ATTENTION: G73/G74/53SW/SX Owners - CPU Throttling to 798mhz and how to fix it

[dkillone]

EDIT: This affects ALL G Series owners that have a sandybridge cpu(G73SW/G74SX/G53SW/G53SX), there is NO exceptions until Asus releases an update, not all games will cause cpu throttling, but so far I am comfirming more and more games that induce it.

EDIT 2: There is also a more permanent fix now as well, but its Unofficial and requires you to flash your bios. CLICK HERE to find out more,

I initially noticed this when I first got my G73SW-XA1 back in mid march, 2011. but didn't think anything of it until a poster had brought this up as some HP owners noticed that their Envy 17 SB is doing this to them. Edit: Which HP fixed their throttling problem on May 29th, 2011.

Problem is when running Prime95 the CPU stays turbo boosted at 2.3 to 2.6ghz. However, once Furmark is started at the same time, the CPU drops instantly to 798mhz. This now also can be noticed in GTA4,SC2,L4D2,WoW and anything that will put high loads on CPU + GPU at the same time. It does NOT just happen during synthetic test.


The FIX

So how to fix it? Well so far it seems running ThrottleStop in monitor only mode stops any, and all throttling. You do not have to mess with any settings, simply extract and run the exe for it to work. If you would like to have it run on bootup, simply create a shortcut, and drop it into your start-up folder. To have it auto-close, go into the ThrottleStop.ini and change "DCExitTime=0" to any number you like(basically just means number of seconds before it closes, I have mine set to 5.)

Throttlestop 4.00:
http://www.techinferno.com/downloads/?did=9


or for more detailed information about TS:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/531329-throttlestop-guide.h...


There is no known downsides to using throttlestop, your CPU will still down-clock properly when not in use, and it does not run hotter, nor have I found any conflicts with battery draining faster.

Also, you do NOT have to worry about any overheating, even with throttling disabled I see no higher than a peak 81c on my CPU/GPU in a ambient room temp of 84-86f. So you really don't need to worry about that. However, the PSU does get hotter when throttling is disabled when there is significant load on CPU + GPU. So just watch for that, though it should be ok for the most part.

More Permanent Fix
This fix is 100% unofficial, and will require you to flash the BIOS. Which can be done with EasyFlash from within the BIOS menu. This is still done at your OWN RISK, so I am NOT responsible for any laptops not working after flashing.(However as a side note, flashing the bios is a fairly safe thing to do, especially when using the built in flasher Asus already provides.)
*Warning, this also might put more strain on your battery when running on battery only, But I've yet so see any difference during my test. Just beware of the possibility, I am in no way responsible for any damages done.


What this fix does is disable Bi Directional PROCHOT within the bios, so there will be no need to run Throttlestop on bootup anymore. I've been using this bios for quite some time, and I have had no problems, so the risk should be minimal. Also, as a bonus, this bios also enables AES(Learn More) that Asus so kindly forgot to implement into our original bios. The download link is below and the instructions for flashing will be below that.

Download: G53SW_AES_Throttle-Fix.zip
Download: G73SW_AES_Throttle-Fix.zip
Download: G74SX_AES_Throttle-Fix.zip (thanks to AbbyY)


Instructions:

Step 1: Download the file above, extract the 2 files onto a flash drive. Leave the flash drive plugged in.

Step 2: Reboot the computer, and press and hold F2 to get into the bios. Go to Advanced tab, then Start EASY FLASH.

Step 3: You should see the 2 extracted files once into easy flash. Using arrow keys, choose the one with _TFIX(_ORIG is for if you want to go back to default bios). Then hit enter and Yes to update. Let it do its thing, (it will shutdown, but just turn it back on after it shuts down).

Step 4: Once your back into windows, to test for success, download this MSR Tool and type in 0x1fc in the MSR Number box, then click Read MSR. Under the EAX box, you should see "0x0004005E", E being the key here that BD-PROCHOT is disabled(it will be F, it PROHOT is still enabled).

Step 5(optional): You can also test by running Prime95 + Furmark at the same time. Using RealTemp 3.67 to monitor cpu clocks. It should never fall below 1995mhz essentially, but for me, lowest I see it go is 22xxmhz.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Testing

If anyone else would like to test for themselves the programs to use for logging, stressing, etc are:

RealTemp 3.67(mainly to log to a txt file, but also it reads accurately the multi/cpu clocks of the CPU. Can be used for temperatures as well.)
http://majorgeeks.com/Real_Temp_d6098.html

PRIME95(good to get CPU to 100% load, but also checks for memory etc, very good for testing the computer stability)
http://majorgeeks.com/Prime95_d4363.html

Furmark 1.9.0(puts the graphic card at 99-100% load, again, just another good program to check for stability, of course, also just the programs I used to show consistent throttling.)
http://majorgeeks.com/FurMark_d4183.html


Also, if anyone gets some very interesting results, feel free to post in this thread, hopefully this will all lead to an official fix from Asus. We may have a temp fix for now, but always nice to hear official word and for an official update solving this problem. Thanks for reading!


Thread I created on NotebookReview Forums about it.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus-gaming-notebook-forum/576468-g73sw-cpu-throttling-prime95-furma...

Thread of this happening to HP Envy 17 owners.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-envy-hdx/575817-hp-envy-17-sb-throttling-test.html

Confirmed Games that are affected by Throttling(click on the game to see throttling log of that game)

• Grand Theft Auto 4
  
• GRID
  
• StarCraft 2
  
• World of Warcraft
  
• Left 4 Dead 2
  
• Team Fortress 2
  
• Just Cause 2
  
• Skyrim (in 3D mode)
  
• Sonic Generations
  

Video of throttling in GTA IV




NOTES I've gathered so far:

• This is not a temperature problem, temps are perfectly well in range during test. However, Intel could be throttling for laptops that possibly would have high temperatures with both running.
  
• This is not strictly from caused by nvidia as the HP Envy uses an ATI GPU, so this is either motherboard or strictly the CPU.
  
• Using a higher watt PSU has no affect on throttling.
  
• This could be a power draw issue, or a premature temperature throttling.
  
• Using Throttlestop 3.00 stops the throttle, doesnt have to stay on, just be run once on boot.
  
• HP released a BIOS update fixing the throttling problem for Envy 16 gen2 owners on May 29th, 2011.
  
• Using realtemp 3.67 to log cpu during games has proven that throttling is happening outside of artificial test.
  
• GTA4 is the most affected by throttling, frames are around 10-25, but instantly jump to 30+, once throttlestop is opened.
  
• All G53/73SW models are affected by this throttling problem until Asus releases an update to fix it, most likely it will be a new bios.
  
• Ken Lee from GenTechPC has been great help, no one at Asus was really responding to me. I asked if Ken could talk to them, and now he is working with Asus to produce a fix. 😆
  
• This problem still persist on the new G74/53SX series
  
• As of 11-22-11, still no sign that Asus cares to release a bios update fixing this issue(not even for their new G series). So I don't see the point in hoping they will fix it anymore.
  
  

Since all the links are dead, here is my dropbox backup, should have all the files in this post. Choose the one you need.
Dropbox Backup

[dstrakele]

It is my understanding that the modified BIOS was simply unlocked so that the BD-PROCHOT feature could be accessed and disabled. I would think enabling BD-PROCHOT would return your temperatures to normal.

I have not used this modified BIOS, so it would be advisable to wait for someone with more experience to reply before you proceed further. No need to attempt re-flashing the BIOS at this point...

[imbloodyskintag]

Ive flashed my finally with the modded BD-PRO Disabled Bios, yet using HWinfo program, it still shows my cpu ticking over at 798Mhz. I thought it would be at 2000Mhz after BD-PRO Was disabled ?

[gilbert]

imbloodyskintagain wrote:
Ive flashed my finally with the modded BD-PRO Disabled Bios, yet using HWinfo program, it still shows my cpu ticking over at 798Mhz. I thought it would be at 2000Mhz after BD-PRO Was disabled ?

im not sure but i think its always at 798 until you do something intensive that requires to turbo boost the processor , the thing about disabling bd -pro is that turbo boost is more stable before throttle stop it would jump all over the place, all the way up then all the way down , with bd-pro disabled it stays in turbo mode when doing something that pushes turbo boost on. i think please somebody clear this if im wrong...

[imbloodyskintag]

gilbert wrote:
im not sure but i think its always at 798 until you do something intensive that requires to turbo boost the processor , the thing about disabling bd -pro is that turbo boost is more stable before throttle stop it would jump all over the place, all the way up then all the way down , with bd-pro disabled it stays in turbo mode when doing something that pushes turbo boost on. i think please somebody clear this if im wrong...

Ah right,
I just assumed it woul not drop below 2000Mhz. Which is what it should be as standard.

If this is the case then I wonder what setting in the Bios is making the cpu severly underclock when not being used for anything?

[gilbert]

I believe that is an auto underclock on the CPU to save battery and life of the CPU, but if u want all your cores running all the time you can unpark them just follow this instructions http://www.coderbag.com/Programming-C/Disable-CPU-Core-Parking-Utility

[imbloodyskintag]

gilbert wrote:
I believe that is an auto underclock on the CPU to save battery and life of the CPU, but if u want all your cores running all the time you can unpark them just follow this instructions http://www.coderbag.com/Programming-C/Disable-CPU-Core-Parking-Utility

404 error in that link mate.

Have just had a play with high performance settings while running HWINFO64 I have noticed that when set at 75%-80%(1496-1596Mhz) 1 core is pretty much static, and the other 3 bounce between 798 and 1496/1596Mhz every 1-2 seconds or so.
Now at At 85%+(1696Mhz+) that becomes every 0.5-1 sec.

[BaaL]

Hello guys,

I own a G74SX laptop and I recently bought a 2920XM CPU.
I have the same problem of CPU throttling to 798MHz so I'll flash the bios with dkillone's modded one.

I also have another problem using 2920XM CPU: turboboost seems to be disabled or is not even working.
In throttlestop, my CPU frequency doesn't go higher than 2.5GHz.
In TLR page of Throttlestop here is what I have:
- 25 multiplier for no turboboost
- 36 multiplier for one core
- 34 multiplier for two cores
- 34 multiplier for three cores
- 32 multiplier for four cores.

So my CPU is intended to reach 3.2GHz...
Is there not enough power to start turboboost? Do I need to buy a 180W PSU then turboboost will start?

Another question, are we able to show CPU coef multiplier in the BIOS using AMIBCP?

[Zygomorphic]

BaaL wrote:
Hello guys,

I own a G74SX laptop and I recently bought a 2920XM CPU.
I have the same problem of CPU throttling to 798MHz so I'll flash the bios with dkillone's modded one.

I also have another problem using 2920XM CPU: turboboost seems to be disabled or is not even working.
In throttlestop, my CPU frequency doesn't go higher than 2.5GHz.
In TLR page of Throttlestop here is what I have:
- 25 multiplier for no turboboost
- 36 multiplier for one core
- 34 multiplier for two cores
- 34 multiplier for three cores
- 32 multiplier for four cores.

So my CPU is intended to reach 3.2GHz...
Is there not enough power to start turboboost? Do I need to buy a 180W PSU then turboboost will start?

Another question, are we able to show CPU coef multiplier in the BIOS using AMIBCP?

No, there is neither enough power nor enough cooling. This has been addressed by me and others on multiple occasions. There is ~20% increase in power consumption and heat on the 2920XM due to its higher TDP. This will reduce the TurboBoost headroom--assuming the power-supply can source enough current. 2.5 GHz is plenty fast...better than most comps around here...if you need more, I would buy a desktop and OC it. @HiVizman and others can help you OC your desktop beyond any notebook.

[gilbert]

Zygomorphic wrote:
No, there is neither enough power nor enough cooling. This has been addressed by me and others on multiple occasions. There is ~20% increase in power consumption and heat on the 2920XM due to its higher TDP. This will reduce the TurboBoost headroom--assuming the power-supply can source enough current. 2.5 GHz is plenty fast...better than most comps around here...if you need more, I would buy a desktop and OC it. @HiVizman and others can help you OC your desktop beyond any notebook.

so you are saying that my future plan of replacing my 2670 for a 2960 is a waste of money ? with a 20 % to 30 % increase in heat in power consumption and with no turbo boost or Overcloking capability why bother right...

[Zygomorphic]

gilbert wrote:
so you are saying that my future plan of replacing my 2670 for a 2960 is a waste of money ? with a 20 % to 30 % increase in heat in power consumption and with no turbo boost or Overcloking capability why bother right...

That is true. If you are willing to pay for the CPU, put that money into a desktop. Add a little extra, and you have a very sweet ROG gaming system. 🙂

Honestly, how much more performance do you need? If you are gaming, woll not a better GPU/more memory make more difference. Honestly, unless you are video-editing, an SSD is the best upgrade money can buy.