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

[Swifty76]

So I took a look at a guide on notebookreview by Lannigan (Thanks a ton for the guide by the way Lannigan, MAJOR props) and decided to take the BIOS Flashing approach. I opened BIOS build 203 for the G74SX and made the said changes from the guide, but also giving people the option to access their CPU Configuration, Power & Performance, and ICC Overclocking Library from the BIOS Menu. Seems stable so far after stress tests and a little bit of gaming and boots seem a little bit quicker. Now I don't believe that the G74SX is using the same BIOS as the G73 or 53SW but I have posted a link below so anyone willing to can flash my the modded BIOS.

Disclaimer: YOU DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. I am not liable for any damage that may happen to your computer by flashing this BIOS file.

1. Download the Windows BIOS Flashing Utility from Asus HERE under the BIOS Utilities tab.

2. Download the modded BIOS file from Here

3. Open Install then open up the Winflash utility in your Start>ASUS Utility folder and hit Ok when the warning opens.

4. You will be prompted to locate the bios file you just downloaded, find the .203 file and hit Open.

5. The BIOS flash utility should open and give you information regarding your Current BIOS Rom and the BIOS image you just opened. Review the details if you want but otherwise hit Flash at the bottom.

6. It should only take roughly a minute to flash the new BIOS.

7. Hit Exit to restart.

You shouldn't really have any problems as I didn't. But a BIOS can be fairly picky sometimes. Press F2 at boot to get into the menu and browse around to take a look at the options. If you don't know what an option is then its best to leave it.

[TheWolf]

Swifty76 wrote:
So I took a look at a guide on notebookreview by Lannigan (Thanks a ton for the guide by the way Lannigan, MAJOR props) and decided to take the BIOS Flashing approach.

Have you or anyone modded the bios for the G53SW-XN1?
I'd like to see one for it with the extra option your talking about.
You can PM me if you'd like.
Thanks

[x0rkinko]

Hi, i used your modded version of bios. Everything is working fine, now i can play games without laggs but one thing isn´t working. I can´t turn on the light under keyboard, another functions as brightness,volume or turn off displey works. Guys do u have this problem too ? Of course, i tried reinstal ATKACPI driver and hotkey.

[BSoulMan]

Reboot your machine and try Fn+F3, then press and hold Fn+F4.

x0rkinko wrote:
Hi, i used your modded version of bios. Everything is working fine, now i can play games without laggs but one thing isn´t working. I can´t turn on the light under keyboard, another functions as brightness,volume or turn off displey works. Guys do u have this problem too ? Of course, i tried reinstal ATKACPI driver and hotkey.

[Zygomorphic]

BSoulMan wrote:
Reboot your machine and try Fn+F3, then press and hold Fn+F4.

I have seen that with LINUX that the keyboard lights turn off when the computer sleeps and do not come back on automatically when the computer is woken up. The moment you press the key combination to dim the lights they come on. Go figure. :confused:

[kouotsu]

Thanks for the fix guys, I hadn't especially noticed the throttling but this has definitely improved performance. In Left 4 Dead 2 if I turned very quickly it would be slightly choppy, but now it's a perfect blur. Also, my Windows Experience score was being held down by Graphics of all things, which was a 6.0. After running ThrottleStop, it's up to 7.2! Still my lowest score, but a huge improvement.

I want to note that for whatever reason, putting a ThrottleStop shortcut in the Startup folder wouldn't make it run on startup. Instead, I used Task Scheduler to make it run every time I log in, and now it works fine.

[Invincible]

kouotsu wrote:
Also, my Windows Experience score was being held down by Graphics of all things, which was a 6.0. After running ThrottleStop, it's up to 7.2! Still my lowest score, but a huge improvement.

Very strange becoue i had graphics 7.2 score "just from the box" wihout throttlestop

[Swifty76]

What model computer do you guys have?

[thehacker17]

The modded bios worked on a g74sx-bbk7 thank you for doing it swifty76

[Swifty76]

Good I'm glad it worked out, it should since its a standard bios image for all G74SX models. Not too certain if that's the case for G73 models since I noticed on the download section that they are up to build 205. Probably a different mobo. I may look into the other options that can be enabled and release an update.