AMD Core Performance Boost Disabled by HP?

[jj51702]

I have an HP 15-db00069wm with a Ryzen 5 2500u processor. The processor, per AMD, has a base clock of 2.0ghz and should boost to 3.6ghz. However, I noticed no matter how intense the load, the processor/cores never boost beyond 2.0ghz. I used HWInfo and see that Core Performance Boost is red (disabled). The bios is not accessible either to change this setting as it looks like HP has blocked access to this part of the bios. Any idea how I can turn core performance boost on? Why would HP turn this off and severley cripple the processor?

[NonSequitur777]

@jj51702,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

Thank you for sharing the detailed info -you're absolutely right to expect boost clocks from your Ryzen 5 2500U, and it's frustrating when that behavior is restricted.

Key Take Away:

Your HP 15-db0069wm has Core Performance Boost (CPB) disabled at the firmware level, and unfortunately, HP has locked this feature in the BIOS on budget consumer models, including yours. This isn't something end users can re-enable unless advanced firmware modding is attempted -which isn't officially supported or risk-free.

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What’s Happening?

The Ryzen 5 2500U supports Precision Boost, which should allow dynamic boosting up to 3.6 GHz under certain workloads and thermal conditions. But in your case, CPB is turned off in firmware, which causes the CPU to run at the base clock only (2.0 GHz). This is often done by OEMs like HP for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Thermal and Power Constraints: Slim chassis with minimal cooling solutions (like in many 15-db0000 series models) may not safely support sustained boost frequencies.

2. Battery Life Goals: Disabling boost helps extend battery life -an HP priority for entry-level notebooks.

3. Product Segmentation: OEMs sometimes limit performance on lower-tier models to differentiate them from higher-priced offerings.

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Why You Can’t Enable It:

HP locks down advanced BIOS options (like CPB or AMD CBS menus) on almost all consumer notebooks — particularly in the 15-dbxxx series. So, even though the CPU supports boosting, the firmware blocks it, and the BIOS doesn't offer a user-accessible toggle.

You already confirmed with HWInfo that CPB is disabled (red), so your system is effectively capped at 2.0 GHz.

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What Can You Do?

Option 1: Check for BIOS Updates:

Sometimes BIOS updates might re-enable features or improve thermal performance. Here’s the HP Drivers & Software page for your model -the latest BIOS version is F.43.

Option 2: Undervolting / Thermal Improvements:

While you can’t enable CPB directly, undervolting (using tools like Ryzen Controller) may improve thermals enough to allow more frequent boosts -if CPB is somehow dynamically re-enabled, which is rare but has been reported on some Ryzen laptops. However, your system likely needs CPB unlocked first for this to help.

Option 3: Advanced Users Only — BIOS Modding:

Technically, it is possible to unlock CPB using a CH341A programmer and BIOS modding techniques (you’d need to extract and patch the firmware, then flash it back). This is very risky, requires experience with hex editing and SPI flashing, and can brick your laptop. Not recommended unless you’re familiar with modding laptop firmware.

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Conclusion:

You’re not imagining things -HP did in fact ship certain models of the 15-db0000 series with CPB disabled, and no option exists in the BIOS to turn it on. This limits your CPU to its base clock and prevents any performance boost.

Unfortunately, there’s no safe, supported way to re-enable it. If performance is a concern, you might want to look into a system with a more open BIOS such as business-class HP models.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777