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    X220 - gimped performance unless plugged in

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by thecrafter, May 10, 2011.

  1. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    Hi,



    For some reason when browsing, scrolling over images will be choppy unless I'm plugged in to a power source. For example this site: http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110509/tc_digitaltrends/hackergroupanonymousissuessharprespo...



    When on battery, it will be choppy to scroll until it's past the image, then it will be smooth. When on power source, it will be smooth even when scrolling over the image.



    I've tried changing my power plan when on battery to maximum performance, it did not help.



    Any ideas?
     
    thecrafter, May 10, 2011
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  2. kpresler

    kpresler Notebook Consultant

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    If you open up CPU-Z, what speed does it say your CPU is running at on battery/vs plugged in?
     
    kpresler, May 10, 2011
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  3. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    Both when plugged in and on battery it keeps switching from 2GHz and 800MHz every second or two
     
    thecrafter, May 10, 2011
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  4. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    vinuneuro, May 10, 2011
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  5. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    Posted, but still doesn't explain why it's smooth when plugged in but not on battey
     
    thecrafter, May 10, 2011
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  6. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    Have you tried adjusting battery settings in Intel Graphics.
     
    vinuneuro, May 10, 2011
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  7. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    Yup, max performance too (it sets it automatically to max performance anyway when you select maximum performance plan under the power manager)
     
    thecrafter, May 10, 2011
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  8. vinuneuro

    vinuneuro Notebook Virtuoso

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    Turn off CPU Power Management in Power Manager/BIOS (you have to restart if you do it in Power Manager). That will eliminate the throttling, and will point to or rule it out as the problem.
     
    vinuneuro, May 10, 2011
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  9. TheLoneRaven

    TheLoneRaven Notebook Consultant

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    +1 rep for advice here. Fantastic job, and thank you.
     
    TheLoneRaven, May 10, 2011
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  10. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    vin - that isn't the issue here. Your issue is different. My problem is that performance is fine when plugged in, and not so fine when on battery. CPU Power Management in BIOS doesn't magically turn off when the laptop is plugged into a power outlet, so that isn't it.
     
    thecrafter, May 10, 2011
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  11. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    Figured it out. CPU Deeper Sleep was the culprit. It's remains enabled even in max performance profile
     
    thecrafter, May 10, 2011
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  12. Petrov

    Petrov Notebook Deity

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    thecrafter, could you please elaborate on this if you have a sec? Is this a bios or software setting that is enabled by default and do you recommend all x220 users turn it off/change the setting?

    Thanks,
    Petrov.
     
    Petrov, May 11, 2011
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  13. Duckfart

    Duckfart Notebook Evangelist

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    it's a setting in the power manager
    Power Plan Tab
    System setting
    2nd line down
     
    Duckfart, May 11, 2011
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  14. thecrafter

    thecrafter Notebook Consultant

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    No it isn't something I'd recommend turning off for day to day usage. Might be good to turn off for Photoshop or gaming but I'm not sure if it will help any. It will save you battery time.

    Unlike what the name suggests, it has nothing to do with regular computer sleep. With this enabled, the CPU pretty much shuts down and powers on really quick when needed. It will shut down between keystrokes for example and turn on when you type another letter. That's how quick it is. (That's how I understand it works when I read about it)
     
    thecrafter, May 11, 2011
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  15. david1274

    david1274 Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks for the clarification. Assumed it was regular sleep.
     
    david1274, May 11, 2011
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