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Intel i5 3230m not reaching max TDP (HP probook)

fdfdf
Beginner
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Hello everyone,

 

I had an issue with my laptop i5 3230m (official TDP 35W) CPU TDP.

 

 

Laptop model: HP probook 6470b. Using genuine HP new smart adapter.

 

OS: Windows 7 64 Ultimate (last update included).

 

Software for system info: HWMonitor (v.1.35).

 

Software for system stress: Prime95 (last version for 64 system).

 

 

Symptoms: Observing that TDP never go beyond 20W (for package).

 

 

What I've tried: To see if there any power options in Windows to change. I've put CPU on max everywhere in Windows power management.

 

Installed "Intel Extreme Tuning Utility" to see if there any options to enable/disable. All was OK.

 

 

I have also another laptop with 4710MQ CPU. And same software for monitor and stress show results in accordance to Intel TDP data (long term and short term TDP).

 

 

If any one had similar problems with any laptop or HP probook series can you confirm my output results? I want to know if it's probably related to manufacturer limiting somehow TDP (CPU consumption in this case). Or it could be related to software problem (Windows? Drivers? etc?).

 

 

And yes I know what does TDP means. But how I understand TDP shown in HWMonitor signify power consumption and not related to how much heat should be dissipated by cooling system.

 

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

P.S.: I've bought an i7 3632qm (35W, quad-core). And if power limiting related to HP hardware itself this CPU probably will not work (not related to BIOS white list). Great job HP then...

Soon I'll test when it arrive.

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MGorb1
New Contributor I
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https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/ Download ThrottleStop tool (note that it require VC++ 2013 distributable x32/x64 installed). Then check TPL (Turbo Boost Power Limit).

If there is 35W set then search if there is no throttling from over current (ICCmax/EDP current) or overheating.

You didn't mention what CPU temperatures you experience in that about 4 year old laptop.

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fdfdf
Beginner
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Hello,

Here the results of ThrottleStop tool:

-Turbo Boost Power Max: 35W;

-Turbo Boost Short Power Max: 43W;

-Turbo Time Limit: 28 seconds.

And I never go beyond 20W even for a short burst of time.

And if I'm correct those are Intel default values.

About temperatures. With maximum heat Prime95 for 30 minutes temperature for package did not exceed 81 degree Celsius with CPU clock at 2.9GHz (of max 3.2GHz). But in normal working conditions CPU reach max clock.

And when I run Prime95 I can see in Intel Extreme Tuning Utility that there is no Thermal Throttling goes ON (in Stress Test tab).

And where I can see ICCmax/EDP? Can and should I modify them if possible?

Thanks.

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MGorb1
New Contributor I
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And where I can see ICCmax/EDP? Can and should I modify them if possible?

You can change ICCmax with ThrottleStop but I don't recommend that (TPL -> PP0 Current Limit in Amperes).

EDP (current limit) is reported inside "Limits" window (red mean it is occurring).

One more thing. That 20W is reported as Package Power (GPU+2 cores) or just IA cores (2 cores)?

Probably rest is for GPU load which CINEBENCH or Prime95 doesn't especially utilize.

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fdfdf
Beginner
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20W is reported for the whole package when using prime95.

I have changed the CPU for 3632mq and this CPU shows 35-37W TDP for package under prime95 stress test. And never reach the "short turbo boost" of 43W (which is really strange). So at this moment I have no idea what's happening.

So probably not related to hardware limitation of power to the CPU.

And one more observation:

In Windows power management I've put minimum CPU frequency at 100% (on battery or adapter). And HWMonitor showing me that CPU frequency going down to 1.2GHz (for 3632mq). How I understand it should not do this.

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MGorb1
New Contributor I
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IMHO everything is in order. Not every CPU will reach its max TDP running some benchmarks. Try http://www.ocbase.com/index.php/48-occt-4-5-1-available OCCT test tool in Power Supply mode (CPU+GPU). That will almost certainly breach TDP limit .

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n_scott_pearson
Super User
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Whether the part will reach TDP is dependent upon the design of the laptop and is controlled by the laptop manufacturer. Most of these questions should be delivered to them, not Intel.

...S

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fdfdf
Beginner
3,079 Views

After all those tests probably I'll ask them.

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MGorb1
New Contributor I
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@N. Scott Pearson wrote

Whether the part will reach TDP is dependent upon the design of the laptop and is controlled by the laptop manufacturer. Most of these questions should be delivered to them, not Intel.

That is only true if one of the conditions below is met:

1. TDP-down was set by OEM manufacturer.

2. Poor thermal design -> CPU overheating.

3. Poor current delivery system -> CPU ICCmax throtting like in this example:

In this particular situation I can't confirm any of this. IMHO TDP is somehow arbitrary figure. For example same value belongs to many CPU version with different clock, core count and with HT enabled or without it. Also this parameter is quantized like 25W, 35W, 45W etc and not exact figure like 22.5W. Therefor it is possible that some CPUs will not reach their TDP value using only CPU cores.

I have similar situation with my N3450 and J3455 CPUs. One has TDP of 6W and max Turbo Boost clock at 2.1GHz working on 4 cores. Second one has 10W TDP and Turbo Boos clock at 2.2GHz on 4 cores. When I run Prime95 test on N3450 I see power value 7W for about 28 seconds and then power throttling to 6W (TDP limit). While on J3455 I see almost flat line at about 7.3W. Quite far from 10 TDP. I even prefer that outcome. There is still some room for GPU use .

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fdfdf
Beginner
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Having said that. I've tested CPU using CINEBENCH 15 with score of 267. How I understand it's OK for this CPU.

And working under 100% load with 2.9GHz it's not bad too. But TDP throttling is at this point mysterious for me. Probably some hardware limitations by HP. And I did not found that they have used TDP throttling for probook series.

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