Processors
Intel® Processors, Tools, and Utilities
14402 Discussions

i7-4700HQ. Only one core of the processor is always loaded

АГоля
Beginner
2,328 Views

Hi!

The problem with the operation of the cores of the processor is i7-4700HQ.

Laptop Asus n550jv, Windows 10.

Only one core of the processor is always loaded. The rest of the kernels are very weakly loaded.

Reinstalling the system and reflashing the BIOS did not help.

Tell me, please, where to look for the problem.

0 Kudos
7 Replies
MGorb1
New Contributor I
844 Views

What kind of software do you use when you check the CPU load?

0 Kudos
АГоля
Beginner
844 Views

I used the program Intel Processor diagnostic tool.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
844 Views

Hello bar2ian,

 

 

Thank you for joining the Intel Communities.

 

 

Depending on the amount of workload the CPU has then the cores that will be active. If the CPU detects low workload, for power management the processor itself will turn off some of its cores. This link will give you more information about intelligent power distribution https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000007419/processors.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000007419/processors.html

 

 

You may try running the Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool one more time, and if the test passes most likely the CPU is okay.

 

 

Let me know if you have or not any other inquiry.

 

 

Regards,

 

Fred D.
0 Kudos
АГоля
Beginner
844 Views

Hello, Fred.

Thanks for your reply. The test went fine.

But here's the thing.

If you compare it to another computer, then all the cores are explicitly loaded for it under the same tasks, and my kernel only has one core.

Under normal load, the processor warms up to 60 C (140 F).

And if you run the game, it can reach 90 C (194 F)

This is not normal.

Tell me what else you can do.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
844 Views

Hello bar2ian,

 

 

What do you mean when you say "my kernel only has one core"? Are you referring to the CPU as a whole or are you referring to one CPU core?

 

 

I see that on your first post you said "Only one core of the processor is always loaded. The rest of the kernels are very weakly loaded.", do the other CPU core have some workload? If there is workload on the other cores that means they are working fine. It is expected all of the CPU cores are not going to have the exact same workload.

 

 

It is expected the temperature of the CPU will increase while gaming. The CPU temperatures you are getting are within specs. I do not see an issue with the CPU temperature.

 

 

Regards,

 

Fred D.
0 Kudos
n_scott_pearson
Super User
844 Views

I will echo Fred's comments,

  1. If you are seeing activity spread across all hardware threads, even if most of it seems to be running on a single thread (or the two threads of a single core), then the processor is working properly. It is the operating system (O/S) that makes the decisions regarding how hardware thread(s) are assigned to (spread across) each application or service. While the system's BIOS can have an effect on how this is done (i.e. what hardware resources are made available to the O/S), the O/S is in control from that point on. This thus becomes a question to be asking Microsoft. As an aside, you could use an application like Prime95, which allows you to control which (well, how many) hardware threads are actually used, and thus force it to exercise all hardware threads (relatively) equally. This should tell you if something is actually amiss.
  2. While I agree that these temperatures are within specs, I *do* see an issue. Seeing readings reaching and staying above 90c on a regular basis (as opposed to simple spikes) is certainly NOT desirable. Now, it is the system's cooling solution that is responsible for maintaining the processor's temperature. It sounds like, in this case, it is not doing a very good job. There are three possibilities that we can look at:
    1. The cooling solution is poorly designed and simply allows temperatures to reach (and stay) at this level. My only comment here is that this laptop is from one of the ODMs and, in general, I have found that the ODMs will typically ship the cheapest solution that they can get away with. Since they offer diddly when it comes to customer support, your only option is to express your displeasure through your future purchasing decisions. Of course, what are you going to do when the (so-called) solutions being shipped by the major OEMs (Dell and HP) is EVEN WORSE CRAP!
    2. The cooling solution is poorly configured. This too can be one of those things that you cannot do anything about, but let's investigate. In some cases (though depressingly rare), the vendor offers a capability for you to configure the setpoints for the cooling solution's decision-making. Check and see if they do and adjust them if you can. Here's a hint: in the corresponding desktop processors, the Tcontrol temperature is typically in the low- to mid-80's. Setting your system up to have the fan(s)/blower(s)/etc. running at full speed (full duty cycle) when above, say, 85c, would thus be reasonable. Of course, this could result in a system that is louder than you can stand (the ODMs are also not known for prioritizing acoustic response either).
    3. This is a 4+ year old system. It is thus possible that the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_interface_material TIM has started to dry out (or separate) and thus is not as-efficiently supporting the transfer of heat from the processor to the heatsink. If you are (for lack of a better word) handy (and somewhat daring), you could consider taking the laptop apart and replacing the TIM yourself. Alternatively, many PC repair shops will do this for you for a nominal fee.

I hope this helps. I did spent a little more time up on the soapbox than I planned to (just saying)...

...S

0 Kudos
АГоля
Beginner
844 Views

Thanks a lot for the answers and for the time spent on me.

I will try.

0 Kudos
Reply