One CPU thread constantly at 90% in Linux (acpi gpe6F interrupt storm)

[MaartenB]

Recently, I bought my fifth HP laptop. After years of using HP ProBooks, this time I chose the Omen for my video editing.

With Kubuntu (which is Ubuntu with the KDE desktop) I noticed that about one minute after login, one of the eight CPU threads of the i7-7700HQ goes up to 90-95% and stays there.

The result is that the CPU ups its clock frequency to 3.77GHz, and the fan increases its RPM to get rid of the extra heat.

Normally, the CPU downscales its clock to 800MHz and the fan is only slightly audible.

After searching the Internet, I found on an ASRock SkyLake motherboard forum that the following command brings the idle load back to its normal few percent:

# echo disable > /sys/firmware/acpi/interrupts/gpe6F

This works exactly the same on the Omen. The load goes back to its normal state after this command, while I don't notice any side affects of disabling this ACPI interrupt.

This problem was solved permanently on the ASRocks forum by the release of a new firmware version of the BIOS.

On the Omen, I already run the latest, F.15.rev.A.

Is HP aware of this problem and when is a new BIOS firmware scheduled?

Or do you have any other information?

Many thanks in advance!

Maarten

[MaartenB]

This is not a Linux issue. It happens on Windows, too.

There's even a thread on this forum about this: https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Boot-and-Lockup/17-Omen-2017-CPU-usage-ntoskrnl-ACPI-issue/td...

Unfortunately, that thread doesn't contain a solution.

I think it can only be solved with a BIOS update, I'm afraid.

How do I bring this issue under the attention of HP?

Maarten

[MaPo31415]

Hi, I stumbled upon the same issue on my Zbook 17 G5. I suppose that this laptop shares a lot of its internal design with HP Omen 17, as all of the symptoms are matching, other that Firmware Family Code.

I made a mega-thread here:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Gaming-Notebooks/High-CPU-Usage-System-ACPI-sys-ntoskrnl-exe-Omen-15-1...