Help with the CPU frequency at 800 MHz

[eamigo86]

Hello everyone, and congratulations for the great work you have done here.

I have a problem and that is that the CPU is maintained most of the time at 800MHz (minimum frequency), even with the power cable connected. I have removed CPUFriend.kext and CPUFriendDataProvider.kext from /CLOVER/kexts/Other/, and when restart I get nice frequency, but in a short time the frequency drops to 800MHz again and remains there. Even with heavy tasks. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

NOTE: I have the 4K laptop configuration

[LuletterSoul]

Have you changed some kexts or BIOS configurations related to Intel Turbo Boost?

[eamigo86]

Hi @LuletterSoul, thanks for your work, it's magnificent. I have not changed any driver or BIOS settings, other than those recommended for Hackintosh, this issue may be related with #47 , I'm not sure

[eamigo86]

I have noticed that when I use an app or game that consumes GPU, the CPU frequency is almost always kept at 800MHz

[tiger511]

Looks like a PL1/PL2 throttle.Does it happen with windows as well? Thermal and VRM throttling is pretty common in XPS 95XX Series Laptops.If it does not happen with windows,only with mac , then report here.

[eamigo86]

Hi @tiger511, thanks for your help. In Windows all run fine

[eamigo86]

After 2 days of testing, I can assure you that the CPU frequency drop to 800 MHz (and FPS too) only happens when an application (small game, share display on discord, etc) starting to use the GPU (Intel UHD 630).

NOTE: This happens even with the new release 1.5

[linkjane]

Mine is xps 9570 i9 and the Cpu always drops to 800Mhz as well, but the temperature is not very high, it only between 40° and 50 °, so I confirm that thing is not temperature problem. When I have a number of disk operation(such as index) or gpu operation the Cpu frequency will drops to 800Mhz， and I turn off turbo boost It will do nothing, so I don't know what's problem..

[eamigo86]

Hi @uncle-link, I have confirmed that this behavior usually happens when some application is using the GPU or SDD.

[huanmingcn]

Hi @uncle-link, I have confirmed that this behavior usually happens when some application is using the GPU or SDD.

so, have you resolved that?

[eamigo86]

Hi @murphy-li, the problem still persists. I think it may be related to the Samsung EVO 970 firmware or some intermediate step that I forgot during installation. I'm not sure. I did not install any firmware. Because apparently, not everyone affects us. If someone could confirm the hypothesis?

[tiger511]

Can you try regenerating CPUFriend with performance mode with this.https://github.com/stevezhengshiqi/one-key-cpufriend

For first input use default.for the second input choose option 3(Balance performance). Then copy the CPUFriend*.kexts in CLOVER/kexts/Other/ and delete the old ones.Then restart machine and Clear NVRAM (Probably F11 in Clover boot menu).Let me know what happens.

[wtdcode]

@tiger511 Hi, thanks for your workaround, but it seems not to work for me.

[wtdcode]

BTW, it seems that heavy IO or GPU operation doesn't trigger throttle for me. The frequency drops to 800 Mhz after a while every time I start my Hackintosh but after that it seems to work well (in other words, the frequency drops only ONCE). In addition, iStat shows that my CPU core temperature is 150+, which is quite abnormal, while Intel Power Gadget shows the correct temperature. Same thing happens without CPUFriend but the period of the throttle is much shorter.

[wtdcode]

Hi, @eamigo86 @uncle-link @murphy-li. Which BIOS version do you use? I suspect it may be related to BIOS firmware. Mine is 1.11.2.

[wtdcode]

Okay... Finally, I confirm that @tiger511 is right and it's probably due to VRM throttling. I follow the instructions at here. After that, I stress both CPU and iGPU on Windows for 5-10 minutes and no throttling to 0.8GHz. On my hackintosh, it also works fine without any throttling. Hope it helps. By the way, undervolt by XTU or Volta should be also a good way to reduce temperature (but not necessary).

[eamigo86]

Hi @wtdcode, could you confirm that this issue has not happened to you anymore?

[wtdcode]

@eamigo86 Yes, everything works well for me after padding the VRMs.

[sourabhv]

@wtdcode Thanks for the information. Which part worked for you on hackintosh? The thermal pads or something? Or did you undervolt?

@eamigo86 Did you get a chance to try these out? Or did anything else work for you? I am facing same issue on Dell XPS 7590.

[LuletterSoul]

@wtdcode Hi, what do you mean padding the VRMs? And could you share a complete tutorial solution here? It will be very helpful for those people face 800Mhz frequency lock.

[sourabhv]

@wtdcode So I added thermal pads and they kinda worked, the problem is not as worse anymore

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dell/comments/gxqmfu/dell_xps_15_7590_cpu_throttling_issue_kinda_solved/

[eamigo86]

@wtdcode , @LuletterSoul, @sourabhv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N5YD4Xh8is

I still have throttles sometimes, especially when I run a program that needs an extra GPU

[LuletterSoul]

@sourabhv @eamigo86 Thank you guys, thermal pads may reduce VRMs temperature a little.I am going to conduct related experiments and post my results here.

[resonera]

Could you unsubscribe me? Thank you. On 6/24/2020 6:01:43 PM, Shanda Lau notifications@github.com wrote: @sourabhv [https://github.com/sourabhv] @eamigo86 [https://github.com/eamigo86] Thank you guys, thermal pads may reduce VRMs temperature a little.I am going to conduct related experiments and post my results here. — You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub [https://github.com/LuletterSoul/Dell-XPS15-9570-macOS/issues/48#issuecomment-649152155], or unsubscribe [https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AMREXNZMKHAFPSAVYPOIQD3RYKOXNANCNFSM4IHWMDFA].

[LuletterSoul]

Could you unsubscribe me? Thank you. On 6/24/2020 6:01:43 PM, Shanda Lau notifications@github.com wrote: @sourabhv [https://github.com/sourabhv] @eamigo86 [https://github.com/eamigo86] Thank you guys, thermal pads may reduce VRMs temperature a little.I am going to conduct related experiments and post my results here. — You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub [https://github.com/LuletterSoul/Dell-XPS15-9570-macOS/issues/48#issuecomment-649152155], or unsubscribe [https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AMREXNZMKHAFPSAVYPOIQD3RYKOXNANCNFSM4IHWMDFA].

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[wtdcode]

Sorry for my late response!

Currently, on Windows, with my dGPU in full speed and CPU turbo disabled(limited to 2.2G), I can execute some heavy tasks without any throttle. Based on this situation, I share my experience here.

Firstly, I’d like to clarify what a throttle is. If your cpu is throttled to 0.8G in about 50 centigrade, that’s definitely due to VRM overheating. However, if throttle happens in about 70-80 centigrade, it means your laptop reaches its heat dissipation limit, or PL1/TDP. XPS 9570 is easy to overheat, though, it should have the ability to maintain its CPU in PL1 for a long time. So, our goal is to avoid VRM throttle, not the PL1 throttle.

As I said before, I succeed in avoiding most VRM throttle after following that guide on reddit(See my previous comments) and padding the VRMs. Note I don’t undervolt or change PL1.

Another question is why we usually don’t get a VRM throttle on Windows. According to my experience, maybe Spotlight indexing is the reason. After the system starts, the indexing makes CPU runs in full speed for quite a long time and thus causes overheating.

Hope it helps.

---

From: Shanda Lau notifications@github.com Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2020 9:41:11 AM To: LuletterSoul/Dell-XPS15-9570-macOS Dell-XPS15-9570-macOS@noreply.github.com Cc: Mio ziqiaokong@outlook.com; Mention mention@noreply.github.com Subject: Re: [LuletterSoul/Dell-XPS15-9570-macOS] Help with the CPU frequency at 800 MHz (#48)

Could you unsubscribe me? Thank you. On 6/24/2020 6:01:43 PM, Shanda Lau notifications@github.commailto:notifications@github.com wrote: @sourabhvhttps://github.com/sourabhv [https://github.com/sourabhv] @eamigo86https://github.com/eamigo86 [https://github.com/eamigo86] Thank you guys, thermal pads may reduce VRMs temperature a little.I am going to conduct related experiments and post my results here. ― You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub [https://github.com//issues/48https://github.com/LuletterSoul/Dell-XPS15-9570-macOS/issues/48#issuecomment-649152155], or unsubscribe [https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AMREXNZMKHAFPSAVYPOIQD3RYKOXNANCNFSM4IHWMDFA].

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[wtdcode]

Also, I'd like to share some other solutions I have tried.

1. Fan control. HWInfo64 works indeed and it can set fan speed correctly. But the settings can't last even for a second. For example, if I want to set my CPU fan to 2488 RPM, I have to click the manual set button all the time. As long as I stop clicking, the fan resumes to normal speed. I guess there are some settings in BIOS which force the fan to be quiet. In addition, I have tried the power management driver by Dell and set the mode to thermal management to "Ultra Performance" but nothing changed.

2. ThrottleStop. This software is useful for PL1 throttle as I mentioned in my last comments. For VRM throttle, it can't help. Usually, I use it to disable CPU turbo when I need dGPU.

3. XTU/Volta. Undervolt is a common way to reduce heat but that is only helpful if you laptop suffers PL1 throttle. For VRM throttle, it cannot help.

In fact, I have tried most solutions I find on google and my conclusion is:

PADDING THE VRM!

But remember, padding like this guide which lets the pads reach the case directly will make things even much WORSE! Always take heat from VRM to the heat sink.

Should you have any questions, please let me know!

[luigisvideos]

@wtdcode first of all thank you for sharing with us your experience.

I just have a doubt with respect to padding the VRMs.

Are you suggesting to create the "pad bridge" described in the reddit guide, and not the first solution (always in the same guide) of stacking three layers of pads to reach the case, right? In other words, you suggest to apply this (https://i.imgur.com/ZVJ4OcI.jpg) but without stacking since the case should not be reached, right?

In addition, have you managed to use the electrical tape suggested in the reddit guide? Do you recommend it?

[luigisvideos]

@wtdcode P.S. what should the height of the termal pad be? 0.5 mm or 1.5 mm?

[wtdcode]

@luigisvideos Yes, I only apply that "pad bridge' with some 1.5mm pads. In fact, the height of pads doesn't matter so much, I think. I didn't try that electrical tape since my throttle has been resolved after padding the VRMs.

Note: The thermal grease and pads should be changed periodically. In my case, it's about 4 months.

[LuletterSoul]

@wtdcode Hi, thank you for sharing good solution here.I test "pad bridge" and "pad stacks" using 1.5m&6w/mk pad respectively.Both produce 800Mhz frequncy lock when I record the screen and use the sidecar at the same time.It proves that if system run heavy GPU-based or IO tasks such like video playing, photo processing and big file R/W, may cause VRM throttle frequently.

BTW, can the shape of "pad bridge" affect thermal propagation? Maybe it doesn't work due to I cut a terrible shape of pad.

[wtdcode]

@LuletterSoul

1. Fans are also consumables. In March or April, my fan max speed couldn’t reach 3000+ so I called the Dell customer service and replaced my fans (also padded the VRMs again). After that, I seldom suffer VRM throttle. In my case, I can play some games which almost causes dGPU to run in full speed and watch youtube at the same time without any throttle if CPU turbo is disabled. In a word, I suggest you run the pre-boot check program in BIOS and check the max-speed of your fans.

2. Yes. I have used the pad bridge for three times. It’s hard to tell the best way to pad them, though, I think both area and shape can make a big difference.

BTW, my pads are 1.5mm/12W.

[wtdcode]

@LuletterSoul I have conducted a similar experiment as you described:

Record my screen by QuickTime (IO operation) and click the LaunchPad repeatedly (heavy iGPU). The whole experiment lasts for about 5 minutes.

Below is the screenshot of Intel Powergadget.

As it shows, my CPU doesn't run in full speed since it is probably restricted by PL1 limit but there is no VRM throttle.

In fact, I suggest reproducing such throttle related problems by AIDA64 tests to get rid of other factors introduced by Hackintosh. Besides, the temperature figure produced by AIDA64 is very helpful for identifying problems.

[SeptemberHX]

I have a HP Spectre X360 with i7-8565U, and my CPU will also drop to 600-800mhz when using applications that consume GPU heavily (Such as Epic Games Launcher). And the problem could be solved with voltageshift.

sudo ./voltageshift --damage offset -100 0 -100

Hope it helps.

[3ig]

Has anyone found a solution to this problem. I have a Lenovo S540 with i5-10210U and the CPU drops to 600-800mhz on a heavy iGPU load. Setting the Maximum GPU Frequency test in Intel Power Gadget instantly drops the cpu to 800/600mhz. Can't seem to replicate that in Windows ... also undervolting doesn't help the issue.

[oreoft]

Has anyone found a solution to this problem. I have a Lenovo S540 with i5-10210U and the CPU drops to 600-800mhz on a heavy iGPU load. Setting the Maximum GPU Frequency test in Intel Power Gadget instantly drops the cpu to 800/600mhz. Can't seem to replicate that in Windows ... also undervolting doesn't help the issue.

The temporary solution I use now is to manually control the fan speed。

[nightsnack]

i5-10210U

same cpu in thinkpad t14 gen1. Have you solved the problem? @3ig

[Jameslo1987]

it will happen in Hackintosh 10810u/10710u/10610u/10510u/10210u even in 2024 this issue will never be fixed, when the GPU load, the frequency will be over 1.15Ghz the base frequency, CPU stack at 400~800mhz, you can replicate the issue very easily by intel power gadget.