[SOLVED] Reducing CPU frequency when gaming ?

[rbogomolec]

I've been playing some not really demanding games lately and yet I often see my CPU hitting the max 4.1GHz frequency and staying there for a long time (temperature is around 40-45'C,so no worries about overheating) . So I've got 2 questions here:

1. Is it ok for a CPU to be running at max boost frequency the whole time (as long as the temperature is ok, ofc) or should I take care of that?

2. I've used Throttlestop to lower the max boost frequency to 3.4GHz now and the game runs just as smooth as before on 4.1GHz. Is this in any way harmful to the CPU? Or is it ok to do this and actually makes the CPU "work less" without losing performance in-game?

I mean, I'm pretty sure my i5 9400f doesn't have to run at max frequency when im playing a game from the year 2010 on high settings... So, should I bother lowering the boost frequency or is it completely irrelevant and my CPU doesn't really care if it's running at max frequency for half a day?

i5 9400f
GTX 1660 6GB
16RAM

 

[jay32267]

As long as the temps are good it doesn't much matter what frequency the CPU is running at as far as it damaging the CPU.

I would have just left it alone...but what you are doing isn't hurting anything.

"CPU doesn't really care if it's running at max frequency for half a day? "
It doesn't care as long as the temps are good.

 

[rbogomolec]

As long as the temps are good it doesn't much matter what frequency the CPU is running at as far as it damaging the CPU.

I would have just left it alone...but what you are doing isn't hurting anything.

"CPU doesn't really care if it's running at max frequency for half a day? "
It doesn't care as long as the temps are good.

Thanks! I used to be gaming on a laptop for 7 years, so I had to worry about a lot of stuff in order to keep the temps low. Seems like it left me damaged a bit. 😅

And how about CPU utilization percentage? When playing Rise of Tomb Raider at high setting there were times where all 6 cores were at like 95% utilization. Temperatures were good thought, not higher than 65'C. Is it bad too run the CPU at 90% or more for longer periods? Or is all fine as long as the temp is fine?

 

[FarmingTNT]

Thanks! I used to be gaming on a laptop for 7 years, so I had to worry about a lot of stuff in order to keep the temps low. Seems like it left me damaged a bit. 😅

And how about CPU utilization percentage? When playing Rise of Tomb Raider at high setting there were times where all 6 cores were at like 95% utilization. Temperatures were good thought, not higher than 65'C. Is it bad too run the CPU at 90% or more for longer periods? Or is all fine as long as the temp is fine?

It's fine to run the CPU at high utilization as long as the temps are fine, just know that that means your GPU might be bottlenecked although I would think Rise of Tomb Raider would be more GPU demanding, especially on high settings. Surprises me quite a bit.

 

[jay32267]

Thanks! I used to be gaming on a laptop for 7 years, so I had to worry about a lot of stuff in order to keep the temps low. Seems like it left me damaged a bit. 😅

And how about CPU utilization percentage? When playing Rise of Tomb Raider at high setting there were times where all 6 cores were at like 95% utilization. Temperatures were good thought, not higher than 65'C. Is it bad too run the CPU at 90% or more for longer periods? Or is all fine as long as the temp is fine?

" Is it bad too run the CPU at 90% or more for longer periods?"
No
"Or is all fine as long as the temp is fine?"
Yes

....and yes....laptops run hot...and I'd only get one if I really needed one...I think they are a terrible choice for gaming unless that's your only option for some reason.

 

[rbogomolec]

It's fine to run the CPU at high utilization as long as the temps are fine, just know that that means your GPU might be bottlenecked although I would think Rise of Tomb Raider would be more GPU demanding, especially on high settings. Surprises me quite a bit.

Thanks again! 🙂 Idk, with Tomb Raider it only happened in that one village with lots of trees, animals and people around. Otherwise there was a nice balance between CPU and GPU usage.

Anyways, today's lesson would be: "don't bother with anything, as long as the performance is good and the temps are fine", right?

 

[FarmingTNT]

Anyways, today's lesson would be: "don't bother with anything, as long as the performance is good and the temps are fine", right?

Haha yeah, basically. Don't be fooled by all the numbers and percentages, they really don't mean as much as the feeling you get when you play the game. Thus why sometimes big upgrades like cpus and graphics cards affect less than stuff like peripherals.

 

[rbogomolec]

Haha yeah, basically. Don't be fooled by all the numbers and percentages, they really don't mean as much as the feeling you get when you play the game. Thus why sometimes big upgrades like cpus and graphics cards affect less than stuff like peripherals.

I'm still getting used to the fact that having a gaming PC is much better than having a "gaming" laptop 😁 Thanks for the help and have a nice day!

 

[jay32267]

I'm still getting used to the fact that having a gaming PC is much better than having a "gaming" laptop 😁 Thanks for the help and have a nice day!

You're welcome....and yes desktops are wayyyy better than laptops for gaming....mainly due to the fact that with laptops they cram too much in a small space and it gets hot.