How to OC locked *MOBILE* CPU?

[huhatik]

Hello, my cpu is i5 7300hq and i feel like it bottlenecks my gtx 1050 ti a bit in games like fortnite, pubg etc... Resulting in stutters when the games render players. I know i shouldn't OC a laptop CPU because laptops are known for having bad temps, but if it is possible to OC a locked CPU, i would undervolt it first.

So my questions are:
1. Which software to use/how to undervolt a CPU?

2. How to overclock a *LOCKED* CPU?

 

[Darkbreeze]

It doesn't work that way. Overclocked CPUs ALWAYS require more than the stock voltaqe in order to operate at a higher frequency AND be stable. There are no exceptions to this. If the CPU was able to safely operate at a lower voltage while remaining stable, then that is what the hardware manufacturer would have spec'd it for. True, you can sometimes SLIGHTLY reduce the voltage on a stock configuration and retain stability, but that is not typical.

For a mobile CPU, even less so. They already configure these platforms with as much reduction in voltage as possible because they ARE aware that even modern laptop cooling severely lacks terrific capability.

Overclocking ANY laptop is a VERY bad idea. They are already strictly borderline in terms of performance versus thermal balance, and overclocking tends to push that balance in a direction that the cooling system and actual hardware are unable to overcome or maintain for long.

Practically EVERY overclocked laptop I've ever seen has resulted in thermal damage sooner or later. No exceptions, allowing of course for modifications by highly experienced or determined persons. Generally though, there are few, if any, modifications to a laptops cooling system that could result in any significant increase in cooling performance.

I would advise that you forget the idea.

 

[huhatik]

Well... Thanks for the quick answer but how do i kill the stutters then?

 

[ikaz]

Try reducing the setting your playing at.

 

[huhatik]

Nope, doesn't work. I actually get much lesser bottleneck on ultra settings than on very low/low settings, just with much lesser fps (25-40 from 55-80(with stuttering))

 

[TJ Hooker]

What is your max CPU temp while gaming? Is the CPU sustaining 3.1 to 3.4 GHz under load?

 

[Darkbreeze]

If the CPU IS maintaining the correct frequency, as TJ Hooker has asked you, then I'd say it's a simple case of you can't expect the kind of performance from a laptop that you'd get from similar, but different, desktop hardware.

You might try doing a clean install of the GPU card driver using the DDU, or even reinstalling Windows.

I'd also make absolutely certain you have the very latest bios for your laptop installed. Check it's product page to be sure. This is OFTEN the source of gaming and hardware problems.

You might also want to check your Windows power profile, make sure it's set to Performance, BUT, also going to the advanced settings of that profile and make sure than minimum processor state is set to 8% and maximum is set to 100%, and that active cooling is enabled under cooling policy.

 

[huhatik]

Yes active cooling is set to active, i have minimum processor state set to 5% and maximum to 100% by default... But how would reinstalling GPU drivers solve CPU drivers?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Any hardware component not functioning correctly can affect the entire system.

Also, the GPU drivers are not the only thing I suggested you attempt in order to fix the problem. However, driver conflicts from one device can have a definite affect on other hardware.

 

[huhatik]

Okay and what's the other thing you'd suggest?

 

[huhatik]

@TJ Hookers
The CPU's max clock on all 4 cores is 3.1 and yes it does run at this clock speed

 

[Darkbreeze]

So, there are MANY things that can cause stuttering, and most of them are not the CPU.

For one thing, I'd make damn sure you turn off system Restore for ALL drives. Restore images rarely work right once something happens to corrupt the system anyhow, nor does it work AT ALL if the drive is at fault. Mostly it just takes up valuable resources and a lot of them, and at very inopportune times. Last thing you need is the system trying to create or backup a restore image in the middle of a game. Turn it off. Use something like Acronis true image or Macrium reflect to create an image you can restore from and refresh the image periodically.

Or, simply do nothing and just do a clean install anytime something needs to be seriously addressed. Either way works so long as you turn off system restore and don't allow Windows to determine when and how backup images are created as it typically tends to do it OFTEN.

Two, do the GPU card clean install like I said. Driver issues are a common cause of stutters or any kind of gaming performance issues. They can also affect non-gaming behavior because the GPU card is being used under a variety of conditions, not just when gaming.

Three, make sure you have the latest BIOS version installed. This is the #1 problem we see when people are having unexplainable issues. If there is a newer motherboard bios version available, install it.

Update, manually, every driver used by your unit. The CPU chipset drivers, the sound adapter drivers, the iGPU drivers if your system has an iGPU, LAN drivers, WIFI drivers. All of these should be available on your laptops product page and you need to make sure you have the latest ones installed, but do it AFTER you have updated the bios if there is a newer bios version available.

Finally, download either Seatools for windows or WD lifeguard tools and check the drives, all of them if there is more than one, for problems. Run the Short drive self test (DST) and the Long generic test. Run it on all drives. The long generic will take a good amount of time.

Go download Memtest86 from Passmark software. Create bootable media and then boot to that media. Run the four full passes to make sure that your memory (RAM) is ok.

 

[huhatik]

okay, this should be very helpful BUT now one thing came across my head. the lesser my CPU usage is the lesser temps i have, so if i OC my CPU, the usage should drop with temps OR the temps should be around same as stock because after OCing the voltage will get higher resulting in more heat BUT the usage will get lower right?

 

[Darkbreeze]

An overclocked CPU always puts out more heat than the stock configuration because you are increasing the multiplier AND the voltage.

I'm not really sure what you were asking there as your question seemed to kind of go in a circle. Might just be me, but I didn't really get the point of your question. It seemed to be self conflicting.

Bottom line though, NO overclocked system will EVER be cooler or produce less heat than the stock configuration with the same cooling system in place. Ever.

 

[huhatik]

Less cpu usage = less heat/ lower temps
Overclocked CPU = less CPU usage?

I tried describing it more simply

 

[Finstar]

Let's just get this straight: The i5-7300HQ has a locked multiplier, therefore you can NOT overclock it.
You can undervolt it using Intel XTU though but that only lowers the temps and power draw slightly.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Right, but even on an otherwise locked chip, with a bios that does not allow overclocking, there are OFTEN ways to do it from within Windows, and in those cases it is still a bad idea. Even a minimal OC of a couple hundred Mhz can upset the cooling balance.

And if I'm not mistaken, I think I've seen some Sager laptops that actually had unlocked custom bios for a number of otherwise no overclockable chips. Not sure his is one of them, and certainly it's not a niche custom unit, but the fact remains that often there are ways around limitations, but usually limitations are in place for a very good reason.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Less cpu usage = less heat/ lower temps
Overclocked CPU = less CPU usage?

I tried describing it more simply

Overclocking a CPU could lower reported CPU utilization, but only because utilization is reported as a relative number, i.e. percentage of maximum (and you're increasing the maximum by overclocking). The CPU usage in absolute terms (which is what determines power draw) will stay the same or go up if you overclock.

 

[Darkbreeze]

^^^Exactly.

 

[TJ Hooker]

As an aside, I will say the following statements aren't completely true:

It doesn't work that way. Overclocked CPUs ALWAYS require more than the stock voltaqe in order to operate at a higher frequency AND be stable. There are no exceptions to this. If the CPU was able to safely operate at a lower voltage while remaining stable, then that is what the hardware manufacturer would have spec'd it for.
[...]
Bottom line though, NO overclocked system will EVER be cooler or produce less heat than the stock configuration with the same cooling system in place. Ever.

For example, the stock voltage for my 6700K @ 4 GHz (turbo boost disabled) is way higher than it needs to be (set to 1.19V, actual VCore running P95 small FFTs is 1.52V). I can run it with a -130 mV offset (but with load line calibration set to high), such that the reported Vcore running P95 is ~80-90 mV lower than stock. Because the stock voltage is so much higher than it needs to be I can, for example, overclock it to 4.2 V while still reducing Vcore, resulting in slightly reduced power consumption compared to stock but with slightly increased performance.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Ok, I guess I should have been clearer on that. Let me re-phrase.

Whatever voltage your CPU HAS to have at the stock frequency, to be stable, it will ALWAYS be higher than that at a higher overclocked frequency.

Regardless that the manufacturer tends to overvolt to err on the side of stability, and we know that often a stock configuration CAN be stable at a lower voltage, whatever that lower voltage is, whatever the minimal voltage is that is required for the CPU to run at the stock frequency, boost and hyperthreading (IF any) configuration, you WILL have to increase the voltage from THAT setting 99.999999% of the time if you overclock the CPU frequency higher.

You are never going to encounter a situation where you use less voltage at a higher frequency, and retain stability, IF you were already at the lowest stable voltage for the frequency the CPU was previously sitting at.

Better?

However, I did SPECIFICALLY make note in my first post that my statements were mainly directed towards mobile CPUs. Unlike a desktop CPU, there is very little room for adjusting extra voltage to the side of stability due to the lack of good cooling solutions for these configurations in very small spaces where heat builds quickly and has few places to go.

On these configurations, the voltages are going to be a lot closer to what the minimum voltage is that they can get away with and still be stable, in order to offset some of the fact that you can't just play fast and loose with the voltage like you can with a CPU that has a 92mm or larger cooler and heatsink sitting smack dab on top of it rather than the sad attempts at a heatsink you see in laptops are.

 

[Finstar]

Right, but even on an otherwise locked chip, with a bios that does not allow overclocking, there are OFTEN ways to do it from within Windows, and in those cases it is still a bad idea. Even a minimal OC of a couple hundred Mhz can upset the cooling balance.

And if I'm not mistaken, I think I've seen some Sager laptops that actually had unlocked custom bios for a number of otherwise no overclockable chips. Not sure his is one of them, and certainly it's not a niche custom unit, but the fact remains that often there are ways around limitations, but usually limitations are in place for a very good reason.

I'm curious. What would you have to do to overclock a locked multiplier cpu without changing bclk?

 

[huhatik]

okay, i get it now. thanks for all the answers. i also checked some bottleneck calculator online and it says gtx 1050 ti with i5 7300hq should work perfectly together so idk (here's a photo of it https://pasteboard.co/HK6i0NV.png and the site is called thebottlenecker.com)

 

[Darkbreeze]

the site is called thebottlenecker.com)

Pffft. Yeah, that's not a reliable source of information. Come here with your questions regarding what IS or IS NOT a good pairing of hardware. Plenty of veteran members with real world, not paper comparison, experience with a variety of hardware.

 

[huhatik]

Well then tell me if it's a good pair