I3 - 2120 Multiplier Drop & Block Raise Under load

[arogorn993]

Hey guys,

So I'm starting to notice that my i3-2120 is not performing to its full potential. When running a game like Minecraft or using Vegas Pro at Full Load or greater than 90% usage, the i3's multiplier will gradually drop and the block clock will fluctuate. After dropping, the multiplier will then gradually speed back up and repeat the process.


Here is what I've noticed:

When using EasyTune6, The multiplier will drop and the BCLK speed will fluctuate.

http://s16.postimage.org/qvciwfhf9/easyt2.png
http://s16.postimage.org/f4ylf1omt/Easyt.png

When using Cpu-Id, It tells me that everything is stable. Nothing is changing with the multiplier or the BCLK speed.

http://s16.postimage.org/n7wrqd985/cpu.png


I have some Guesses as to what may be the problem:

I have 2 Sticks of Crucial 2Gb DDR3 at 1333MHZ and 2 Sticks of Micron Technology Ram 2gb DDR3 at 1333MHZ. There may be a conflict there.

http://s16.postimage.org/wm7anwet1/mem.png

The program, EasyTune6, might be inaccurate. It did come with the motherboard tho.

The Ram, Harddrive, or the Gpu might be asking for too much. (Cpu bottleneck)


My Specs:
Cpu- Intel Core i3-2120 @ 3.3 Ghz
MotherBoard - Gigabyte H67MA-UD2H-B3 Bios Version F2
Ram- 8Gb DDR 3-1333
Gpu- PNY Gtx 460 XR8 Enthusiast Edition 1GB GDDR5
HDD-Western Digital 360GB 7200rpm
SDD- Crucial M4 128GB Sata 2/3
PSU- Antec ATX 750W
OS- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit


I will answer some questions ahead of time to help you guys out:

Is the Cpu or anything in your computer overheating? Nope, It is staying at a very nice temperature at load.

http://s16.postimage.org/rotq2sctx/temp.png

Does the power supply have enough power? Yes, It is more than sufficient. Cpu is only asking 65W max, the GPU will pull no more than 250W (Not too sure about the max).

Is your Bios configured wrong? I dont think so. I have turned the auto power settings off and reset everything to optimal defaults. Nothing is Overclocked.

Does your ram work and is any component fried? Nope. All is in Check.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

Sorry I dont know the EasyTune6 software but due to Intel® SpeedStep® on the processor it may step down to running at 1.6GHz to save on power if it isnt doing anything. So you may see a time when the processor has completed the work for a time and is just waiting till it needs to do some additional work.

 

[arogorn993]

It shouldn't be using SpeedStep, since I turned it off in the bios. Additionally, I don't think that it would try to save power or clock it down while using more than 90% of the CPU at load. Thanks for the quick reply

Btw, I just added that info above. Sorry about that