i5-12600K Default or Gaming Profile dilemma

[Fixxer]

Hello,

CPU: i5-12600k

MB: Gigabyte B660M

I have the following situation which is quite a paradox.

In the BIOS settings under the CPU category I have two profiles to choose from: default or gaming profile.

When enabling the gaming profile, the CPU boosts up to 4.8-4.9 Ghz for short periods of time but usually is stable at around 4.5 Ghz.

When selecting the default option in BIOS, the CPU does not go higher than 4.2 Ghz according to HwMonitor and CPU-Z.

Though the speeds are lower under the default profile in each benchmark it scores way higher than with the gaming profile turned on (though it should have been the opposite considering the max speeds). Around +20% in 3dMark CPU test, +22% in XTU benchmark and almost +30% in CPU-Z benchmark.

I am baffled by these results, how can the synthetic test provide better results while the CPU reaches with aprox. 500 Mhz lower than the gaming profile??

I've tried also two in game benchmarks, running Cyberpunk2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2. The results are very similar regardless if running default or the gaming profile. Even a very slight advantage towards the gaming profile (almost 1fps more as average).

How can I interpret this situation and results and which CPU profile is better for gaming after all?

Thank you!

[Fixxer]

and a pic attached of the BIOS settings

[n_scott_pearson]

Have you been watching temperatures? Sounds like you are seeing what happens when throttling is taking place.

...S

[Fixxer]

Temperatures reach at most 65 degrees under heavy load, so no throttling issues

[n_scott_pearson]

Then I agree, it doesn't make sense. Intel Customer Support will need to investigate.

...S

[RamyerM_Intel]

Hello Fixxer,

I will be coordinating this issue with my team. I will make sure to keep this thread posted for any updates.  Rest assured that we are investigating this concern.

Ramyer M. 

Intel Customer Support Technician 

[Fixxer]

Hi,
Thanks for your reply.

I've done some testing meantime trying to figure things out and I've noticed a significant increase in benchmarks when using the default CPU BIOS settings (XTU, CPU-Z bench and Cinebench).
But these performance gains are being applied solely to multi-core scenarios (with an average increase of around 20-25%), while the single core benchmarks remained constant.
It seems that the "Gaming Profile" disables the e-cores of the CPU and when benchmarking under this profile the scores are lower because of the fewer cores used (using only the P-cores).
The turbo maximum values are the same, just that the tool I've monitored frequencies initially with, HwMonitor, does not display correctly the values under the default profile, reading up to only 4.2 GHz (other apps like CPU-Z are displaying correctly with short bursts up to 4.8-4.9 GHz).
It's really weird how a "gaming profile" disables some of your CPU cores and I've red that is a general perception that games perform better if you disable the E-cores of the CPU, though tests conducted in games have shown that most games perform better with E-cores active and only a few don't. So it's a bit of a case by case scenario, but the differences are only marginal +/- 2% to 6%).

The significant upside is in non-gaming apps and video rendering scenarios which are using fully all P and E-cores and benefit from those benchmarking gains of 20 to 25%.

So I guess I already answered my question and I don't see any reason on using the "Gaming Profile", respectively disabling the E-cores. Though there aren't any noticeable differences while gaming, there is no point in limiting my CPU performance in other non-gaming apps. 

If you have a different opinion, please let me know.

Thank you!

[Senkuchan]

Gigabyte default and gaming profile are two choices in the BIOS settings of some Gigabyte motherboards that influence the CPU performance and power consumption. The default profile applies the normal settings for the CPU, while the gaming profile increases the CPU frequency and voltage to achieve higher performance. However, the gaming profile may also turn off some features, such as the e-cores, which can enhance the multi-core performance. Therefore, the gaming profile may not be the most suitable option for every situation, depending on the CPU model and the workload.

By the way, have you reached out to gigabyte to verify the best settings? If not, I recommend contacting them.

[Fixxer]

Thanks.

I think the situation now is quite clear regarding how those profiles affect CPU performance on Gigabyte motherboards.

I will leave it with the default settings and see how things compare, as I've only used it so far with the Gaming Profile.

[RamyerM_Intel]

Hello Fixxer, 

I am glad this has been cleared up as well. As much as we want to further investigate, since this is related to the BIOS profiles by an Original Equipment Manufacturer of motherboards, I agree that the best route is to coordinate it with Gigabyte. If you encounter issues about this settings or want to find out more how they work, you may contact them at this link: https://www.gigabyte.com/Support

Ramyer M. 

Intel Customer Support Technician