same result by lowering "Max Processor State" to 98% in Power options. (as 99% doesn't disable turbo). My old Acer Nitro, with i7-6700 and Nvidia 960M doesn't do this. I can limit the processor to base clocks but the GPU boosts normally.
Can someone please shed some light on this?

 

You can get that in Power options > Advanced settings

 

Hi Connor, I have the exact same cpu as you. I can give you some tips on how to tweak it in throttlestop...
If you prefer to contact me directly, send me a pm, it's a pleasure to help. No need for compensation of any kind, just wanna help.

Btw, don't rely too much on benchmark scores, they don't tell the whole story.

 

How to Start ThrottleStop with Windows.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/#post-6865107

I realize that English is probably not your primary language but did you try to follow the guide? If you have to, use Google Translate. All of the problems you are having can be fixed if you follow the guide exactly.

I believe the PP0 Power Limit is in watts but ultimately, it really does not matter. If increasing any of the various power limits can solve your throttling problem then increase them. After you increase a limit, do some testing. Did it help or did it make things worse?

I do not think this is necessary anymore with the recent versions of ThrottleStop.

I read the Notebook Check reviews on a regular basis and they often times see significant variations in Cinebench scores after the first run. Unfortunately, they never pursue this issue further and they never try to find out exactly why this is happening. When I see a throttling CPU, I want to get to the bottom of it like a dog working over a bone. If your Cinebench scores are varying that much, your CPU is either throttling because it is bouncing off one of the power or current limits or it is overheating or sometimes, a little of both.

When Cinebench is running, open up ThrottleStop and open up the Limit Reasons window. If the MHz is in the toilet, there is likely going to be something glowing or flashing in red in Limit Reasons. Post a screenshot while your CPU is throttling. Show me how you have ThrottleStop setup. That is so much easier than me having to play 20 questions and gives me somewhere to start when making suggestions of what you can try.

I think I need to add that line to my signature.

Some users have had some DPTF success by using this feature.

If you have an 8750H and disable Turbo Boost, your CPU is left running at a little over half of its rated speed. I would not be surprised if the GPU has to slow down because the CPU can no longer keep up. If you need to slow the 8750H down a little bit because the factory forgot to include an adequate heatsink and fan, try going into the FIVR window and lower the Turbo Ratios a little bit. This might be a better compromise without having to completely disable turbo boost.

 

Hi Fernando/UncleWebb

That would be great if we could PM and discuss this and help to setup throttleshop, I am new to the forum so unsure how to PM you, can you PM please or tell me how.

As requested by other members and to help you, please find attached pictures of my current settings (including screenshot of Limit Reasons)

The only game I play Football Manager 2017, will benefit from best single core performance, if that information is useful.

In addition, the ideal would be to find the optimum point, to give me best single core sustained performance, with the coolest temperature & Heat

Many thanks, I really do appreciate the help​

Screenshots of 4 x Profiles on Main Screen

Profile #1 = Max Performance Main Screen - Run on AC Power: (Cinebench R15 Score of 620)

Throttles & Fans Aggressively loud!

Spoiler

Profile # 2 = Slightly Downclocked Performance Main Screen - Run on AC Power: (Cinebench R15 Score of 564)

Throttles & Fans Aggresively loud!

Spoiler

Profile # 3 = Emergency Cool Reduction Main Screen - Run on AC Power: (Cinebench R15 Score of 428)

Does not Throttle!
​

Spoiler

Profile # 4 = Battery Profile Main Screen - Run on Battery: (Cinebench R15 Score of 520)​

Does Not Throttle!

Spoiler

FIVR Screen

Spoiler

Options Screen

Spoiler

Turbo Limits Screen

Spoiler

 

One observation. When Speed Shift is enabled, the Set Multiplier function on the main screen does not do anything as far as I know. Same with the Power Saver function on the main screen. Both are obsolete when Speed Shift is enabled.

On another note, I just read this on the TechPowerUp forum.

Are you all ready for the end of ThrottleStop? Microsoft might be in a bad mood again. They might be pulling the plug on this wonderful program.

Edit - It is Windows Insider Preview Build 18342.8 which no longer supports ThrottleStop. If you need your ThrottleStop fix, do not download this version. Hopefully Microsoft gets all soft before the final release of Version 1903 and allows the WinRing0 driver to continue.

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsex...ncing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-18342/

 

This is totally F***ed up. My ThrottleStop is still functioning because I didn't join the Windows Insider program. I just hope that this STUPID restriction will never make it to an official build update. I liked Windows and Android because it gave it's users the freedom of deep modification and personalization but as it seems they're taking that away from us. I can already imagine myself in my 70s telling my grandchildren how great it was when we actually had the ownership and control of the devices that we paid for. To be honest I kinda could see this coming when I switched from Windows 7 to 8.
Anyways, I don't know what this means for ThrottleStop and it's future, but I hope someone comes up with a workaround.

 

The next official version will be called Windows 10 Version 1903, April 2019 Update. That is only a month away. The 1903 version number stands for the 3rd month of 2019 which is March 2019 which is right NOW! What Microsoft just shipped out on the Insider Preview slow ring is likely very close to what they plan to ship for the April 2019 Update. At this stage, new features are not added. They just work night and day trying to get as many of the bugs out as possible.

If enough people send feedback to Microsoft, maybe they will change their mind. Realistically, the number of people that need to use a program that uses the 10 year old WinRing0 driver is insignificant to Microsoft. They have wanted to nuke the WinRing0 driver for a long time. At some point it will happen. Maybe it already has.

It means one thing. Game over. ThrottleStop would be dead. It would free up a lot of time in my life but there would be a lot of unhappy laptop owners. Intel recently blocked Intel XTU from running on the low power ULV processors so things are not looking good.

 

I'm installing pre-alpha build 18843 in few days once everything is backed up. Will let you know...

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/page-123

And in 2012 I remember reading these same words and thinking: oh sh*t this is going to be ugly..

7 years later (almost).. Well we'll see what comes ahead.. Hope they don't block Wingring0

 

Hi thanks Unclewebb for the feedback, so what should I change, based on what I have setup at present, to improve things?

Fernando could you be kind enough to be give me your thoughts as you mentioned you had the same processor please?

Thanks to you both

 

Of course, what did you expect?

 

We can still run an older version of XTU, right?
Sometime ago I tested the latest version and it gave me "unsupported hardware" when I tried to install, but an older version worked just fine.

 

Best way to test stability is with Sisoftsandra, go to there website e download free trial version.
run CPU Benchtest, then pray your system dont shutdown.

Iwas thinking my i5 8300h was great runing prime95 undervolt - 0.220mv, but i was wrong.
after trying sisoftsandra CPU bench, system shutdown.
After that i found that my cpu is stable as -0.120mv .

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

Does someone have a TS setup for 9700k?

 

@unclewebb Tested TS to work fine on 19H1 build 18346.1 yesterday on Clean install. For people who used in-place upgrade or UUP method its better to re-create the task or disable scanning of downloaded attachments or apps in defender in case TS is in Downloads folder.

 

I am having a problem running TS as a service on Windows 10 pro 1809.
I created the service from the guide posted here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/page-120#post-8728301
The service appears on the Windows service list but will not start . When I try to run it manually I get this error


Any help appreciated.

 

I am not sure what is happening. I have been running ThrottleStop as a service for quite some time - it continues to work on my version: Windows 10 Pro 1809 build 17763.316. You might try by deleting the service, and doing a complete reboot - then try to run it manually. If that works, there may be a problem with the way the service is set up.
Keep us posted, Joe

 

You need to check off Run with highest privilege, configure for Win 10 and allow any user to run the task.

 

I tried delete and recreate , but get the same error running manually, and no action when I log in to windows.

 

I used another service manager called NSSM which works with a gui. No ini file needed.

 

How can Throttlestop set different voltages for cores and cache? Cores&cache use the same VR

 

TS cannot set different voltages for core and cache (probably for the reason you note). If you set the sliders to different numbers (which you can do), the undervolt will not work - I am not sure if either of the values will apply (haven't tried it). This has been discussed here, and users were advised to use the same settings for both cache and core.
Best,

Joe

 

I've got an odd one, Senor T - with all 4 cores running, my i7-4700HQ is stuck at 3.0 GHz, and not 3.2 GHz, per intel ARK spec (Asus X750JN laptop). Also, when stressed with Prime95, the CPU seems to draw only around 37, and not the full 47W TDP (running Throttlestop 8.70). It does this whether I undervolt the vCORE & cache by -85 mV or not. Any ideas? THanks in advance!

-Trev

 

In theory, on the recent CPUs, the core and cache offsets have to be set equally. More than one 8750H owner has told me that setting these two voltages differently does make a difference. No access to one of these to prove this one way or the other.

@Trevayne10 - I think some of the HQ processors from this era could be forced into a low TDP mode. Instead of 47W they would drop down to 37W. I do not think it will make any difference but are you using the FIVR - Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits feature? TDP Level control is separate from this but it never hurts to try. For the Asus laptops, the TDP Level Control register that ThrottleStop gives you access to is not sufficient to fix this type of throttling. TDP Level Control can be set in multiple places and the lowest powered one always wins.

For comparison, my 4700MQ throttles while running Prime95 but it runs continuously at its full 47W rating.

Edit - HWiNFO might report what TDP Level a CPU is running in.

I am glad I did not stop working on ThrottleStop way back then. Hopefully this is just another scare from Microsoft. I guess we will know in mid-April if WinRing0 support is still included in the April 2019 Update of Windows 10.

 

I am on the latest build 18348.1 (Win 10 Pro Insider Preview) and have no issues running Throttlestop on my MSi GE73 Raider with the i7 8750H CPU.

 

ON. POINT.


(Pardon me if I ramble a bit - been having too much coffee and fun (sleep-deprived over the last 36 hours, yaknow) -

"Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits" was indeed the culprit - somehow it was checked. I cleared the box, and have verified CPU max TDP of 46.7W (via CPUID HWMonitor running Prime95). You're a genius, unclewebb (of course, i'm addressing the guy who coded the damned thing - ; P )

And just for good measure, I checked the "Overclock" option (in "FIVR") and changed the multipliers from 34, 33, 32 and 32 to 36, 35, 34 and 34 - and for the first time in 5 years: "Beast Mode" unleashed. Since 2014 this Asus X750JN laptop 17.3" laptop with i7-4700HQ / nVidia 840M GPU has been a $1,000 letdown - a real downer. The only bright spot has been that 2GB 840M - a real surprise - I can play Overwatch and PUBG at 1600 x 900 (native), medium settings, averaging around 45 fps, even in crowded fight scenes.

In Geekbench 4, Cinebench R15 and Prime95, this very dated i7-4700HQ now mops the floor with quite a few i7-6700HQ-based laptops (and even a few stock -6700K desktop systems (!), as well as the odd -7700HQ notebook along the way. I kept the vCORE and cache offsets cranked down to -85mV, and the temps never went over 89°C on any of the cores in the above-mentioned benchmarks, and it never seems to throttle. I set the cores back to the their stock multipliers when I'm done being goofy (which is rare).

Eternally in your debt, Unclewebb.


Now if I can only get back to a normal sleep pattern - am starting to see spots. Too much fun.

 

My new Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-51-785A has high UNCORE power from the store:
(HW = 8750H, GTX 1060)


Using HW Monitor, UNCORE=12 watts
1. AC or battery
2. Both battery saver off, and on

Referencing "Idle, dGPU idle: ~11.8Watt min"
Is there a method to achieve UNCORE less than 5 watts at GTX1060 = idle?

To me, a new laptop with 2 hours battery life is not workable.

Should I return this? (3 days left)

 

Maybe, maybe not.

I thought checking this on your laptop would be a good thing. Whatever works for you is fine by me.

I heard Asus was a little cheap with the factory overclocking options so I am glad to hear that this TS feature is working as designed. I am sure you are also happy with the good things TS is doing to your Overpowered 8750H. I have been hiding on that thread for a while. Cinebench scores a hair over 1300 are the pride of the 8750H line up.

I noticed this a while ago. You can do a search of this thread for some more details but I do not think too much came of what I found.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/page-965#post-10853710

I have got a gut feeling that this might be an Intel issue but I do not have access to a wide range of 8750H laptops to prove this. Are you running the latest bios? On the right hand side of the FIVR window in the Integrated Voltage Regulator section it will show you what microcode version your CPU is using. Can you post a screenshot of that so other users can compare? Turn off all of your other monitoring apps and only run ThrottleStop. Does that make any difference to reported power consumption?

 

I recently have access to "Ultimate Performance" under Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options\Ultimate Performance on Dell XPS 9550 (6300HQ).

The only change I have done recently is enable ThrottleStop "Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits". Can't confirm for sure that allowed access. Frankly, I haven't read that "Ultimate Performance" is a step up from High Performance. And I haven't printed out the power scheme to see what is actually changing.

After the "Disable and Lock Turbo Power Limits" trick, SpeedShift with EPP=0, undervolt & repaste, I don't think see much more to do on Dell's locked down thin and light PowerBook as @Papusan calls it.

 

Looks like Tongfang disabled the extra throttling in a reverse manner that's why unchecking Disable power limits in FIVR using RW everything driver didn't work for you.

 

Hi @unclewebb
Sorry for quoting quite old post. Undervolting is a bit new to me and i am interested in digging it "if" there is any possibility to apply it on my old I7 740qm mobile processor of my Asus G53 notebook to run it much cooler?

I am sure Intel XTU won't support it but not sure if ThrottleStop is backwardly supporting older Cpus even from year 2010

I see undervolting concept has become more famous than ever as many Intel 6+ core Cpus (like 8750H) have been complained and critised as they run much hotter over last few years despite the concept itself is not new of course.

Hope you enlighten me.

Best regards...

Note: Just found similar thread with 2630qm (released date close to 740qm) including your post here, thread says it is not possible with stock Bios and Cpu vCore voltage is locked unlike today's laptops
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/undervolt-2630qm.628968/#post-8122995

 

Hi guys,

I've been using throttlestop for the first time and I was able to undervolt my 8750H in my MSI GE75 at -160mV (CPU, Cache and GPU). Benchmarks runs pretty stable and the heat was much lower.

BUT: In 3D Mark I got now only 6700 points instead of 7400 (RTX 2070). What could be wrong? If throttlestop is enabled it doesn't make a difference if I undervolt -90mV or -160mV. The score is always lower as without throttlestop.

Do you have any ideas?

 

Can we set up profiles in such manner that they would sync with windows power plan profiles. Im currently using a tongfang laptop with 4 power plans. I would want to have a profile of throttlestop to each one of them(gaming-high perf-balanced and battery) and when i chose one of these windows power plans, throttlestop profile automaticly changes to the designated one.

Also can/should i use different core-cache undervolt(i7-8750h). Currently im using -135.7mv for both and i have a feeling that i might be able to lower the core voltage. Thanks in advance.

 

The good news, ThrottleStop supports your CPU as well as the Core 2 Duo processors that came before it. The bad news, the 1st Gen Core i7-740QM does not support under volting. This was not possible until the 4th Gen Haswell processors were released.

The best thing you can do with a 740QM is pull it out and replace it with a 920XM or 940XM. These Extreme processors have an unlocked multiplier and unlocked power limits. This allows them to run almost twice as fast when fully loaded as long as you can find a way to keep them cool.

I always have lots of ideas. How about providing me with some more information? Some screenshots that show me exactly how you have ThrottleStop set up is a good place to start. Turn on the Log File option in ThrottleStop, run 3D Mark and when you are finished, exit 3D Mark and exit ThrottleStop so it can finalize the log file. You should see a .txt text file in the ThrottleStop/Logs folder with today's date on it. Upload that somewhere or copy and paste the data to www.pastebin.com so I can have a look. Before you log any data, go into the ThrottleStop Options window and turn on Nvidia GPU monitoring so your GPU temperature will be included in the log file. I have not heard any complaints so I am assuming that ThrottleStop GPU temp monitoring still works on Nvidia's new GPUs.

If benchmarks decrease something is throttling. Either the CPU or GPU. A log file will help show what speed your CPU is really running at.

Do you get normal benchmark scores with ThrottleStop running but the offset voltage set to zero?

This is not possible. I mostly use ThrottleStop to make sure I am at full speed.

Some people claim to have had success using different values for CPU Core and CPU Cache offsets. Give it a try and see what happens. If there is an improvement in temperatures or performance and this can be repeated, share your results.

 

thx for the quick response. Currently i use 3 profiles for AC. Performance 60w/70w at 3.9mhz(didnt have an actual use for this one yet-except for cinebench) , Gaming 60w/70w 3.6mhz(at 3.6mhz cpu draws 45w) and Silent with speedshift value around 180(keeps temps low thus laptop fans dont kick in).

 

Hey @unclewebb I am trying to undervolt my i9-9900K in my Alienware Area-51M but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I tried with XTU and that seems to work but in TS it seems to still run at stock voltage. Adjusting clocks etc works though.

 

Put same undervolt also for Cpu Cache.

 

Once again, back at using Throttlestop. Now with my Lenovo T480 with an i5-8250u CPU. Speedshift is pretty cool!

Still having issues with using task scheduler as "run on startup" however (the program would close when going between AC/DC - despite having the exact settings as per the guide) I used this tool instead to create a shortcut that runs the tool as admin, which then works by placing it in the startup folder. I don't have UAC enabled but a normal throttelstop shortcut in the startup folder doesn't work.

 

There is an option in the Task Scheduler that causes this problem. By default, the "Stop if the computer switches to battery power" option in the Task Scheduler is grayed out. Many people assume that grayed out means this option is disabled but in fact, it is enabled. Make sure all of the boxes on this page are completely clear. You may have to temporarily enable the option above it before you can clear both boxes.



If there is a ghost icon in the System Tray that disappears when you mouse over it, that is a sign that Windows killed ThrottleStop and did not clean up the icon which will happen if the above option is enabled.

The only other thing that would cause this problem is if you have checked off ThrottleStop - Options - DC Exit Time. This can also force ThrottleStop to close when you switch to battery power but when you use this feature, there will not be any ghost icons left behind.

I heard the usual internet complaints about the Lenovo T480 throttling but I think if ThrottleStop is setup correctly, it should be able to run just fine. Post some screenshots or test results if you need some help. I think the T480 is a not bad general purpose laptop at this price point.

 

@unclewebb Hmm.. Right now this solution works fine for me, but is the "stop if the computer switches to battery power" really still active when it's greyed out but checked, like this? I guess so...


I really like this laptop so far. Great battery life (I use Throttlestop to hopefully increase this, rather than getting better performance), great keyboard, touchpad buttons etc. The FHD IPS display is a little bit of a disappointed but luckily there seems to be a drop-in replacement screen that does it much better.

Anyway.. Regarding Speedshift; is 128 the default value? For my balanced profile I wanna keep the 'stock value' of Speedshift while only changing it for my batterysaver and performance profiles.

 

YES!

That is the problem. People keep telling me that they followed the guide. The picture in the guide does not look like the picture you posted. I specifically wrote about this problem in the guide.

Lenovo has been cheaping out with low grade washed out looking screens for a while. I have been thinking about picking up an 8th Gen laptop for my daughter but I am going to wait. Lenovo plans to start using much brighter screens in the next couple of months so I am waiting for them. No hurries. Manufacturers need to learn from Apple. As long as the screen looks pretty, people will buy it, no matter how it performs or doesn't perform.

128 seems to be the Intel / Microsoft default value for Speed Shift. When plugged in, I would not set this to anything greater than 80. In some situations on some CPUs, 128 can limit maximum performance and I hope no one reading this thread wants to do that when plugged in. Personally, I prefer Speed Shift = 0 when plugged in. I guess 128 is OK for battery use but I still like 80 better. Concentrate on getting rid of useless background tasks. This is the best and easiest way to improve idle temps and increase battery run time. Watch your C State data. Shoot for 99% in C7 for the cores.

 

Well that makes me feel like an idiot who cannot read. Regardless, I still prefer launching the program without Task Scheduler involved so I guess my current workaround is alright.

Yeah, I gotta admit, the screen is what almost matters most to me, but maybe just as much as the keyboard. For the T480 however, there's this particular screen model (N140HCE-EN1 Rev.C2) which allegedly is really good (allegedly 99% sRGB, 350 nits and good contrast!) which definitely beats the built in IPS display on this laptop.

Using a Speed Shift value of 0 actually seems like a good idea! I just wonder how it'll affect temps. I also noticed what a massive difference there is between having turbo on or off in regards to the temperatures. What value do you use for when on battery or if you'd want to get a good balance between battery life and performance?

 

No comment!
You are not the first person to be tricked by the grayed out boxes in the Task Scheduler. Maybe your adventure will finally convince me to make auto starting TS way easier.

I have heard that the Dell XPS series has a few throttling issues. Some XPS buyers buy them because they like the Dell logo but a lot of buyers buy them because their screens are better compared to the competition. Including a quality screen seems like a good idea but unfortunately the world has been brain washed by WallyMart. I do not mind paying a few hundred bucks more for something that I will be spending many, many hours looking at.

Set Speed Shift to 0 and go do some testing. A fast CPU has gotten a bad reputation. Fast is not that bad at all as long as you take the time to clean the crud programs off your system that are killing C state residency time when idle.

Watch the monitoring table in the top right corner of the FIVR screen. This table will show you the EPP value that the CPU is currently using. Some Windows 10 power profiles can interfere and override the ThrottleStop EPP requested value.

Speed Shift set to 80 or 128 will be fine when on battery power. Flip a coin. It is not likely to make any huge or even noticeable difference. Fast CPU is kind of an OCD thing for me.

Thanks for taking the time to follow up on the problem you had with the Task Scheduler. Posting a screenshot or two makes troubleshooting a lot easier for me.

 

Maybe edit your pict in post #2 and add in "How to do it correct" in RED bolded text. You can even add in a Red Arrow if you prefer

 

My experience has been that Speed Shift=0 does not increase temps at all. Though clock speed goes up, time in resting states is same or lower, supporting UncleWebb's idea that allowing faster cpu speed gets the work done and CPU back to resting faster, so no net increase in power. But do the experiment yourself.

Good luuck,

Joe

 

I first got the idea that a fast CPU is not so bad after reading this paper which was written by some smart guys at Berkeley.

Power Optimization - A Reality Check
https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2009/EECS-2009-140.pdf

When a CPU has something to do, making it run slow and sluggish does not accomplish much. A slow CPU can increase power consumption.

@Papusan - Good idea. I will get that picture fixed up in the second post later today.