Intel CPU clock speed dropping for apparently no reason.

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GYajaman

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Jun 11, 2017
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I have an Asus laptop which is pretty good for the games I want to run on it.

-i5-7200U
-940MX
-12GB RAM

However whenever I run games, the clock speed randomly drops to 0.38Ghz and the FPS drops for about 5 seconds before returning to normal. This happens once a minute and makes gameplay impossible. Any solutions? My temps are at around 69°C so that's definitely not the issue...
 
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You wrote "One issue I noticed: I was running Arkham Knight and i was pulling a steady 30 at the lowest settings during the intro. But as soon as the 3D model of the Joker came into the frame, the CPU clock speed dropping heavily. So basically all the cutscenes are running fine, but gameplay with 3D models seems to make the CPU drop in speed." You need to determine if the CPU frequency drops because the GPU isn't powerful enough or because something gets too hot. In your first post, you wrote that it randomly drops for 5 seconds; does that coincide with 3D models?

The 940MX is a good budget GPU, but it also depends on the type of memory (GDDR5 is faster than DDR3 ). I also presume that you play at 720p for the reasons explained...
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ayushde

ayushde

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Check your windows power profile. Make sure it is set to balanced mode and not power saver.
 
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GYajaman

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Jun 11, 2017
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I've already done that as well, no change. The CPU still throtlles down to 0.38GHz at random moments in gameplay. My PROCHOT temperature is 90 degrees, so i dont understand why this is happening.

UPDATE: I stress tested both the CPU and GPU using Intel's XTU and it showed no indication that any thermal throttling was taking place so now I'm really lost as to what the problem could be

 
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GYajaman

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Jun 11, 2017
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Okay I will try Prime95 and let you know what temperature the CPU and GPU throttle at.

UPDATE: I tried Prime95 and after about 6 minutes the temperature levelled off at 74 degrees and the CPU did not throttle whatsoever. It remained at a constant 2.55GHz for the entire duration of the test. Tell me if I need to stress it for longer; I'm just worried that I may screw up the CPU more than it already is.

 
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GhislainG

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Jul 16, 2008
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If it doesn't throttle with P95, then the issue may be elsewhere. It's possible the 940MX overheats and then the CPU slows down because it doesn't work as hard to feed it. It also is possible the combination of an active CPU plus GPU causes too much heat. What happens when you stress the GPU with Furmark GPU stress test or a similar utility?
 
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GYajaman

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Jun 11, 2017
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Okay I will try FurMark and tell you what happens.

Just as a side note, when I run the game Naruto Shippuden Storm Revolution on my friends laptop which has an HD520 GPU. it runs fine at low resolutions like 768p. On my laptop, even when I run it at 768p, I get slow down, so I'm not sure how my GPU could be heating up so much.

UPDATE: I ran Arkham Knight on the lowest settings and was pulling a good 28-30 FPS. My GPU maxed out at 43 C and CPU at 62 C. I was still getting the slowdown.

UPDATE 2: I ran FurMark at the preset for 1080p, and it seems you're right. The GPU clock drops down to about 100MHz from the usual 1000+ on my 940MX at random points. Do you know of any solution for this issue?

UPDATE 3: I ran FurMark side by side with Task Manager to see the drop off points of the CPU, and it showed me that the CPU was dropping in speed, and then FurMark showed a drop in GPU speed. So at this point I'm convinced it's the other way around. The CPU drops off, then the GPU doesn't have to work as hard and drops off. The GPU picks back up almost immediately once the CPU starts climbing up again in speed.
 
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GYajaman

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Jun 11, 2017
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Ambient as in the room temperature or the laptop package temp? I'll just list both. Room temp is around 28 C and the laptop package temperature is around 72 C so it shouldn't br throttling.

One issue I noticed: I was running Arkham Knight and i was pulling a steady 30 at the lowest settings during the intro. But as soon as the 3D model of the Joker came into the frame, the CPU clock speed dropping heavily. So basically all the cutscenes are running fine, but gameplay with 3D models seems to make the CPU drop in speed.

 
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GYajaman

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Jun 11, 2017
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The room temperature where I live is normally 28 C.

My laptop is far from the throttling temperature so that's definitely not the reason. If a CPU temperature of 68C for an i5-7200U and a 56C for a 940MX is the throttle temp, then tell me, i'll find a way to cool the laptop

 
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GhislainG

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You wrote "One issue I noticed: I was running Arkham Knight and i was pulling a steady 30 at the lowest settings during the intro. But as soon as the 3D model of the Joker came into the frame, the CPU clock speed dropping heavily. So basically all the cutscenes are running fine, but gameplay with 3D models seems to make the CPU drop in speed." You need to determine if the CPU frequency drops because the GPU isn't powerful enough or because something gets too hot. In your first post, you wrote that it randomly drops for 5 seconds; does that coincide with 3D models?

The 940MX is a good budget GPU, but it also depends on the type of memory (GDDR5 is faster than DDR3 ). I also presume that you play at 720p for the reasons explained here: https://technewswith.me/nvidia-geforce-940mx
 
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Solution
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Wizard61

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Jun 22, 2017
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Is this a fairly new laptop or is it over a year old?

The reason I ask is that most laptops need to be taken apart and cleaned on a regular basis, you would be amazed as to the amount of crap that winds up inside a laptop, especially if you own pets.

 
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Subhasishbarui

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I also face same problem, my Asus r558uq with 12gb ddr4 and i5 7200u laptop have isolated battery. I finished many game like cod ghost, bf4,3 , moh wf etc but after using 1 yr problem arises now. It is temp problem, make Processor Power State 75% when you play. If possible try to play in a AC room or winter session. At proccesor power state 75% or even 60% play games. Gpu overheating also possible, must check tem of gpu.
 
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GhislainG

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Jul 16, 2008
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Fixing what causes the heating issue (dirt or lack of cooling) would be a better solution than decreasing the performance of the laptop.
 
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