Odd CPU Throttling

[rcarrascosa]

Hello, I'm trying to diagnose some CPU throttling I'm seeing that I haven't been able to find much information on. I'm running an i7 13700 (non k) on an ASRock z690 extreme with latest BIOS. It am getting slightly lower benchmarks results than expected and the CPU only sits at ~180W during stress tests, occasionally hitting 200W despite the max TDP supposedly being higher. I have already set PL1 and PL2 to the max values.

 

It seems like I'm tripping some kind of current limit based on HWinfo64; I'm attaching a screenshot. The beginning of the graph is while just using chrome, and you can see when I start cinebench. I find it interesting that something is still tripping even while at minimal load.

 

This is my first build so I would appreciate guidance here.

[Average Nerd]

How are your load-temps looking?

1 hour ago, rcarrascosa said:

It am getting slightly lower benchmarks results than expected

How much lower?

[191x7]

Which cooler?

[rcarrascosa]

7 hours ago, 191x7 said:

Which cooler?

NH D-14

[rcarrascosa]

8 hours ago, Average Nerd said:

How are your load-temps looking?

How much lower?

10-20% lower than expected

 

Package temp levels at high 80s, peaking at low 90s under all-core load

[Average Nerd]

Just now, rcarrascosa said:

Package temp levels at high 80s, peaking at low 90s under all-core load

That's hot. Try remounting the cooler, and check if there's enough thermal paste on the CPU.

What case are you using?

[rcarrascosa]

30 minutes ago, Average Nerd said:

That's hot. Try remounting the cooler, and check if there's enough thermal paste on the CPU.

What case are you using?

Will do, using a Fractal North

[unclewebb]

12 hours ago, rcarrascosa said:

non k

The non K CPUs have locked out FIVR voltage controls so the IccMax current limit cannot be adjusted. When IccMax is set to a low default value, you might see constant EDP throttling during a full load stress test like Cinebench. Even when you do not intend to overclock, paying a little extra for an unlocked K series CPU is a wise choice.  

 

Try running ThrottleStop 9.6

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/

 

Exit HWiNFO. Open the ThrottleStop Limit Reasons window and check for throttling. Are there any red boxes under the CORE column when Cinebench is running? Post a screenshot of ThrottleStop with the Limit Reasons window open while Cinebench is in progress. 

 

Also post screenshots of the FIVR and TPL windows so I can see your settings.  

 

2 hours ago, Average Nerd said:

That's hot.

It is hot but it is also a fairly normal temperature for an air cooled Intel CPU while running Cinebench. The CPU is not thermal throttling. The high temperature is not the reason the CPU is throttling. 

[rcarrascosa]

5 hours ago, unclewebb said:

The non K CPUs have locked out FIVR voltage controls so the IccMax current limit cannot be adjusted. When IccMax is set to a low default value, you might see constant EDP throttling during a full load stress test like Cinebench. Even when you do not intend to overclock, paying a little extra for an unlocked K series CPU is a wise choice.  

 

Try running ThrottleStop 9.6

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/

 

Exit HWiNFO. Open the ThrottleStop Limit Reasons window and check for throttling. Are there any red boxes under the CORE column when Cinebench is running? Post a screenshot of ThrottleStop with the Limit Reasons window open while Cinebench is in progress. 

 

Also post screenshots of the FIVR and TPL windows so I can see your settings.  

 

It is hot but it is also a fairly normal temperature for an air cooled Intel CPU while running Cinebench. The CPU is not thermal throttling. The high temperature is not the reason the CPU is throttling. 

Thank you for that info, I was basically given this CPU for free so it made sense to use it for my setup. 

 

I'm attaching screenshots of what I'm seeing in ThrottleStop. The first limit image is while idling, seeing EDP OTHER yellow under both ring and core, it turns red under core when running cinebench. The other screenshots are taken while cinebench is running.

 

[unclewebb]

3 hours ago, rcarrascosa said:

EDP OTHER

The last screenshot shows a steady 51.00 multiplier which is as good as it gets for a 13700.

 

You can check the Log File box before starting a game or Cinebench. This will make it easier to see if the 51 multiplier is maintained. 

 

Everything looks good so far. Temperatures are normal.

[rcarrascosa]

1 hour ago, unclewebb said:

The last screenshot shows a steady 51.00 multiplier which is as good as it gets for a 13700.

 

You can check the Log File box before starting a game or Cinebench. This will make it easier to see if the 51 multiplier is maintained. 

 

Everything looks good so far. Temperatures are normal.

I figured it out!

Your earlier comment about the IccMax being locked was definitely the issue. From what I understand, my motherboard has some amount of OC functionality, even for on-k cpus. I was able to go into the OC tab in the bios and turn the IccMax all the way up. With that, the throttling I was seeing in HWinfo and throttlestop is gone.

 

I'm seeing package power 20-30W higher and benchmark scores have risen to within reason.

 

Thanks for your help.