M6400 - QX9300 stuck at 1596mhz

Hello,

I figure this is the best place to ask, but my work laptop seems to never want to clock over 1596mhz. I downloaded prime95 and the temps never hit above 55c because the CPU said 100% load at 1596mhz

The CPU is not a QS/ES, it is an OEM processor that came with the laptop originally when configured (at least the service tag configuration said so). CPU-Z and RealTemp both show that it is a retail chip and not a QS/ES.

My only idea is that the PSU is not giving enough power. I currently have a 130w power supply, is this too low? I tried looking up what the necessary power needed is and people have reported as low as 90w, lots of unreliable information.

Is there perhaps a windows/bios setting preventing a normal clock? I unchecked "Disable Turbo" in realtemp but it hasn't changed.

 

Is this the power supply that came with the laptop?

 

The PSU I'm using was sold with the laptop. I am not sure if it's the exact one that came with it directly from Dell.

Looks like the original configuration came with a 210w and I'm using a 130w, so that might be it.

 

That is it, Dell PSUs have a chip in them that that computer uses to check whehter it's genuine and it also reports the PSU's capacity. Precisions will downclock if the PSU is deemed insufficient. You should be able to find a genuine 210W on eBay for a decent price.

 

Yes. Precisions are extremely flicky using smaller PSU. You must use that 210w.

When you boot your laptop, it should have given you a warning about you having too low wattage PSU.

 

I don't remember if the message pops up if the laptop considers the PSU to still be usable, albeit at reduced performance.

 

If it is like my Latitude E7440 then the warning message can be turned off in the BIOS. However, the system will still throttle and if you run Dell's Power manager software it will give an alert about the PSU.

John

 

I did not see a warning on initial start up, however when I get into windows, it says "Your battery needs to be replaced" and takes like 16 hours to charge while I'm using the laptop. I'm not sure if my battery is actually shot or if the PSU just can't handle the load.

I'll be shopping for a 210w and see if this fixes all the issues listed.

Thanks

 

Did you try using ThrottleStop? If you disable BD PROCHOT, your CPU will probably be able to run at its rated speed. If you are not stressing the CPU and GPU at the same time, 130W might be enough to run your CPU at its rated speed or beyond.

 

Possibly, but the fact that the battery takes a very long time to charge makes me thing that the laptop is starving for power. It could be that the battery is dead too considering the age of the laptop, but it's something to keep in mind. Note that not getting enough power from the adapter shouldn't harm the components. It will likely result in instabilities, the display cutting off or similar behavior, but it shouldn't cause any permanent harm, so feelf ree to go ahead and try throttlestop, it's great to have it around in any case.