ENVY 14 Sandy Bridge Throttling

There seems to be a case of throttling of Envy 14 SB's performance when both the CPU and GPU are used. This thread is dedicated to posting of results, and of course asking questions on how to perform the test.

Adapted from Crimsoned

Download links for testing software:

CPU Stress:
Prime95 Large FFT
32 bit: Prime95 (32bit) - Prime95 (32bit) - 25.11 Download - EXTREME Overclocking
64 bit: Prime95 (64bit) - Prime95 (64bit) - 25.11 Download - EXTREME Overclocking

CPU monitoring:
CPU-Z
32 and 64 bit: CPUID - CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

Furmark, please scroll down and select the location (Europe or America):
FurMark v1.6.5 download from Guru3D.com

Use Throttlestop 3 to monitor Chipset modulation behaviour:
Downloads | Tech|Inferno

Test Procedure:
Run both Prime95 AND furmark at the same time, using CPU-Z to monitor the frequency. Hwinfo32 or Throttlestop can be used as an alternative to Cpu-Z.


Open CPU-Z once installed.
Extract the Prime95 download folder.
Install Furmark.

Once all programs are ready to run here is how to run Prime95 and Furmark.

CPU Z
Open CPU-Z and leave it open.

Prime95
Open Prime95, if you are opening it for the first time select "Just Stress testing" from the options.
Once that is done a large window followed by a smaller priority window will appear asking you to select what type of test:
Select large FFT, and press OK. This will begin Prime95's torture test.

Now monitor the CPU frequencies using CPU-Z, try to remember the numbers, or right them down every 5-10 seconds.

Keep in mind if you close the Option window you can always open it in the large window by going to the "Options" drop down menu at the top, and selecting Torture test.


Furmark
IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE THE ATI GRAPHICS NOT THE INTEL HD)
Once installed open furmark.
in Run Mode: Select Stability test.
Under Window Parameters (Params):
Uncheck "Fullscreen".
Under "Window Size" check "Custom Size".
Width: 1366
Height: 766

Under Benchmarking parameters (params):
Leave it as is, under timeframe

For MSAA:
Select "4x"
Hit Go. This will run Furmark.
Use CPU-Z to monitor the frequencies.



REPORT!
Try to run it for approximately 30 minutes without stopping. Please report if your notebook slows down and becomes unresponsive or any odd behavior.

Keep in mind your laptop will feel slightly slow during both these tests.

 

Interesting, where did you hear there was a SB throttling issue? I haven't had any problem like that so far on mine.

 

Hmm.

This seems to be an overall issue with all of the Envies :/

(Maybe not the 13 though. Or 15 while on power.)

 

Well I've seen there was a throttling issue on the 1st gen Envy 14s, but I had not seen anything about the SB Envy 14s throttling, that's all. I haven't come across a situation where mine was throttling... mind you the most I've done on it so far was play Civ 5, Mass Effect 2, and Battlefield Play4Free, but I still haven't found mine to be throttling. My old Studio XPS 16, now that's a different story lol.

 

My ENVY 14-2006TX Beats is throttling. When monitored through Throttlestop, Chipset clock modulation is active and at 25%-100% cycling, which makes the system sluggish.

It starts at 90+C BTW

 

Maybe that's it... for some reason I haven't hit 90 at all... I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it go above 70 yet either. Again, compared to my Studio XPS 16, that's phenomenal lol, since I can make it reach 90C in just 5-10 minutes of running SC2... maybe I'm just lucky then? I wonder why I haven't gotten mine that high yet.

 

Mine is the i7-2630QM model, perhaps dual cores like your i5-2410M are cooler?

 

they are inevitably

 

I remember the i7 envy 14s 1xxx series could throttle (on battery if nothing else)


I haven't noticed it on my i5 1xxx (at least on battery like the i7s did)

guess I could test this stuff in a bit to see if they do

 

The SB i7 models do not throttle on battery. The throttling I'm referring to is thermal throttling that occurs upwards of 90C.

 

Well, I never run anything demanding on battery. Plugged in, it's never throttled when I was playing games. It can get hot but I always let my computer take a break and cool down. I have the core i5.

 

yknyong1: Why not turn the ThrottleStop Log File option on when testing. Upload it somewhere convenient like MediaFire so you will have a record if there is any throttling and then post a link here.

Does this happen in any real world apps or games or just when running Furmark? GTA IV is causing throttling issues on some laptops because it is multi-threaded and is using the CPU a lot more than most games do. You can watch the C0% number in the log file to see what games work your CPU the hardest.

 

I assumed the SB models were throttling because of the first paragraph the OP posted, but throttling above 90C is normal. The computer is designed to throttle at those high temps to prevent the CPU from hitting 100C (or whatever temp HP set on the 2nd gen).

And yes, the i7 1st gen throttles with power as well. Sucks :/

 

ThrottleStopLog.txt
The test was using just Intel Burn Test 2.5 at 2048MB.

Real world probably since when I play games, after a few hours the computer is really hot; the FPS has dropped considerably and stuttering occurs.

 

Is intel burn test only CPU?

Envy throttling occurs when both the GPU and CPU are being used, so run Intel burn test and furmark at the same time and see what happens

 

yknyong1: You're right. Your log file shows lots of throttling going on. Did you use ThrottleStop to try and force Chipset Clock Modulation to 100.0% towards the end of your test? With the CPU temperature pegged at 99C, your laptop is constantly thermal throttling. The bottom line is the cooling solution, CPU heatsink and fan, is either not installed correctly or just completely under designed. IBT is only working your CPU and not your GPU so this might get worse if you are trying to play a game like GTA IV that is trying to give both the CPU and GPU a good work out simultaneously.

Only advice is to pull your laptop apart and redo the thermal paste for the CPU and GPU. I've got a feeling that might not be enough to solve this problem. When that much chipset clock modulation throttling is being used, gaming will become a miserable slide show.

 

Yes I did, at the end.

The reason why I have this unit in the first place was because of the following defects in the 1200 series:
1. Audio Stuttering due to high DPC latency
2. Overheating issues and throttling
3. Build quality issues and dead pixels.

With this unit, the problems are worse:
1. Dead pixels are found on the screen.
2. Dust found inside the screen.
3. Unit overheating (up to 100C) and thermal throttling (Chip-set clock modulation found) when system is under load under non-aircon environment.
4. No switchable graphics as stated on the specifications list. Instead, Dynamic graphics is used and does not support OpenGL programmes. There is no option to manually switch to AMD HD6630M.
5. Audio stuttering as found on some of previous model due to high DPC latency.
6. Warranty start date in BIOS is 00/00/2000 and is nonsensical.
7. Cosmetic issues: Some areas not fully painted/Paint scraped off
8. Horrible build quality: Keyboard flex around W and P. The hinges are not installed evenly, resulting in the screen being tilted, where the left side is higher than the right. The bottom panels are loose.
9. Full screen videos and games do not fill the whole screen, instead, black bars are present. There is no option to deselect maintain display scaling.
10. Missing accessories: No SD card and cloth present.

I feel that the cooling solution is completely inadequate, because the same cooling solution(heatpipes and heatsink) is employed as was seen in the 1200 series. Yet I can't change the thermal paste since this unit is under consideration for DOA again.

 

That is terrible. My unit is near perfect with no overheating. I do have the keyboard flex (every unit has it) but I don't even notice it.

You don't get an SD card though.

 

That is horrible. My first one was perfect aside from a charging problem... my 2nd one is almost perfect minus a half-lit G key (backlighting) and a tiny nick on one of the sides.

I know you said in the other thread that you have it set to Dynamic Modeand that doesn't work anymore, but it actually does allow you to manually switch it to the 6630 if you have it set to Fixed Mode. And as kingp1ng said, they don't give you an SD card anymore.

There's no way I would keep a laptop with all the problems you said... screen hinge, paint scrapes/missing paint, dust inside screen, and loose bottom panel. That's unacceptable condition for something that is supposed to be brand new and I would return it immediately (I hope you're still inside your 21 day window). Something at a store on the shelf in that condition would never be purchased! I'd also call them and ask about the audio stuttering... I haven't had an issue (speakers or headphones plugged in), but at least make them aware of it, and if it's bad you can get it fixed under warranty.

 

Sounds like a refurb..

 

It's brand new, not a refurb, they don't sell refurbs here. Factory condition was that bad out of the box and I cannot return it since this is the 5th DOA replacement laptop as in my sig. They cannot refund and would rather replace brand new sets. However, that 1207TX was tampered with/not new.

I am extremely disappointed since issues have surfaced since day one when the first set was brand new.

 

I am having the same issue with my hp dv6 here
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-pavilion-notebooks/614149-hp-dv6-i7-sandy-bridge-thro

the only fix that i could find is to use throttlestop and force the core modulation, chipset clock mod 100% and set multiplier to turbo.
I have no idea why is this happening =/