I5 6600k locked to 800 mhz?

[Chrisrlyon]

Computer specs are:

Intel i5 6600k
MSI gaming M5 z170 motherboard
MSI radeon 580 8gb GPU
EVGA 750 G2 power supply

The issue im having is that the CPU clocks are locked between 801-803 mhz no matter what I've tried. There is no reason for it to be thermal throttling as it ran between 25-35° C during the course of it's operations under a corsair h115i AIO cooler, so ive ruled that out as a possibility.

Things that I've tried/checked:
·Making sure all the power cables are properly seated
·trying another power supply i know to be 100% working
·making sure the temps arent too high on the mobo and cpu
·check to see if i could change the clock speed multiplier in the bios (didn't work)
·downloaded Intel's CPU diagnostic tool, every test was passed.
· Re-seated the CPU and RAM
·Cleared Cmos/reset bios

A couple weird things i noticed include that the cpu was listed in HWmonitorPro as only using .87V which i wasnt sure if that was correct which is why i tried a second power supply, but it didnt change. Wondering if that's correct or a point of concern?

A second thing i read about was that the MSI mobos have a ,slow mode" switch, so i tried playing with the switch a little bit and for a brief 1 second moment the CPU clocked up to 3600mhz but then dropped right back down to 800 even without moving switch back at all.

HwMonitor lists the CPU utilization at 80-100% at that 800mhz but the task manager lists the utilization at ~20% so im not sure why there is that discrepancy or which one is more accurate but i just thought i should throw that out there.

From my point of view, especially which that thing with the switch, everything is pointing to a faulty motherboard. Either that switch is causing a problem or something else but either way thats the only thing i can think of. The reason im coming to the forums today is to see if anyone has another perspective on what the potential issue could be outside of what I tried. I am by no means an expert in any way shape or form so i welcome any input that might save me the $100 a new motherboard.

Thanks for any input everyone!

 

[Darkbreeze]

First, try resetting the bios to default setttings by removing the cmos battery for a minute or two, with the power unplugged, then put it back, plug back in and restart. Go into the bios, reconfigure any required settings but do not change any settings for the CPU, including any overclocking settings.

Try it.

No love doing that? Make sure you have the latest bios version installed, in fact, do that first. If you do not, update to the latest bios version.

Make sure you have the latest chipset drivers (.inf files) installed as indicated on your motherboard's product page.

Go into Windows control panel power options and make sure the power plan isn't set to Balance or Power saver. If it is, change it to Performance. If it's already set to performance, click on Change plan settings. Click on Change advanced power settings. Expand Processor power management and make sure the minimum is set to around 10% or higher, I like 10% if you're going to have Intel speed step enabled in the bios which I recommend, and make sure the maximum setting is at 100%. Save settings and exit if you made changes. Reboot. Check the HWinfo sensors again.

No love still? Remove your graphics card and connect the monitor input to the integrated graphics port on the motherboard. Try again.

Still no love? Contact MSI and tell them that your motherboard has issues if it is still under warranty. Can't imagine the problem would be the CPU itself if it runs and is not overheating. Might double check the HWinfo sensors to make sure that it says NO next to Core thermal throttling.

Also, in HWinfo, note what the 3v, 5v and 12v system power readings are.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Asking around it appears this is known issue on Z170 through Z370 on a variety of Intel boards.

You will likely need to do one of three things.

Check that the CPU cooler has not been mounted too tightly. I've been informed by a senior builder in the know that this is not just possible, but common, with all LGA 1151 socket systems.

Two, this:

This is apparently an issue with the Z170s. The "Intel Adaptive Thermal Monitor" is getting tripped erroneously and it's throttling the CPU down to 800mhz. Your CMOS should have a setting to disable the Intel Adaptive Thermal Monitor under the CPU Features in Overclocking.

Three, in some cases, most in fact, it is simply a faulty board and will require an RMA. Try the first two first though so that you don't RMA the board needlessly.