Question i9-11900k some of the cores downclock to 800mhz for a fraction of seconds during gaming

[izi5]

Hello!

System speck:
CPU: i9-11900k no overclock.
Motherboard: MSI Z590 Ace
RAM: 32GB G.Skill TridentZ Dual Channel
GPU: RTX 3080
Cooler: CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX 360mm radiator
Storage: 2x - Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB, 1x - Samsung 980 Pro
PSU: Seasonic Prime Platinum 1000w

My question:
Noticed that during gaming some of the cores can downclock to 800mhz for a fraction of a second and go up to 4.8ghz.
There is no impact on fps or general on game performance.
Is this ok?

I narrowed down to c-states, if I turn the option off in bios no such thing is happening.

Windows power plan - Ultimate Performance
CPU temp - 50-65c during gaming.
Using latest motherboard bios.

Just a bit strange I have a second PC with i9-10850k, this doesn't happen there.

Should I be worried about this?

Thank you.

 

[rgd1101]

So it is not causing issue?

 

[izi5]

it isn't, just started bothering me why it does that. Because don't see such behavior with 10850k. Decided to ask if this is normal behavior.

 

[uWebb429]

@izi5 Most monitoring software does not report the CPU MHz correctly when Intel CPUs are lightly loaded or when the C states are enabled. They might glitch out and show 800 MHz when in reality, if a core is in the low power C7 state, it is disconnected from the internal clock so it is at 0 MHz and 0 volts.

If you want a more accurate look at what speed your CPU is running at while gaming, use ThrottleStop. It uses high performance timers within the CPU and it closely follows the Intel recommended monitoring method. It can accurately detect the slightest changes in the CPU multiplier. Turn on the Log File option so you have an accurate record of your CPU performance while gaming.

https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/

Here is an example of how ThrottleStop compares to one of the most popular monitoring apps.

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/is-my-i9-10900k-working-properly.3716119/post-22405097

The on screen data that all users like to watch while gaming has similar issues. Waking up and sampling inactive cores is not the correct way to monitor Intel CPUs.

 

[izi5]

@uWebb429 thank you for the suggestion. There were no multiplier drops during gaming that my other monitoring software was showing(RivaTuner). Stayed between 47-51.
So I guess that's is just a monitoring issues.

 

[ReggaeMaster783]

I've recently found out that MSI have had this issue for years now where some people experience their CPU's downclocking to 800Mhz in game.. I just solved this for myself when this was suggested on Linus Tech forums. This is a software issue with MSI Dragon Center if you have it installed. All you need to do is disable "Game Mode" in Dragon Center and this issue will be resolved
I reckon this would help with anyone having issues with their CPU constantly running at 800Mhz on games that are listed in Dragon Center. I know it's not the solution for your thread but someone might come across this post after hours of searching for a solution having the issue that I did and this is what worked for me after trying every other solution I read up about.
I suppose you could also just uninstall Dragon Center but I haven't done that.