Why are most laptop CPUs throttled to 25% of specs ?

[DJone18]

I have a Lenovo T420s laptop with an i7-2640M processor. All monitoring software show output of CPU at 797MHz while running at 100%. CPU design max. is 2.8GHz. How can I achieve a higher output of the CPU ? Everything is set to maximum performance in BIOS config and Windows power settings. Is that all I can do ?

[idata]

Hello DJUser,

What is the tool that you are using to check the frequency of your processor?

I would like to check the health of your processor, and we can do this by running the Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool. Find the file here; https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/19792/Intel-Processor-Diagnostic-Tool Download Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool, once done attach the file.

To attach a file, you must click "Use Advanced Editor" in the top right corner of the response box, then the "attach" option will appear in the bottom right corner of the response box.

Regards,

Amy.

[DJone18]

Hi Amy,

Thanks for replying. Yes, I had used Intel's Processor Diagnostic Tool and everything 'PASSED'. I believe I've solved my issue by using 'Throttle Stop' software. Within the program I can increase the multiplier, which was set at '8' the lowest speed. So 8 x 99.7MHz = 797.6MHz and that was the fastest the laptop would operate at 100% CPU usage. Now I've set multiplier to 20 and running at 1994MHz. What a difference in performance. I will keep this setting so temps will stay below 50-55 C with moderate use.

Now the big question is why, who, set the frequency to the lowest setting ? Must have been Lenovo, or Mboard maker, Phoenix Technologies. Or maybe it happened when laptop was upgraded to Win 10. I bought this T420s used so don't know the history of past users. There sure is a lot to learn.

Anyway, thanks again ................................................. Dan

[idata]

/thread/111467 DJUser, thank you for sharing that tip. I am glad to hear you were able to find a fix.

Well, these parameters are normally set by the computer manufacturer; however, as you mentioned your computer has an uncertain history, so I could have been a modification from a previous user.

If there is something I can help you with, please let me know.

Regards,

Amy.