Qosmio x775 - Throttling at low(ish) temps?

Hey all,

So I have a Qosmio with a GTX 560m, and I've been playing Bioshock Infinite a bit lately. I've noticed periodic drops in FPS, and I've come to the conclusion that my system is throttling my GPU, but I feel like it's happening at temps that aren't really a danger to the card. Here's a cut/paste from a GPU-Z log:

Date , GPU Core Clock [MHz] , GPU Memory Clock [MHz] , GPU Shader Clock [MHz] , GPU Temperature [°C] , GPU Load [%] , Memory Controller Load [%] , Video Engine Load [%] , Memory Usage (Dedicated) [MB] , Memory Usage (Dynamic) [MB] , PerfCap Reason [] , VDDC [V] ,

2013-06-05 23:12:56 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:12:58 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:12:58 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:12:59 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:01 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:01 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:02 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:04 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:04 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:05 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:07 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:07 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:08 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:10 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:10 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:11 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:13 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 44.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:13 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:14 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:15 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:16 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:18 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 45.0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 11 , 1 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:19 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 4 , 1 , 0 , 18 , 14 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:20 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 8 , 1 , 0 , 62 , 32 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:21 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 13 , 2 , 0 , 188 , 26 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:22 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 5 , 1 , 0 , 196 , 26 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:23 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 5 , 1 , 0 , 211 , 32 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:24 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 5 , 1 , 0 , 213 , 27 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:25 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 6 , 1 , 0 , 230 , 23 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:26 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 5 , 1 , 0 , 240 , 22 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:27 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 46.0 , 4 , 1 , 0 , 242 , 27 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:28 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 47.0 , 5 , 1 , 0 , 239 , 31 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:29 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 46.0 , 5 , 0 , 0 , 236 , 29 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:30 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 45.0 , 12 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:31 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 45.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:32 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 45.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:33 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 45.0 , 12 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:34 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:35 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 12 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:36 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:37 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 10 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:38 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:39 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 12 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:40 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:41 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:42 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:43 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:44 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:45 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:46 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:47 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:48 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:49 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 11 , 4 , 0 , 236 , 22 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:50 , 202.5 , 162.0 , 405.0 , 44.0 , 36 , 11 , 0 , 321 , 48 , 16 , 0.8200 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:51 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 48.0 , 98 , 46 , 0 , 323 , 53 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:52 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 49.0 , 98 , 46 , 0 , 323 , 53 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:53 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 50.0 , 98 , 46 , 0 , 324 , 53 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:54 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 50.0 , 97 , 46 , 0 , 327 , 49 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:55 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 51.0 , 97 , 46 , 0 , 326 , 49 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:56 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 51.0 , 98 , 46 , 0 , 326 , 49 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:57 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 52.0 , 97 , 46 , 0 , 326 , 49 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:58 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 52.0 , 97 , 47 , 0 , 326 , 49 , 0 , 0.9700 ,

2013-06-05 23:13:59 , 776.3 , 625.0 , 1550.0 , 52.0 , 98 , 47 , 0 , 326 , 49 , 0 , 0.9700 ,



The formatting is a bit funky, but long story short, I'm seeing throttling as low as 56 degrees, although it doesn't appear to happen frequently until about 66 degrees.

I have glanced at http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/616474-guide-580m-gtx-throtting-fix-no-need-modify-system-bios.html, but before doing anything I just wanted to get some opinions. Should I apply this fix?

 

Were you gaming all the time during this log? Because the load seems very low when it throttles. When the load is high it seems to act normal.

Your gpu is only at 11% load when it throttles. So it looks like powersaving since it's at full speed when the usage is 97%

 

Well, I daresay throttling anywhere below mid-high 80's is problematic. I suppose it could be a matter of some IC's on the chip getting too warm and not being reported. What's that value that climbs to the high 90's? (52.0, 98, 47).

To me it looks like one of the components on the card (either shader, core, memory or IC's) is flirting with the 100's. If you can find out what value that is, I recommend checking if your heatsink is seated properly and the card properly pasted and with well positioned thermal pads.

EDIT: Yea, I'm a moron. Didn't read properly. I think you should probably go for the mod.

EDIT2: Extreme drop in GPU load could occur due to high levels of CPU throttling and failing to deliver sufficient data to the GPU. What components do you have in the rest of the system? What CPU temps and usage do you have when the GPU load falls?

 

So I typed up a more detailed response earlier and apparently forgot to submit it lol. Long story short, I've decided to do the fix, but before doing so I just want to make sure this is safe to do on a Toshiba Qosmio with a GTX 560m. I noticed the original guide was written for an Alienware laptop with a GTX 580m and I don't feel like bricking my lappy. Thanks again!

Edit: Ok so I grabbed Core Temp and did some CPU temp logging, here's the result:

Time Core 0 Temp. (°) Core 1 Temp. (°) Core 0 Low temp. (°) High temp. (°) Core load (%) Core speed (MHz) Core 1 Low temp. (°) High temp. (°) Core load (%) Core speed (MHz)
6/6/2013 15:10 61 59 59 74 9 798.25 52 67 8 798.25
6/6/2013 15:10 60 59 59 74 7 798.25 50 67 2 798.25
6/6/2013 15:10 59 56 58 74 1 798.25 50 67 1 798.25
6/6/2013 15:10 59 55 57 74 2 798.25 50 67 1 798.25
6/6/2013 15:10 59 50 57 74 2 798.25 48 67 1 798.25
6/6/2013 15:10 59 55 57 74 2 798.25 47 67 3 798.25
6/6/2013 15:11 58 52 57 74 11 798.25 47 67 1 798.25
6/6/2013 15:11 58 53 57 74 4 798.25 46 67 10 798.25
6/6/2013 15:11 67 54 57 74 30 2793.89 46 67 11 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:11 58 55 57 74 6 798.25 46 67 13 798.25
6/6/2013 15:11 59 48 56 74 14 798.25 46 67 13 798.25
6/6/2013 15:11 59 50 56 74 6 798.25 46 67 12 798.25
6/6/2013 15:12 57 47 52 74 2 798.25 45 67 5 1596.51
6/6/2013 15:12 55 55 52 74 4 798.25 45 67 8 798.25
6/6/2013 15:12 55 55 52 74 0 798.25 45 67 7 798.25
6/6/2013 15:12 62 59 52 74 13 2793.89 45 67 22 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:12 57 54 52 74 6 2793.89 45 67 12 2993.45
6/6/2013 15:12 75 68 52 76 77 2793.89 45 68 88 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:13 71 66 52 76 43 2793.89 45 69 56 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:13 78 73 52 78 75 2793.89 45 73 84 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:13 79 72 52 79 96 2793.89 45 74 98 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:13 74 72 52 82 63 2793.89 45 74 73 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:14 80 71 52 82 48 2793.89 45 76 54 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:14 83 77 52 83 76 2793.89 45 77 79 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:14 82 73 52 83 58 2793.89 45 77 47 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:14 79 77 52 83 56 2793.89 45 78 59 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:15 82 77 52 83 65 2793.89 45 78 54 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:15 84 77 52 85 68 2793.89 45 79 57 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:15 82 79 52 85 62 2793.89 45 80 55 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:15 83 80 52 85 64 2793.89 45 81 60 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:15 84 79 52 85 59 2793.89 45 81 53 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:15 84 79 52 85 66 2793.89 45 81 58 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:16 84 79 52 86 67 2793.89 45 81 62 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:16 85 80 52 87 77 2793.89 45 82 60 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:16 84 79 52 87 40 2793.89 45 83 52 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:16 83 80 52 87 63 2793.89 45 83 52 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:16 85 81 52 87 74 2793.89 45 83 71 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:16 87 80 52 87 75 2793.89 45 83 63 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:17 87 83 52 89 79 2793.89 45 83 67 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:17 87 81 52 89 69 2793.89 45 83 60 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:17 90 84 52 90 78 2793.89 45 84 70 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:17 84 81 52 90 61 2793.89 45 84 47 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:17 87 81 52 90 56 2793.89 45 84 59 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:17 87 82 52 90 68 2793.89 45 84 62 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:18 87 83 52 90 55 2793.89 45 85 48 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:18 87 83 52 90 62 2793.89 45 85 61 2793.89
6/6/2013 15:18 81 75 52 93 60 2394.76 45 87 78 2394.76
6/6/2013 15:21 79 77 52 93 23 2793.89 45 87 42 2793.89

So I think that the cause might be my CPU overheating? I see max temp of core 0 at 93C, that's pretty high, correct? I bolded and underlined some of the readings at the bottom of the list. Any suggestions?

 

Ya, anything in the 90s is very hot; and could be the cause of the throttling.
Make sure you clean your fan/vents of any accumulated dust [you can try compressed air in a can, and use short bursts].

There's a disassembly guide a member did for the x775, may of some help if you decide to open up your laptop and perform a more thorough cleaning.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/toshiba/651540-x775-x770-disassemble-thermal-repaste.html

Good luck

 

The TJmax for this CPU is 100C, doesn't that it shouldn't be throttling until the temp hits that value?

 

Nope, it can throttle at any temperature below the TJmax [I believe if it actually hits the TJmax, your laptop will actually turn off/shutdown].

With all the above stated, I feel pretty confident that your throttling issues are due to your high CPU temperatures.
I hear the x775 does suffer from throttling, so it may be worth verifying you have the latest BIOS [which helps address excessive throttling] and ensure your fans/vents are clean of any accumulated dust [you may have to open your laptop and manually remove such dust].


Here's the BIOS change log for your model series:

http://support.toshiba.com/support/modelHome?freeText=3023701
You did not state your exact model, so I pulled the above info from a generic x775.

Good luck

 

I have this exact laptop and am on these forums for the same reason. I ran speccy and while gaming my CPU reached a max of 94 which is very bad so I've heard. I knew it was throttling because I sit at 60 fps most of the time and randomly drop to 4-5 fps for short periods of time, making gaming impossibly frustrating. I checked my fan and it is HORRIBLY CLUTTERED with dust. I thought I could just pop off the screws on the back to get to the fan but after viewing that disassembly guide I'm a bit more intimidated, I'm not very savvy with computers to begin with and cannot afford to take this one to the shop if I mess it up.

I was going to get a can of compressed air but is there a chance that the dust will just be pushed inside the machine further causing harm? If not then I will try that first because I'm almost positive the dust will free up with a little burst. I got a needle and poked at the fan blades covered in dust and freed up a little bit but the slats are so small I couldn't do the entire fan like that, but the dust seems to free up easily. I tried using a vacuum to no avail, not enough suction. Also, I know this may seem more extreme but what are the repercussions to maybe removing a portion of the plastic slat covering the fan on the bottom? It seems fragile enough to be easy to do and some glue would make putting it back simple, or am I just being dumb now?

Let me know, thanks for any help.

 

The compressed air only works if your fans are already in pretty good condition. If they are already crammed with dust, you'll most likely need to open it up and clean the fans manually.
Not sure of the plat on the bottom; you can try removing it at your own risk.


Good luck and keep us informed of any updates.

 

Late to the party. I jam the fan with plastic ty-rap to avoid over speed. I use hose vacuum to pull dust out of fan and compressed air to blow dust from fins back into the fan at the same time.

I have the I5 version so only get throttling in rare cases but have not tried Bioshock Infinite, I'm still using 1.70 fwiw. Other i7 users went back to original 1.1 BIOS to avoid this. Another did a copper mod and claims no throttle problems.

Let us know if you get your problems solved, cleaning or other.

 

Sorry to revive this thread but I'm having the same issues here. Temps on the CPU are topping out at 84°C when this occurs. Same issuse as the OP.

Was it confirmed to be the fault of the BIOS?

 

Alrighty, for anyone who cares to read this, it IS confirmed to be the BIOS. If you don't already have the latest BIOS, then I strongly recommend downloading and installing it. It solves EVERYTHING.

 

Just found your post...you got an x775 now? An i5 as well, you used to have a alien something?

Yea easy bios 1.1 would fix the i7 boys throttling. usroberts and one other claim the copper mods did the trick but not sure which version bios was used. My i5 will still throttle with the fuzzy donut bench so maybe I should recheck my version of bios. The OP ever flash his 560? BTW, what version bios are you using? I'm still 1.70.

 

My GPU plays lightweight 3d games (lika FIFA NBA 2K and Call of Duty Modern Warfare, at a great performance without hiccups. But when it comes to heavyweights like Crysis 3 and Watchdogs, it sometimes crashes due to heat at very high temperatures. But the issue is that although I use a 20 cm cooler with 64 CFM air flow, my temps still climb up to 70-80 range within 3 minutes of gameplay from 50 Idling temperature. This was always like this from the day I bought the laptop on. What do you advise other than thermal paste replacement which I have already done.

 

Try the latest BIOS version assuming your vents are clear and clean. If that does not work then try the original 1.1 bios which got good reviews on the Toshiba forums from the I7 users.

 

Thanks Hydra. But I already own the 2.1 version and there is no newer than that. My battery failed so I will try the bios downgrade when the new battery I ordered arrives as it is a risky thing to do bios updates without battery in case of a power failure. Vents are already cleaned. I will try 1.1 bios as a last resort.