Question CPU stuck at 3.57 Ghz when gaming

[bob_lester]

The specs:
i5 6600k 3.5 ghz
16 GB ram 1600 mhz
1Tb HDD
468GB SDD
Nvidia GTX 980ti

The problem is new because i recently bought the i5 6600k hoping it would fix my bottleneck i had before.
Issue is that when i idle CPU gets around 3.8 ghz max and utilization is around 5-20% never the max clock speed of 3.9 ghz, but when i game or open any application the utilization goes to 100% and CPU clock speed goes to 3.57 ghz and stays there. I have no glue what i should do i have done alot of things to fix it but i have no more ideas left.

 

[Phaaze88]

There is nothing to fix. Max core clock scales with the number of active cores by design.

 

[uWebb429]

@bob_lester

You have a K series CPU which has an unlocked multiplier. If you want your CPU to run faster than default when all cores are active, you will need to overclock which is only possible if you have a Z series motherboard.

3.9 GHz is only possible at default settings when a single core is active. Most users have too many background tasks running on their computer so they will never see this during normal use. It sounds like your CPU is running as designed.

 

[bob_lester]

So there is nothing i could do to make my games feel smoother or somehow make my cpu utilization lower or anything? I have motherboard that i think supports overclocking because it has some cpu tweaking settings?my mobo is b150m d2v ddr3

 

[boju]

What are the games/applications?

What was the previous cpu and is all cores registered in task manager?

Sometimes upgrading to a higher core processor without reinstalling Windows can cause it to limit cpu cores. If that has happened look here and if number of processors box has been checked, uncheck it and reboot.

How to Set the Number of Processors on Your PC - dummies

Your PC most likely sports a processor that has multiple cores. Or, it may have more than a single processor. You should confirm that Windows is taking advantag

www.dummies.com

 

[Phaaze88]

If the game is programmed to use 4 cores, you can't do much of anything about that. Plus, all it takes is a single core to be maxing out to be cpu limited.

my mobo is b150m d2v ddr3

The cpu can't be overclocked with a B-series board.

 

[bob_lester]

What are the games/applications?

What was the previous cpu and is all cores registered in task manager?

Sometimes upgrading to a higher core processor without reinstalling Windows can cause it to limit cpu cores. If that has happened look here and if number of processors box has been checked, uncheck it and reboot.

How to Set the Number of Processors on Your PC - dummies

Your PC most likely sports a processor that has multiple cores. Or, it may have more than a single processor. You should confirm that Windows is taking advantag

www.dummies.com

1. any game any application just when i open it the usage spikes to 100 and clock speed goes to 3.57 GHz

2. the previous cpu was i5 6402p and yes all cores are registered in task manager

3. it was unchecked already

i still don't understand why it drops to 3.57 gthz when the cpu utilization is at 100%

 

[bob_lester]

If the game is programmed to use 4 cores, you can't do much of anything about that. Plus, all it takes is a single core to be maxing out to be cpu limited.


The cpu can't be overclocked with a B-series board.

but why does the BIOS have those features then?

 

[boju]

1. any game any application just when i open it the usage spikes to 100 and clock speed goes to 3.57 GHz

Use Core Temp or similar. I like Core Temp for it's simplicity. Run whichever application, what percentage do all cores get to? While there monitor cpu temp. Applications are usually single core processing so im hoping core #0 is the bulk of usage, there may be some fluctuations across other cores, all shouldn't be maxed out. Games will be different so;

What games/apps specifically and frame rates in game?

 

[thestryker]

but why does the BIOS have those features then?

You can do BCLK overclocking which is notoriously difficult and potentially unstable. You cannot raise the clock multiplier which is the primary way of overclocking that era of Intel CPU.

 

[uWebb429]

i still don't understand why it drops to 3.57 gthz when the cpu utilization is at 100%

That is the maximum rated speed for a 6600K when it is installed in a B series motherboard. A 6600K will only run faster when it is lightly loaded. It is rated for up to 3.90 GHz. That only happens when a single core is active. When playing a game and all four cores are active, the maximum speed will drop. Most Intel CPUs are progrmmed by Intel to do the exact same thing.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...-6600k-processor-6m-cache-up-to-3-90-ghz.html

A 6600K does not have hyper threading. No surprise that it quickly becomes over loaded when playing a game. A 6700K or 7700K would have been a better choice but the price they sell for used is usually not worth it.

 

[bob_lester]

Okay, thanks to all of you who gave me some knowledge on this problem.