ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen12 (Ultra 5 125H) - Performance Paradox: Lower Video Performance When Plugged

[MilesHsin]

I'm experiencing an unusual performance issue with my ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen12 equipped with an Ultra 5 125H CPU. When plugged into power and in power-saving mode, I notice stuttering while watching 4K online videos. The CPU frequency stays around 1.3GHz, and GPU usage is at 100%.

However, when unplugged and still in power-saving mode, 4K video playback is smooth with no stuttering. In this state, the CPU frequency ranges from 1.8 to 2.0GHz, and GPU usage is around 50%.

After investigating power plans, I found that the "Heterogeneous Policy" setting is set to "Use Heterogeneous Policy 0" when plugged in and "Use Heterogeneous Policy 4" when on battery. Unfortunately, I cannot modify these settings.

Can anyone help me understand and resolve this performance discrepancy? It seems counterintuitive that the laptop performs better on battery power than when plugged in.

[Earl_Intel]

Hi MilesHsin,

Thank you for posting in the communities!

To better assist you and determine the most appropriate resolution, could you please provide the needed details listed below:

• May I know if the laptop is working fine before?
• Are there any changes on the laptop before you encounter the issue?
• What are the troubleshooting steps you have taken to try and resolve the issue?
• Have you already tried to contact your OEM regarding to the issue?

Once we have this information, we will be able to proceed with the next course of action and work towards resolving the issue you are facing.

Best regards,

Earl E.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[MilesHsin]

Hello Earl

I am experiencing persistent video stuttering issues when playing videos in "Best Power Efficiency" mode while connected to the AC adapter. I have already taken several troubleshooting steps, including:

1. System and Driver Reinstallation: I have reinstalled my operating system and all relevant drivers multiple times.
2. OEM Support Contacted: I have contacted my OEM (Lenovo) technical support, but they were unable to resolve the issue.
3. Hardware Unchanged: No hardware changes have been made to my computer.

Through my own testing, I have discovered a temporary workaround:

1. Workaround: Uninstalling the "Intel Innovation Platform" driver temporarily resolves the video stuttering issue while in "Best Power Efficiency" mode and connected to the AC adapter.
2. Issue Reoccurrence: However, the system automatically reinstalls the "Intel Innovation Platform" driver upon restarting the computer, causing the video stuttering to return.

Based on these findings, I suspect a potential issue with the Intel graphics driver, possibly in conjunction with the Intel Innovation Platform driver.

1. Potential Driver Issue: I believe there might be a conflict or incompatibility between the Intel graphics driver and the Intel Innovation Platform driver, specifically when the system is in "Best Power Efficiency" mode and connected to the AC adapter.

I have also found a similar issue reported in another forum thread: [Solved: Core Ultra 5 125H: Video playback stutters on battery - Intel Community](insert link here). While not exactly the same, there are significant similarities, and I believe my issue might be related. Unfortunately, that thread seems to be incorrectly marked as "Solved".

[Earl_Intel]

Hi MilesHsin,

Thank you for sharing this useful information to us, no worries, I will further check on this internally and provide you an update on this thread as soon as possible.

To further help on the investigation, kindly run this on your system so that I can also gauge the following peripherals and the driver versions that you have:

Intel® System Support Utility for Windows*

Once finished downloading, open the tool, click on scan (leave the default items checked), click next, then save the system information to a .txt file. Please provide us the .txt file.

Best regards,

Earl E.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[MilesHsin]

Hi Earl

Thank you for your attention and the efforts of the Intel team. As requested, I have provided the txt file in the attachment.
At the same time, I have also submitted this issue to the ThinkPad development team in the Asia region, and I hope we can ultimately resolve this problem.

Sincerely,

Miles H.

[Earl_Intel]

Hi MilesHsin,

Thank you for providing the SSU logs, I will further investigate on this internally and provide an update on this thread as soon as possible.

You can also give us an update once the ThinkPad development team provided you an update.

Best regards,

Earl E.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Earl_Intel]

Hi MilesHsin,

Thank you for patiently waiting, I will further assist you on this internally.

Kindly expect an email from us within 24 hours.

Best regards,

Earl E.

Intel Customer Support Technician