HP Gaming Pavilion 15 only using 3 of the 6 cores on the CPU

[npyla5891]

Good day, I have been having a performance problem with my laptop as of recent. It seems that the Ryzen 5 5600H CPU is not being fully utilized and only using half of the cores. I have already tried going through msconfig and ensuring that the boot is placed to 6 cores, but it is not working. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

[NonSequitur777]

@npyla5891,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

Please do this first:

Type in: config in your lower search bar, and click on the System Configuration app.

Then click on the Boot tab, then click on the Advanced Options tab, and check off (☑) the Number of processors, go to the drop-down menu, scrolling all the way down and select the highest number you'll see there, which should be 12 (for 12 Threads).  Then press OK, and whilst there, you also may as well select: No GUI boot and 3 seconds for the Timeout.  Then press Apply, then OK, and then click on Restart.

Next, here are some HP-specific troubleshooting steps along with general fixes:

1. Update BIOS & Drivers:

• Go to HP Support Page → Download the latest BIOS update.
• Also, update the AMD Chipset drivers and graphics drivers (both from HP and AMD's website).
• Restart after installation.

 

2. Check HP Command Center:

• Open HP Command Center (Win + S → search for HP Command Center).
• Ensure the laptop is set to Performance Mode, as this controls CPU power limits.
• If missing, download it from the Microsoft Store or HP’s website.

 

3. Verify Windows Power Settings:

• Open Control Panel → Power Options → Select High Performance or Best Performance under Balanced Mode.
• Go to Advanced Power Settings → Expand Processor Power Management → Set Minimum Processor State and Maximum Processor State to 100%.

 

4. Check BIOS Core Settings:

• Restart the laptop and enter BIOS/UEFI (F10 at boot).
• Look for Advanced CPU settings and ensure All Cores are enabled.
• If there’s an option like CPPC (Collaborative Power and Performance Control), set it to Enabled.
• Save and exit.

 

5. Reset Windows Power Plans via Command Prompt:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
2. Run the following command:
   powercfg -restoredefaultschemes
3. Restart the system and test.

 

6. Check Windows Task Manager & Resource Monitor:

• Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) → Performance Tab → CPU
  • Ensure all 6 cores and 12 threads are detected.
• Open Resource Monitor (Win + R → type resmon → Enter)
  • Check if all cores are active under the CPU tab.

 

7. Disable Core Parking (If Necessary):

• Use Quick CPU (a free tool) to check if core parking is limiting CPU usage.
• Set all cores to active and disable core parking.

 

8. Clean Boot Windows:

• Run msconfig → Services Tab → Check Hide all Microsoft Services → Click Disable All → Restart.
• This checks if background software is interfering with CPU performance.

 

9. Check for Thermal Throttling (optional):

• Install HWMonitor or Ryzen Master to check CPU temperatures.
• If the CPU is running too hot (above 90°C), the system might be throttling performance.
• Ensure laptop vents are clean and consider a cooling pad.

If the issue persists after these steps, it might be a firmware bug or Windows-related issue. Let me know if further troubleshooting is needed!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[npyla5891]

Thanks for Replying!

I have tried everything on the list and here's what happened. (Pictures below)

1.) msconfig configuration only shows up to 6, which only holds it to 6 logical processors when I check task manager.

2.) My bios is currently at Revision F.29. I cannot find the advanced CPU settings, or the CPPC setting to enable.

3.) I downloaded HP Command Center. It either crashes upon opening or is stuck analyzing my laptop.

4.) My laptop is already on High Performance mode, and I just reconfirmed it.

5.) I also noticed that when I ran my laptop on linux it would show all 6 cores and 12 threads, but running on windows only allows for 3 cores and 6 threads. I wonder if it is a windows related issue?

[NonSequitur777 · Accepted solution]

@npyla5891,

OK, your findings strongly suggest that this is a Windows-related issue rather than a hardware failure. Here’s what I’d suggest next:

Key Observations & Next Steps:

1. msconfig Limitation

   • As expected, msconfig isn’t actually unlocking cores but rather capping them. Never mind: you should leave it unchecked to allow Windows to manage CPU allocation dynamically.

2. BIOS Limitations

   • Since you cannot access advanced CPU settings in BIOS, HP may have locked these options. However, your CPU is fully recognized in Linux, meaning the issue is not BIOS-related but likely Windows misconfiguration or corruption.

3. HP Command Center Crashing

   • This suggests a possible software corruption. It’s not critical for solving the issue, but you could uninstall it completely, restart, and reinstall from the Microsoft Store.

4. Linux Shows Full Core Count, Windows Does Not

   • This is the most important clue. If Linux detects all 6 cores / 12 threads but Windows only sees 3 cores / 6 threads, then Windows is likely the issue.

 

Recommended Fixes:

A. Re-enable All Cores in Windows (Registry Hack):

Windows may have disabled some cores due to a corruption or power-saving setting:

1. Open Regedit (Win + R → type regedit → Enter).
2. Navigate to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Power
3. Find "Heterogeneous Policy" (if available) and set it to 0.
4. Next, go to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile
5. Look for “SystemResponsiveness” and set it to 0.
6. Restart the laptop and check Task Manager.

 

B. Force Windows to Recognize All Cores (bcdedit Command):

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the following command:
   bcdedit /deletevalue numproc
3. Restart and check Task Manager.

 

C. Reset CPU Affinity in Task Manager:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Go to the Details tab.
3. Right-click on any running process (e.g., explorer.exe), then click Set Affinity.
4. If fewer cores are listed, it means Windows isn't seeing them.

 

D. Perform an In-Place Windows Repair (If Necessary -this is what I would do, but at this juncture, you may decide to leave things as they are):

If the issue persists, Windows itself might be corrupted. A non-destructive reinstall may help:

1. Download the Windows 11 Installation Media Tool from Microsoft.
2. Run it and choose Upgrade this PC now.
3. Keep all files and apps intact.
4. Let it reinstall Windows while keeping the system unchanged.

---

This should help you to restore full CPU functionality. If Windows still doesn't recognize all cores, then it might require a full clean install of Windows 11.

Let me know if you want to add anything!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777