need help finding cause of CPU throttling with GT60 0NE while gaming

After much research I testing, I have discovered my CPU is throttling when playing certain games. During games such as Battlefield 3, at random intervals my FPS will plummet for about 6 seconds then resume back to normal. At first, I assumed it was related to the GPU. MSI afterburner shows a massive usage drop on my GPU during these periods. After noticing the clock speeds not dropping, I decided to look at the CPU. During these drops, I am noticing the CPU voltage is dropping. I am using a tool called Throttlestop to monitor the VID and Power values. Both these values drop JUST during this small interval. The multiplier also drops but I'm assuming this is tied to the voltage drop. Here is a snipet from my throttlestop log where the drop occurs.

DATE TIME MULTI C0% CKMOD CHIPM BAT_mW TEMP VID POWER
2012-10-22 21:23:06 31.01 28.0 100.0 100.0 0 73 1.0658 23.0
2012-10-22 21:23:07 18.80 32.5 100.0 100.0 0 66 0.8606 15.7
2012-10-22 21:23:08 12.00 34.2 100.0 100.0 0 67 0.8606 10.8
2012-10-22 21:23:09 12.00 34.4 100.0 100.0 0 66 0.8606 10.9
2012-10-22 21:23:10 12.00 34.6 100.0 100.0 0 65 0.8606 10.8
2012-10-22 21:23:11 12.00 34.9 100.0 100.0 0 65 0.8556 10.8
2012-10-22 21:23:12 18.76 31.6 100.0 100.0 0 70 1.0458 15.6
2012-10-22 21:23:13 30.91 28.8 100.0 100.0 0 75 1.0157 23.4

Is this a CPU hardware issue or PSU issue or perhaps BIOS issue? I'm using the standard power adapter for the GT60 ONE received from MSI. I also posted on the MSI forum and was advised to install a new beta EC, but before I start flashing my laptop with beta firmware I wanted to seek advice from notebook forums.

I'd also like to point out that when I first got the laptop I tested it extensively with prime95 and even when the temperatures got very hot on the CPU (close to the TDP max for the chip), the clock speed never dropped, which leads me to believe this issue is related to the power draw for a full GPU load as well.

Thanks for the help

 

When you post a ThrottleStop log file, either Copy and Paste it to Pastebin.com or else try using the code html tags so that the formatting is preserved.

[code*]
paste log file between tags
[/code*]

Remove the * in each html tag and then the headings will line up nicely with the data so I don't go blind trying to figure all them numbers out.

The Multi column stands for your CPU multiplier. Your base clock (BCLK) speed is approximately 100 MHz so when it drops down to 12.00, your CPU drops down to 1200 MHz. If your CPU is only running at 1200 MHz then obviously it doesn't require as much voltage. That's why the VID voltage also drops at the same time.

Can you post a screen shot of ThrottleStop? Is BD PROCHOT checked? When this is checked, it allows the GPU or other things on the motherboard like the voltage regulator to tell the CPU that it is too hot. This will force the CPU to throttle whether it is too hot or not. This might be the problem.

If you are still having problems with this unchecked, make sure ThrottleStop has Set Multiplier checked and that it is set to the maximum Turbo setting. Turn ThrottleStop ON and run another log file while gaming to see if it makes any difference.

It's impossible to say what has changed since your original testing. Did you originally only do Prime95 testing without doing any full load CPU + GPU testing? A true full load test is more than some laptops are designed to handle.

If you had a Kill-a-Watt meter or similar you might be able to see a correlation between power consumption and the throttling that you are seeing. It doesn't appear to be CPU core temperature related.

 

You're right, I've asked the same question about why CPU declock when burn-in C&GPU (notebookchech test)，their answer is PSU protection. But it shouldn't be a problem during normal gaming even BF3,maybe I should do some testing myself too lol