Power Throttling (TDP) to 10w on Spectre x360 13t with i7-8550u

[Secondn8ture]

I recently purchased a Spectre x360 13t with the i7-8550u.  The 8550u is a 15w TDP; however, I have noticed under sustained loads the power level will settle to 10w after 2 or 3 minutes.   Under full load (handbrake encoding) plugged in with the power profile set to best performance, the processor will boost to 30w for a few seconds, then throttle to 15w for 2 or 3 minutes before it throttles down further to 10w where it remains indefinitely.  CPU temperature does not seem to be an issue, CPU temp is around 80C at 15w (with slight undervolt) even without the fan at max speed.  When it throttles to 10w the temp stays around 72C but power level never ramps back up to 15w until there is an idle period.  I do not understand why this system is not allowing the processor to continue at 15w considering safe CPU temps.

[Secondn8ture]

I have done some research online and found that this limitation has been pointed out by others including Notebook Check.  It seems to be a low level BIOS setting that HP has set and cannot be changed by the user.  It would be nice if HP would unlock more of the BIOS features, namely the TDP limits, since as of now, I am somewhat disappointed in the performance due to what seems to be unnecessary power limit throttling.

[A4Apollo]

Hey there! @Secondn8ture, Thanks for stopping by the HP Support Forums!

I understand the CPU temperature is around 80C to 72C while the PC is in idle mode.

Thanks for the detailed description of the issue and kudos to you for performing a brilliant diagnosis.

Don't worry I'll try to help you out.

Please share the product number of your PC to assist you better.

By not wasting much of your time. I have checked the records found a service advisory related to the issue you have mentioned.

To resolve this issue, perform the following steps to update the system BIOS.

Download and install the following SoftPaq to update the BIOS to version F.36.
 

Download the BIOS using this link. Click Here

You can try updating other drivers on your PC using HP support assistant.

Refer this article to know more information about using the HP support assistant.

If the issue still persists after trying out the steps try the steps recommended below.

Try performing the following ts steps:
 
1 - Right-click on any open space on your computer's taskbar.
 
2 -Select "Task Manager" and press "Enter."
 
3 -Select "View" from the Taskbar Manager's pull-down menu. If more than one computer is connected to your network, notice the graphs for all CPUs. Select "One Graph Per CPU." This will help determine which computers are using more processing time.
 
4 -Go to the "Applications" tab. Because this tab shows open programs in real time, you will be able to see exactly when a program has been opened and closed at the time that it occurs. Identify and close selected programs by highlighting each one separately and clicking on "End Task" to free up processing time. (Important: Make sure all work is saved prior to closing any programs.)
 
5 -Go to the "Processes" tab and view them, but do not delete any of them unless absolutely necessary. All of the hidden system processes and programs are listed here. (Note: See Warnings section.)
 
6 -Set your computer's cooling fan to "Auto." Next, slide the Processing Speed scale to "3-4." Slide the Cooling Method scale to the middle of the range. These settings will slow down the CPU when needed
 

Also, Hit Win Key + R
Type in “Regedit” and then hit Enter.
Go to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management’
Find ‘ClearPageFileAtShutDown’ and change its value to 1
Restart the computer

Also, try the steps recommended below.

In Windows, search for Command Prompt. In the search results, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Then click Yes.
In Command Prompt, type sfc /scannow. Make sure to include the space between sfc and the /.
Press Enter and wait while System File Checker scans for corrupted files.
When scanning is complete, the results are displayed on the screen.
If the file checker found and replaced any corrupted files, restart the computer and check the performance.
If the file checker did not find any corrupted files or found corrupted files but could not replace them, go to the next step.
If System File Checker finds corrupted files but cannot replace them, use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool. DISM checks the corrupted files; then downloads and replaces the files using Windows Update.
In Windows, open a web browser.
   NOTE:
You need to be connected to the Internet to use DISM.
In Windows, search for Command Prompt. In the search results, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. Then click Yes.
In Command Prompt, type dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth. Make sure to include the space before each / in the command line.
Press Enter and wait while DISM works. This might take several minutes.
If DISM finds corrupted files, it replaces them using Windows Update. If this occurs, after DISM is finished, restart your computer and see if the performance has improved.

Refer this article to further troubleshoot lock up or freezing issues with PC. Link: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c03408309

Lastly, try running a system diagnostics test on your PC and check if the hardware components on your PC are functioning correctly.

Refer this article to know more information about running system diagnostics on your PC.

Lastly, if the issue persists after trying out the steps to assist you better. I need some information which might help us in isolating this issue.

Have you updated the windows to the latest version?

Do you see any errors on your PC?

If the solution provided worked for you, please mark an accepted solution for this post.

Hope this helps!

Have a great day! 🙂

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Secondn8ture]

Thanks for your reply. To clarify my first post, my CPU temperatures are 72 under full quad core load with the TDP at 10 watts. At 15 watts it is around 80C, so not sure why it insists on cutting power down to 10 or 12 watts. I will check the bios update tomorrow.

[A4Apollo]

@Secondn8ture, thanks for your quick response and time.

I appriciate your efforts for writing back to us.

As I mentioned in my previous thread, this is a known issue try updating the BIOS on your PC to resolve this issue.

Also, If the issue still persists after updating the BIOS, Please share the product number of your PC to assist you better.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Take Care! 🙂

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Secondn8ture]

Thanks Mr. Robot.  My model number is 13t-ae000 CT0.  I currently have bios version F.21 Rev.A which I downloaded from HP support page, it is dated June 25, 2018.  The bios driver you have linked is dated Oct. 27, 2017 so it appears to be an older bios version, yet it has a higher F number (F.36).  Can you confirm this is the correct firmware for my laptop model (13t-ae000, i.e. latest version of spectre x360) and not Bios for an older model?  Thanks.

[A4Apollo]

@Secondn8ture, Thanks again for your response.

Splendid analysis and remarkable patience shown. It is immensely appreciated.

Thanks for sharing the product details. I have checked the records and the latest version of BIOS available for your PC is F.21.

However, I have checked the records with correct product details and found that there is a service advisory which tells to change setting in BIOS to balanced mode.

The computer temperature rises above normal during normal operating conditions. The CPU fan runs often in an attempt to keep the computer temperature normal.

NOTE: The system BIOS has setting to trade-off, performance mode vs. balance mode. Set to Balance mode can get more battery life. The system runs cooler and fans run less.

1.    Turn off the computer and wait five seconds.
2.    Press the Power button to start the computer and repeatedly press the F10 key to enter the BIOS setup menu.

3.    Check under system configuration for balance mode.

4.    Select the balance mode from the list.

5.    Press F10 to save changes and exit.

Also, if the issue still persists after trying out the steps recommended. Try performing a push button reset on your PC.

Refer this article to know more information about performing a push button reset on your PC. Click Here

Hope this helps!

Take Care! 🙂

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Secondn8ture]

MrRobot, I believe you are misreading my post, please read the original post again. The problem is not high temperatures but quite the opposite. CPU temperature is staying relatively low yet the PC is throttling performance anyways when under load (i.e. reducing TDP power lower than base of 15 watts).

[A4Apollo]

@Secondn8ture, Thanks for your quick response and time.

I appreciate your efforts for writing back to us.

Which third party application are you using to measure the CPU performance?

The workload of the CPU depends on the intensity of the application you are running on your PC. If you are running a high intensity game on your PC the workload will increase and the TDP will rise. However, if run a regular application which is not graphics intensive and does not consume high system resources the CPU will work at the speed and power the application requires. This is to save and enhance the life of the CPU and that's how it is designed. Please share the images of the CPU throttling and in which application it throttles. Try multiple applications and games.

Hope this answers your query!

Take Care! 🙂

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Secondn8ture]

The application I am using was stated in the very first post, I ask you again to please read it in detail.  I was using handbrake for a video encode when I first noticed this issue.  Video encodes are very CPU intensive and Handbrake uses all 4 cores at 100%.  I have also ran the XTU stress test and observed the same behavior.  Hopefully you can make out the image below and see that the processor temperature is 69C with 100% utilization of all 4 cores.  XTU is indicating power limit throttling and the TDP is at 9 watts and it does not go above 11 watts no matter how long I let it go.  With the temperature below 70C it seems it should ramp back up to 15 watts which is the base TDP for this chip.  The second image is at idle (plugged in) with the fan completely off, as you can see, temperature is at 50C.