CPU throttling issue (need experts)

Turboman750

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Feb 2, 2013
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10,690
Hello All,

I could use some assistance troubleshooting an issue with my new Dell Inspiron 7657.

Specs:
i5 7300hq (2.5-3.5)
gtx 1050 ti
16gb ddr4 2400
ssd main drive
7200 rpm hdd

The issue I'm having is the CPU will throttle to below its base frequency while gaming - temperatures do not exceed 70c. See below screenshot:

http://imgur.com/a/c1HLJ

note: 1st line is CPU, 2nd line is GPU, 3rd line is gpu memory usage and 4th line is fps

The difference between 2.3ghz and 3.1ghz in bf1 is a difference between 30 and 60 fps - so this is kind of a big deal when it comes to gaming.

I cant seem to be able to find out the solution to this - im running on the latest drivers and bios - ive even installed intel tuning utility and pumped up the cpu wattage to see if it was a power limitation.

I could use some additional heads grinding away at this issue. I can't seem to find any related posts online.
 
Solution
I was able to solve the issue.

Updating the Nvidia drive past the Dell provided driver.

This is a whole other issue in itself. I purchased a 2017 gaming laptop, but I cannot play any games from 2016 onward? I think that is absolutely ridiculous - I will be following up on the Nvidia forums.

Bf1 came out what, 2 years ago? I cant even launch the game on the Dell provided driver - it won't even let me.
Well actually your CPU freq is 2.5Ghz with turbo raising it up to 3.5ghz, turbo will raise it anywhere between that range as long as it considers it possible regarding your CPU temp and voltages.

65ºC being the max temp accepted for EIST / Turbo etc on Intel I'd say it throttled down to keep the CPU under that temp, so yes... after all you do have a temp issue.

You can bypass this, well at least on a pc, with a laptop made by Dell i'm not so sure, but you can try checking in BIOS by disabling the power features to ensure your CPU runs at max speed as long as you set your power profile in windows to max performance.
 

Turboman750

Honorable
Feb 2, 2013
179
0
10,690


I appreciate the response. Regarding the i5 7300hq, the thermal headroom goes as high as 100C and should not throttle at any temperature under 80C. My CPU occasionally will hit 75C at 3.1ghz (across 4 cores) without issue but will occasionally dip to 2.2 or 2.3ghz while running at perfectly acceptable temperatures as you can see in the screenshot. Note that 2.3ghz is below the base frequency of 2.5ghz.
 

Turboman750

Honorable
Feb 2, 2013
179
0
10,690
I was able to solve the issue.

Updating the Nvidia drive past the Dell provided driver.

This is a whole other issue in itself. I purchased a 2017 gaming laptop, but I cannot play any games from 2016 onward? I think that is absolutely ridiculous - I will be following up on the Nvidia forums.

Bf1 came out what, 2 years ago? I cant even launch the game on the Dell provided driver - it won't even let me.
 
Solution