Question My 10700K is stuck at 4.8Ghz

[Fabian1489]

Hello guys!

My 10700K is stuck at 4.8Ghz no matter what I do. I have tried all the powerplans and making a new one. Im using Balanced now and in there I have set the minimum processor state to 5%. I have checked in BIOS and C-States and SpeedShift is enabled. I dont know what to do, my computer is acting all crazy. Just 10 seconds ago the temps were at 75C and now it suddenly dropped to 50C all while idle. My CPU temps are usually around 37-40C in idle. Please, I need help. I am very grateful for all the help I can get, thank you.

Best regards, Fabian

https://imgur.com/hCups1h

View: https://i.imgur.com/hCups1h.png

https://imgur.com/SNCTEQu

View: https://i.imgur.com/SNCTEQu.png

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

My 10700K is stuck at 4.8Ghz no matter what I do.

have you checked in Task Manager that there is no unexpected process running that is constantly stressing the CPU?

 

[Fabian1489]

have you checked in Task Manager that there is no unexpected process running that is constantly stressing the CPU?

Thanks for the respone,

Yes! This is all under complete idle!

 

[uWebb429]

@Fabian1489
Your screenshot shows 8.1% for CPU Utilization. That is not idle. That much load will easily cause an Intel CPU to run at full speed. Here is what an idle computer looks like. Have a look in the Task Manager, go to the Details tab and find out what is running in the background and get rid of it.

Your voltage and package power consumption is also way too high for an idle computer. That is a separate problem. Try running HWiNFO.

 

[Fabian1489]

@Fabian1489
Your screenshot shows 8.1% for CPU Utilization. That is not idle. That much load will easily cause an Intel CPU to run at full speed. Here is what an idle computer looks like. Have a look in the Task Manager, go to the Details tab and find out what is running in the background and get rid of it.

Your voltage and package power consumption is also way too high for an idle computer. That is a separate problem. Try running HWiNFO.

I had Google Chrome and Discord running. That for me is idle, I wasn't running any heavy programs. The CPU shouldn't be running at max clock speed at 8% usage IMO

 

[Fabian1489]

I had Google Chrome and Discord running. That for me is idle, I wasn't running any heavy programs. The CPU shouldn't be running at max clock speed at 8% usage IMO

I did a clean install of windows. Is this utilization, core speeds and temps okay and normal?

https://imgur.com/9fGvXCE

View: https://i.imgur.com/9fGvXCE.png

 

[uWebb429]

The CPU shouldn't be running at max clock speed at 8% usage IMO

Intel CPUs are designed to jump up to maximum speed with the slightest load. If a CPU has a task to perform, it is inefficient to do that task with the CPU being held at its minimum speed. That might have been the way Windows 95 used to work but not now. The days of forcing a CPU to run at 800 MHz are in the past. Here is a good paper from some smart guys at Berkeley that explains why a slow CPU is not a good idea.

https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2009/EECS-2009-140.pdf

As long as you have the C states enabled in the BIOS, when a core is idle, it will enter the low power C7 state where it is disconnected from the internal clock. That means it will be running at 0 MHz and 0 volts. Monitoring software that only reports MHz and does not report C state activity does not give you an accurate look at what your CPU is really doing.

Give HWiNFO a try. Better yet, run ThrottleStop. It will show you exactly what each core and each thread of your CPU is doing including what percentage of time each core is spending in the C7 state. The monitoring tool you are using does not accurately track the CPU speed when a CPU is lightly loaded.

Cores averaging 99% in the C7 state is a good number to shoot for. You will never see this with Discord chewing up CPU cycles in the background.

 

[Fabian1489]

Thank you very much for the help and information! @uWebb429

 

[Fabian1489]

Also, should C1E, EIST and SpeedStep be enabled? @uWebb429

 

[CompuTronix]

Fabian1489,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

The information that Uncle Webb (uWebb429) has provided for you is 100% correct. Just as he previously recommended, please use HWiNFO instead of Hardware Monitor or Open Hardware Monitor, since Hardware Info (HWiNFO) is the go-to monitoring utility which is most trusted by highly knowledgable experts, overclockers and reviewers. It is frequently updated, is widely know for its accuracy, and monitors all system parameters.

Also, should C1E, EIST and SpeedStep be enabled?

If you have any or all of these features disabled in BIOS, then you've just identified the cause of why your CPU won't idle down. C1E, EIST, SpeedStep and Speed Shift are all required to be enabled so that Windows and BIOS can most effectively control P-States and C-States. Collectively, these features are how voltage and frequency are managed in response to varying workloads and idle conditions.

As Uncle Webb pointed out, Intel has a definition for "idle" which, is not what most users commonly claim to be "idle". "Idle" means exactly that; IDLE : 0% CPU Utilization on all Cores. Offline without Discord or Dropbox or Folding or SETI or "tray-trash" running in the background. Only in this condition with all the above mentioned features enabled, can your CPU truly idle down where voltage and frequency can be reduced to their minimums.

However, since Windows always has multiple background processes running, the best many users can achieve is 1% CPU Utilization. It is always prudent to check the Startup and Services tabs in Task Manager, as well as in Task Scheduler to disable unnecessary software background activities, so that your CPU can reach its lowest possible idle state.

In Task Manager under the Performance tab, if the number of Processes is as little as 150, then Windows can run in a relatively clean and quiet idle condition. The lower the number of Processes, the lower the % CPU Utilization. With regard to a broader perspective, lower workload and CPU Utilization results in lower power consumption and Core temperatures.

At 22°C (72°F), which is the International Standard for normal ambient (room) temperature, when in a true "idle" condition using high end cooling in a well ventilated case, CPU Package temperature (hottest Core) should ideally be less than 30°C.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

 

[Fabian1489]

Fabian1489,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

The information that Uncle Webb (uWebb429) has provided for you is 100% correct. Just as he previously recommended, please use HWiNFO instead of Hardware Monitor or Open Hardware Monitor, since Hardware Info (HWiNFO) is the go-to monitoring utility which is most trusted by highly knowledgable experts, overclockers and reviewers. It is frequently updated, is widely know for its accuracy, and monitors all system parameters.


If you have any or all of these features disabled in BIOS, then you've just identified the cause of why your CPU won't idle down. C1E, EIST, SpeedStep and Speed Shift are all required to be enabled so that Windows and BIOS can most effectively control P-States and C-States. Collectively, these features are how voltage and frequency are managed in response to varying workloads and idle conditions.

As Uncle Webb pointed out, Intel has a definition for "idle" which, is not what most users commonly claim to be "idle". "Idle" means exactly that; IDLE : 0% CPU Utilization on all Cores. Offline without Discord or Dropbox or Folding or SETI or "tray-trash" running in the background. Only in this condition with all the above mentioned features enabled, can your CPU truly idle down where voltage and frequency can be reduced to their minimums.

However, since Windows always has multiple background processes running, the best many users can achieve is 1% CPU Utilization. It is always prudent to check the Startup and Services tabs in Task Manager, as well as in Task Scheduler to disable unnecessary software background activities, so that your CPU can reach its lowest possible idle state.

In Task Manager under the Performance tab, if the number of Processes is as little as 150, then Windows can run in a relatively clean and quiet idle condition. The lower the number of Processes, the lower the % CPU Utilization. With regard to a broader perspective, lower workload and CPU Utilization results in lower power consumption and Core temperatures.

At 22°C (72°F), which is the International Standard for normal ambient (room) temperature, when in a true "idle" condition using high end cooling in a well ventilated case, CPU Package temperature (hottest Core) should ideally be less than 30°C.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

Thanks a lot for the information and help!

 

[uWebb429]

should C1E, EIST and SpeedStep be enabled

SpeedStep and EIST are the same thing. EIST stands for Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology.

A computer with a 10th Gen CPU should enable Speed Shift Technology in the BIOS. This CPU control method was first introduced with Intel's 6th Gen CPUs. Speed Shift Technology (SST) supersedes the older SpeedStep control method. If you enable Speed Shift Technology in the BIOS, it no longer matters if SpeedStep is enabled or not. I still enable SpeedStep for old times sake but it is really not necessary.

Intel recommends that C1E should always be enabled but the reality is that it makes very little difference one way or the other. Intel has introduced a whole bunch of other and better C states since C1E was first introduced. The deeper the C state, the more power will be reduced. Each core of any Core i CPU has the option to enter the low power core C3, core C6 or core C7 state. It makes sense for the core to enter one of these states instead of C1E. My screenshot above shows idle cores can spend over 99% of their time in the C7 state. There is very little time left over for CPU cores to ever enter C1E whether C1E is enabled or not. I usually leave C1E disabled.

You will probably not notice any measurable difference if C1E is enabled or disabled. Try it both ways. Perhaps there is some additional microscopic latency when C1E is left enabled.

The HWiNFO bar graphs are not a good indication of what a CPU is doing internally. Here is an example of where not a single thread or core is idle at 800 MHz. HWiNFO reports that all cores are sitting steady at 800 MHz. That is why watching C state activity is important. Most monitoring software is not great at reporting accurate MHz when Intel CPUs are lightly loaded.