[SOLVED] CPU slower when AC Adapter plugged in?

[lightandray]

Hi!

I've been having this problem where, especially when I play games, my CPU speed just drops down to 0.78, or around there when it's plugged in, I've searched for answers but nothing has seemed to really work for me. I know this isn't much to go off but that's the same issue I have, literally no clue as to why this is happening, I've made sure that everything is on performance, checked for malware, even checking for it while I type this.

Using an HP pavilion laptop which was bought from amazon, fairly new, can't remember if I got it last December or the December before that. Had a similar issue with thermal throttling when I first started using the laptop when playing GTA, easily resolved that by simply shutting down for a minute or two, temps got too high.

When I had the adapter plugged in I have a maximum frequency of 57 % and 1.35GHz speed, (without playing a game, when I play a game, literally any game it will usually drop down to 0.78)
Without it plugged in I had a maximum frequency of around 120% and 2.80GhZ speed, which still ends up dropping quite a bit when I play a game, but it's more bearable than it being plugged in.

Laptop: 4AN69EA#ABU (HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-cx0xxx)
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8300H CPU @ 2.30GHz
BIOS version F.11

 

[cdrkf]

Hi!

I've been having this problem where, especially when I play games, my CPU speed just drops down to 0.78, or around there when it's plugged in, I've searched for answers but nothing has seemed to really work for me. I know this isn't much to go off but that's the same issue I have, literally no clue as to why this is happening, I've made sure that everything is on performance, checked for malware, even checking for it while I type this.

Using an HP pavilion laptop which was bought from amazon, fairly new, can't remember if I got it last December or the December before that. Had a similar issue with thermal throttling when I first started using the laptop when playing GTA, easily resolved that by simply shutting down for a minute or two, temps got too high.

When I had the adapter plugged in I have a maximum frequency of 57 % and 1.35GHz speed, (without playing a game, when I play a game, literally any game it will usually drop down to 0.78)
Without it plugged in I had a maximum frequency of around 120% and 2.80GhZ speed, which still ends up dropping quite a bit when I play a game, but it's more bearable than it being plugged in.

Laptop: 4AN69EA#ABU (HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 15-cx0xxx)
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8300H CPU @ 2.30GHz
BIOS version F.11

I think it sounds like your thermal issue has gotten worse (plugging the laptop in will increase heat as the battery charges). It also sounds like you haven't actually fixed the original problem.

You will need to take the laptop apart and thoroughly clean out the cooling assembly. I've had this many times with various laptops - a layer of dust builds up between the fan and the heat sink which blocks air flow and will cause the whole thing to over heat. Removing the dust should resolve the issue - given the laptop isn't that old you shouldn't need to worry about changing the thermal compound under the heatsink, removing the fan (leaving the heatsink attached to the mainboard) should be enough to allow you to clean it out.

Edit: Here is a video that shows how to open that laptop up - looks pretty simple actually as you can remove the bottom cover to get access to the cooling fans (a lot of modern laptops require you to disassemble them from the top which can be a real pain).

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQi-nbvE0ho

 

[SamirD]

Yep, I second that your heat issue is getting worse. I would download the service manual for your particular laptop and it will tell you step by step exactly how to disassemble enough to get to the cpu heatsink. I wouldn't try to open it without this manual though as you can easily break plastics and whatnot--and they're not cheap to replace.