Question Dell XPS with GREAT SPECS but EXTREMELY SLOW benchmarks

[recycleking]

This is my first post here, so please be gentle.

About a year ago, I bought a refurb Dell XPS desktop direct from Dell. I have had good experiences with them in the past. Here are the specs:

• 12th Gen i9 12900K
• 64 GB DDR5 SDRAM PC5 38400
• Samsung SSD 2TB
• Nvideia Geforce RTX 3080
• Windows 11 Pro

I am not sure if I had just not noticed it before, or something changed recently, but I felt like the computer was running sluggish. For example, it takes over 30 seconds to boot, which is unusual given the specs. I decided to run some diagnostics, so I downloaded Performance Test 11.0 and most of my benchmarks are extremely low.

Notably, here are some random results:

• CPU Mark: 3436 (11th percentile)
• RAM Latency: 174 (<1% percentile)
• DirectX 12 Score: 12 (27th percentile)
• The rest of the scores are ALL low too (graphics, cpu, ram, etc)

Here are things I have already done:

• Made sure I have all the latest drivers and windows updates
• Set BIOS settings to default
• Removed basically everything from the windows start-up sequence (no change)
• Ran several malware searches (nothing came up)
• Ran Windows Memory Diagnostic (everything passed)
• Ran Dell Internal Diagnostic from boot window (everything passed)
• Removed RAM chips one at a time, rebooted, and ran Memory Latency (same bad results each time)

Any idea what could be causing this?

 

[COLGeek]

Moved to Systems section for broader coverage.

When you received the system, did you just start using the Dell Windows installation or did you wipe the system wipe and re-install from scratch (like a new, clean install)?

Have you verified that both the Intel and Nvidia drivers are fully up to date?

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/intel-driver-support-assistant.html

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www.nvidia.com

 

[recycleking]

COLGeek- Thanks for moving it over to the systems page.

Yes, confirming that I have the latest drivers from both Intel and NVidia.

 

[COLGeek]

COLGeek- Thanks for moving it over to the systems page.

Yes, confirming that I have the latest drivers from both Intel and NVidia.

What about the Windows installation question?

 

[recycleking]

Sorry. Forgot to answer that one. I am running the Dell original installation of windows that came with the computer.

 

[COLGeek]

Sorry. Forgot to answer that one. I am running the Dell original installation of windows that came with the computer.

I have owned several Dells over the years and have purchased them from the Dell Outlet Store, including the one I am using right now.

When I receive, I perform a full clean install of whatever OS I am going to use. Then I install the drivers as needed. I remove all Dell bloatware in the process and only add back Dell apps that I determine to be needed.

What are your CPU and GPU operating temperatures at idle and under load?

 

[recycleking]

Ya. I regret not doing a clean windows install, but at this point, I would rather not have to start over if I dont have to. That will be a last resort to test.

Current temps are:
CPU: 22C
GPU: 33 C
HD: 35C

The system current feels extremely slow with those temps.

 

[COLGeek]

Are you sitting in a very cold room?

How are you measuring those temps?

 

[recycleking]

Not particularly cold. 65F.

I can see the gpu temp from the windows task manager.

CPU, gpu, and hd are all shown in Passmark Performance Test 11.0. Gpu temp matches across both.

 

[COLGeek]

Those temps are very low, especially the CPU. That seems off.

There are a couple apps HWMonitor and HWiNFO64 that many use to monitor temperatures.

Install one (or both) and see what they say.

https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

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[recycleking]

HWMonitor is showing 27C.

 

[COLGeek]

I still don't see how it can be the cool. When you fire up a game or benchmarking app, how hot is it getting?

 

[recycleking]

Here is a screenshot of HWMonitor:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vr1p2YxPwHAaymxk6

Does the power seem normal to you?

 

[COLGeek]

Your core speeds are nonexistent. Barely idling.

Leave hwmonitor running in background and fire up something to put a load on the system.

 

[recycleking]

I just ran a CPI mark benchmark, and the temps stayed below 28C

 

[COLGeek]

I just ran a CPI mark benchmark, and the temps stayed below 28C

Houston, we have found the problem.

Since you just bought from Dell, you should open a ticket with them. Just in case.

What kind of CPU cooler does your XPS have. A typical fan/heatsink or an AIO (water cooled)?

 

[recycleking]

I just rant another cpu mark bench. The utilization jumped to 100%, but the core speeds remaineed at 399MHz. Are the core speeds meant to jump up?

 

[COLGeek]

I just rant another cpu mark bench. The utilization jumped to 100%, but the core speeds remaineed at 399MHz. Are the core speeds meant to jump up?

Yes. By a lot. And there would be a rise in operating temperature, too.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2900k-processor-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz.html

 

[recycleking]

Houston, we have found the problem.

Since you just bought from Dell, you should open a ticket with them. Just in case.

What kind of CPU cooler does your XPS have. A typical fan/heatsink or an AIO (water cooled)?

I can open a ticket, but unfortunately, I am already out of warranty.

Its a basic fan/heatsink. the heatsink is absolutely massive, but its still just a heatsink.

What would cause the temps to be so low? Just not pushing the right power to it?

 

[COLGeek]

At this point, there is something (most likely) off with the CPU or motherboard.

Is your motherboard BIOS fully up to date?

What specific XPS model is this?

 

[recycleking]

I have updated to the latest firmware on the bios from Dell.

XPS 8950

 

[COLGeek]

I have updated to the latest firmware on the bios from Dell.

XPS 8950

Before or after this morning's interactions?

 

[COLGeek]

Also, does running Dell's full diagnostics come up good to go?

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/xps-8950-desktop/diagnose

 

[recycleking]

This was a couple months ago via the Dell Update app. I just checked for updates again and its telling me the system is fully up-to-date.

I was just reading up a bit, and it appears that the CPU may lock into idle if its getting insufficient power. Do you think this could be a power supply issue?

 

[recycleking]

Also, does running Dell's full diagnostics come up good to go?

https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/xps-8950-desktop/diagnose

I ran a full dell diagnostic via the boot sequence (from bios, before windows starts) this morning. It came back all clear. I can run the web based version now, but it will take 40 min according to the site.