CPU automatically underclock

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nibergrn

Reputable
Jan 13, 2015
13
0
4,510
I have been having a weird problem for quite some time now. My computer had been running fine for 6 months until it started lagging in games, and then just in Explorer. It go worst to the point opening a folder was a 5+ min task.

I am not very tech-savvy so it took me a while to figure out what was going on:
No overheating
No errors
No driver crash
PSU providing right voltages (I even upgraded my PSU thinking it was the culprit)
Power settings on "Performance"

It is the computer that is underclocking itself to the point it can barely be turned on.

If I go in the BIOS and fix the clock speed to maximum 3.5 GHz - basically disabling the throttling - everything works fine.

SO MY QUESTION IS:
1) Why is my computing underclocking itself?
2) Can I damage something if I lock the CPU clockspeed to its maximum?

Specs:
ASRock Z97M Anniversary mobo
Intel i3-4150 cpu
Crucial 8GB DDR3
AMD Radeon R9 280 GPU
EVGA 750W B2

Thank you
 
Solution
G
There could be many reasons as to why it's restricting itself. If I were you I'd start by going through the PC's software, ie do a virus/malware check, repair windows etc. Then you might want to check what the actual core temps are( if you haven't already ), and by core temps I don't mean the CPU package temp I mean each individual core with the likes of HWmonitor or something like that.

Locking the CPU at it's rated clock speed is not dangerous but it will shorten it's life by a small degree. Higher clock speed leads to more voltage leads to more heat leads to more damage. However the effect of this is minimal and something else on in the PC is more likely to break long before the CPU. I wouldn't worry about it unless you expect to...
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G

Gamer-Potatoes

Reputable
Jan 16, 2016
30
0
4,540
There could be many reasons as to why it's restricting itself. If I were you I'd start by going through the PC's software, ie do a virus/malware check, repair windows etc. Then you might want to check what the actual core temps are( if you haven't already ), and by core temps I don't mean the CPU package temp I mean each individual core with the likes of HWmonitor or something like that.

Locking the CPU at it's rated clock speed is not dangerous but it will shorten it's life by a small degree. Higher clock speed leads to more voltage leads to more heat leads to more damage. However the effect of this is minimal and something else on in the PC is more likely to break long before the CPU. I wouldn't worry about it unless you expect to keep the PC for more then ten years.

I hope this answer will suffice, I will check in more often if you have more questions.

Good luck.
 
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