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How do I set the default settings to avoid an automatically overcloack?

HumaCarral
Beginner
5,442 Views

The subject is pretty much streight forward.

I have a Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9700K CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz. The problem is the processor software, seems to be overcloacked to 4.7GHz by default unless I run some software like the TXU to set the core limit at 3.6GHz at max but even this is temporally because when I turn on my laptop ( An Alienware Area 51M, if it gives some hint to the problem) sometimes the config at the XTU remains and another ones don't.

 

Is there any way to turn his "auto"overclock off? I don't think that I need a processor overclocked to 4.7GHz when I'm just browsing or watching a video/movie, and not even talking about the computer experiencing thermal throttling because of the overclock.

I already tried restoring the laptop to factory settings but did nothing.

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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
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Hello @HumaCarral

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.


In order to check this further, could you please confirm the following information?

1- Just to make sure we understand correctly this scenario, are you running two different instances of Overclocking/Monitoring Software? For instance, are you running on the system Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel® XTU) and another overclocking tool provided by Dell*?

If that is the case, when you said "(...) processor software, seems to be overclocked to 4.7GHz by default (...)", what is the software that you are referring to? Checking Dell's website for this computer Dell* Alienware Area-51m we found they offer a tool with Overclocking Controls and to monitor the performance of the system. It is the "Alienware OC Control". Is that the tool for which you want to turn his "auto" overclock off?


2- Is this a new system? Did it work fine before or are you having this behavior since the first day that you have the computer?

If this worked fine before at any moment, were there any recent hardware or software changes that might relate to the point when the issue started? (For instance, Windows®, driver, BIOS, or software updates?)


3- Where do you see or monitor that the processor is "overclocked to 4.7GHz"? Have you verified and/or discarded if this could be random CPU frequency spikes due to normal behavior of Intel® Turbo Boost Technology? Please elaborate more on the specific behaviors and if possible, you may share some screenshots or a short video to show better the behavior.


4- In case we need more information from your system, please kindly run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) and provide us with the report. Please follow these steps:

  • Download the Intel® SSU and save the application on your computer
  • Open the application, check the "Everything" checkbox, and click "Scan" to see the system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".
  • To save your scan, click Next and click Save.
  • Once you have saved the file (.txt file), please attach it to your reply.

To upload and attach a file, use the "Drag and drop here or browse files to attach" option below the response textbox.


Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician


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HumaCarral
Beginner
5,386 Views

Hi!

 

Sorry if the words I use drives you on a wrong direction, english is not my principal language and my knowledge on hardware-software is limited.

I'll answer the questions by order.

1º- Yes, I have two different softwares that can overclock the CPU, the Alienware Command Center and now the Intel XTU but I never used the Command Center to overclock the PC. This summer I had problems with thermal throtling when I was playing some games and a friend recommended me the Intel XTU to check the system. From the first moment we saw when there is only 1 core running the max frecuency set at 4.7GHz(That is why I called it overclocked. If the CPU is a 3.6GHz per core and the frecuency is set to 4.7GHz I assumed that is was overclocked. Sorry if I'm wrong) I didnt check the frecuency in cases with 2 cores, 3 etc. I checked the Alienware Command Center and the overclock function is off, I also checked the BIOS and it is set to 3600Hz but everytime I turn off and on the computer or I restart the computer the max frecuency is set to 4.7GHz, which means that even doing some minor thing the computer just beggins to gaing temperature and the fans are really loud.

 

2º- No, the system is not new. It was delivered to me the 1st of september 2019 and worked fine with drops in performance when I was playing several hours but it was a reasonable thing being a laptop and on a relatively hot ambient.

3º- I didn't saw the core "overclocked" anywhere, I used the term because being a model labeled to be 3.6GHz per core having one running at 4.7GHz is what I considered ooverclocked but, as I said, my knowledge is very limited so it might be a misstake. My apologies for that. As I said, I checked the Alienware command Center and the Fusion function, the one that overclocks the CPU between other functions, is dissabled and the BIOS is set to 3600Hz. I'll add two images, one for the Alienware Command Center, another for the XTU. The images of the Alienware Command Center and the XTU are right after a turn off and on without touch anything, just oppening both apps.

BTW, on the Alienware Fusiuon tab there is a vertical green line on a profile, that marks the profile being selected to check, doesn't mean that is activated.

 

Thanks for the help and have a nice day!

Greetings HumaDracobane

 

 

 

 

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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
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Hello HumaCarral

Thank you for your response and for all these details.


First, we would like to clarify that the Processor Base Frequency for the Intel® Core™ i7-9700K Processor is 3.60 GHz. However, the processor also supports a technology called Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, which is the maximum single core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating and the Max turbo frequency for this processor is 4.90 GHz.

Maximum turbo frequency indicates the highest possible frequency achievable when conditions allow the processor to enter turbo mode. There are different factors that have an impact on the achievable speed, for instance, processor temperature, type of workload, active cores, power consumption, environment, platform design, etc. 

Intel Turbo Boost Technology is not considered "overclocking" and once enabled it works automatically under operating system control. Whether the processor enters into Intel® Turbo Boost Technology state and the amount of time the processor spends in that state depends on the workload and operating environment.


Checking this website from Dell* Alienware Command Center Quick Guide, we noticed the tool does include "OC CONTROLS" for this computer model. However, since you mentioned the overclocking features and the default profiles are not enabled, and if you have not set any overclocking setting on Intel® XTU, then perhaps the frequencies that you are seeing is the processor reaching frequency spikes due to Intel® Turbo Boost Technology or any other turbo boost setting in the BIOS or through other Software.

Please note that there are other factors that may impact how CPU performance behaves, for instance, if the Power Plans (e.g. on Windows® Settings) or System Performance is set to "High Performance", "Balance", etc.

Checking the videos available at the Alienware Command Center Quick Guide we noticed it has some options for "Power Management" with some default profiles. Have you verified this and tried for instance, "Balance" or "Power Saver" modes?


To determine if this behavior is related to any overclocking setting from the tool(s) or if this would be due to the system performance/power plans and turbo boost, you may try the following:

1- Uninstall Intel® XTU. You may follow the steps in this article: How to Uninstall the Intel® Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel® XTU)

2- Uninstall the Alienware Command Center application. Refer to DELL* Support for proper guidance in case further assistance is required.

3- Uninstall any other third-party tools that can alter system configuration (if applicable).

4- Load BIOS defaults. Before trying this, you may want to take note of any special setting to customize it back (if desired) after loading defaults. We recommend checking with Dell* Support for proper steps. Also, make sure no other "(auto) overclocking" settings are enabled on the BIOS.

5- On Windows*, open Task Manager > Performance > CPU tab and monitor the Speed. Also, please download the Intel® Processor Identification Utility, launch the application and refer to Processor Frequency > Reported (this one is the current and active frequency, while "Expected" is the Base Frequency of the processor). You may launch the Utility several times so you can notice how the "Reported" speed varies.

Please take screenshots during the tests and feel free to upload them to the thread.


Once those tests are done, please let us know if the behavior and the CPU frequency are similar or if the results are very different.

If the behavior with the CPU speed is very different, please let us know if you changed any power/performance plan.


Also, it is important to highlight that if we are able to confirm that there are no overclocking settings enabled on the system (neither through BIOS nor software) and you are just running the system with defaults values and Intel® Turbo Boost enabled, and still experiencing thermal throttling, this would indicate the processor exceeds the set throttle temperature and it will start to reduce power to bring the temperature back below that point. That is a thermal protection, and the throttle temperature can vary by processor and BIOS settings.

However, if the conditions are such that throttling is unable to keep the temperature down, this could be an indication that there is a problem with the thermal solution (incorrect settings or assembly, or failure). We would recommend making sure that there is proper airflow to the system (nothing obstructing air vents) and checking with Dell* Support for correct Fan/Cooler settings and to make sure the Thermal Solution is in good working condition.


One more thing, based on the Intel® SSU report, the system is running BIOS version 1.12.0 and it seems there is a newer version available on the DELL* website: 1.14.0. You may verify with your OEM if they recommend updating to this version in case this may help with the behavior and performance.


Note:

Intel® XTU works with data that is supplied by the motherboard's BIOS. Therefore, when using more than one app with overclocking capabilities, this may lead to some issues (e.g. not keeping some settings), as they may interfere with each other in case both are trying to set or push different settings or values to the BIOS. Motherboard's BIOS supplying the wrong data or Fast startup Disabled may also lead to these problems.


Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician


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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
5,288 Views

Hello HumaCarral

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you were able to review our previous post. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us back.


Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician


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HumaCarral
Beginner
5,127 Views

Good evening.

Sorry for not replying but I had a rought week at work and I didn't even have time to touch the laptop until now.

I've uninstalled both programs, the Alienware CC and the XTU, load the BIOS default settings, restarted the Computer and nothing changed, the frecuency once the system restarts is set directly to 4.7GHz. Something that I also noted this morming, before I was doing this, is the fact that even running the XTU with a frecuency set to 3.6GHz if I close the screen of the laptop, I mean "closing the laptop screen", the configuration also changes to the 4.7GHz and if I close the session once I open the session again it also changes the settigns, even with the XTU active at 3.6GHz. I don't know if that could hint the problem but I've noticed that.

I'll add the images of the Processor identification. The values are always between 4.5-4.72GHz

 

Greetings and again a thousand apologies for not trying this before but I hadn't time to do it.

 

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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
5,115 Views

Hello HumaCarral

Thank you for your response and for the screenshots.


Just to make sure, did you take the screenshots from the Intel® Processor Identification Utility when no overclocking software was installed on the system? (e.g.: Intel® XTU, Alienware Command Center, etc)? This is since the idea was to perform the test by monitoring the CPU frequency behavior with no overclocking software in the system and using BIOS defaults (This means, by uninstalling all the overclocking software, loading BIOS defaults, installing only the Intel® Processor Identification Utility and no other software, and monitor frequency using the tool).


If the steps were followed as recommended, and considering we can see different values reported under Processor Frequency > Reported (Valor Real) perhaps this is just the normal behavior due to Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and power plans. However, we would like you to confirm that no overclocking software was running in the system when taking these screenshots so we can verify this further.


Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician


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HumaCarral
Beginner
5,109 Views

Hello, Andrew

 

Yes, the screenshots were took after uninstalling both Alienware Command Center and the XTU, I had no other software that could overclock the CPU. I set the default values on the BIOS ( They were already the default but to be extra sure) and I restarted the system another extra time just in case that the system needed it and I took those screenshots on an interval of 2-4 minutes.

I don't know if the Turbo Boost could affect the behaviour, I never checked this until I had the problem with the ThermalThrotling but I've never experienced Thermal Throtling on the PC until now and the computer experiences this even just being on, on windows, without playing any game or running any extra program, only the ones needed by the system to run.

 

Best Regards.

HumaCarral.

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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
5,043 Views

Hello HumaCarral

Thank you for your response and for the confirmation.

 

Turbo boost accelerates processor and graphics performance for peak loads; however, it does not stay at high frequency at all times.

In this scenario, since the overclocking software is no longer installed on the system, BIOS defaults were loaded, and if you made sure no other "(auto) overclocking" settings are enabled on the BIOS, perhaps we may say that the frequency values you see are due to Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and/or power settings and not because of any overclocking software or Intel® XTU. (Others may say this CPU resulted to be a "good silicon" since it is able to reach higher frequencies with Turbo Boots...)

 

If you would like to verify this, you may try to disable Intel TurboBoost in the BIOS and test the behavior running again Intel® Processor Identification Utility and monitor Processor speed. You may also test by turning on and off "Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology" in the BIOS (OEMs may provide this feature with a different name, which is a technology that enables high performance while meeting the power-conservation needs of mobile systems by switching both voltage and frequency in tandem between high and low levels in response to processor load). For more details, we recommend reviewing Dell's documentation (e.g. Alienware* Area-51m Service Manual) and/or checking directly with Dell* Support for proper guidance.

If Processor speed and frequency are still high or concerning you, we recommend reviewing this further with DELL to check additional BIOS settings (if available). Your OEM is the one that is familiar with their BIOS design, options, and features.

 

With respect to the Thermal Throttling behavior, are you having other problems caused by this Throttling behavior (e.g.: crashes, errors, shutdowns, low performance, etc)? If not and you are just seeing occasionally Throttling, this is a thermal protection that activates when a core exceeds the set throttle temperature in order to reduce power to bring the temperature back below that point. The throttle temperature can vary by processor and BIOS settings (e.g.: OEMs may configure power settings for greater processor performance and this may push the capabilities to supply sufficient cooling or power delivery headroom).

 

Under normal operation and with good system integration, proper settings, and using the device under the recommended environmental conditions, there should not be necessary to disable features like "Turbo Boost" nor experience major issues with overheating.

When the processor usage is high, it is expected that the temperature of the processor also rises, and being at maximum temperature while running a workload isn't necessarily cause for concern. The built-in thermal protection should handle this behavior.

 

However, if you are experiencing constant Thermal Throttling and overheating issues (even when the system is idle), there are some basic steps that you may review:

  • Make sure that the intake vents and exhaust vents are clear of dust and lint.
  • Ensure you are using the system under proper environmental conditions and there is proper airflow around the system.
  • Make sure the operating system is up to date with the latest updates and you are running the latest BIOS and drivers from Dell* website.
  • Check Fan/Cooling settings and use the proper plan for your system and environment.

 

If the behaviors and concerns persist, our recommendation is to check this further with DELL for additional debugging and recommendations. This is since it is supposed that the system manufacturer configured the components to be compatible with each other and they may help you to check the hardware aspect of the system.

Feel free to share any feedback regarding these steps.

 

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

 

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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
4,929 Views

Hello HumaCarral

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you were able to review our previous post. Please do not hesitate to contact us back if you have additional inquiries.


Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician


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AndrewG_Intel
Moderator
4,785 Views

Hello HumaCarral

We have not heard back from you so we will proceed to close this thread now. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored. It has been a pleasure to assist you.


Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician


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