Windows 10: CPU not running at full speed even at high performance power mode

I've notice that on windows 10 and 8.1, task manager would show the my max cpu core speed is 2.3-2.4 ghz. However, my Core 2 Quad q8400 is rated at 2.66 ghz. I tried changing the power settings in windows and try lowering my cpu temperature, but my speed would never reach 2.66 ghz.

Should i be concerned about this or is it just a error on windows part? Also, i get different readings in Task Manager and CPU-z. Does anybody know a cpu benchmark that would allow me to compare my stock Q8400 to other Q8400s to see if it is on par?













:)

 

Fan runs constantly

I'm 1 day into windows 10 and the fans on my laptop are running constantly at full speed having literally never done that before in the year I've owned the laptop, even at high cpu.

They run at full speed from the second the laptop is switched on, stone cold, with absolutely nothing running and total cpu at less than 5%.

They don't turn off when I switch to power save.

Is there something I can do to solve the problem that doesn't require a degree in I.T? Has anyone reverted back to 8.1 and fixed the problem that way? I'd much rather scrap windows 10 then carry this on, it feels like it's damaging my machine!

 

Power Service causes Hard System Freeze on Windows 10

I am on the balanced plan right now because my CPU is running full speed constantly, but switching to the balanced plan did not resolve that issue. I will switch over to the high performance plan shortly and enable the Power Service. It will only take
a few minutes to try. I'll give it 3 or 4 reboots if it fails to end the freezes. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I wouldn't worry about this one bit. The PC will use the required amount of processor power when it's required. And you don't need to run the processor at full speed all of the time.

Jeff

 

thank but shouldn't my cpu be running at full speed especially for very demanding games? As you can see form the screenshots, my cpu doesn't go full speed when playing Witcher 3.

 

Not really,, the PC is going to use the amount of speed that it needs at that moment.

 

get real temp GT run XS bench test (tab at bottom) what speed does it report your cpu getting to?

Real Temp - CPU temperature monitoring

 

Screenie your report heres mine as an example ^^

 

I get 2.66 ghz from both version of RealTemp. Does this mean that my task manager is not accurate in terms of the cpu ghz? Maybe it has to do with my outdated bios and how it wasn't intended for Windows 8+?

 

If realtemp is saying your cpu is running at 2.66 then its fine , most likely your gpu isnt "man" enough to max out your cpu *Smile or your games are more gpu intensive

 

I know this is an old thread but I need help because I have the same issue my laptop is supposed to be running a 2.6 gigahertz and it's only running at 1.29 I even did the real bench test and it said the same what do I do?

 

Welcome to TenForums @dclevy1

I get that occasionally. My 2.10 Ghz laptop gets stuck at 0.80 GHz. Is yours a Toshiba? Over the years I've seen this reported most often for that brand. I've never got to the bottom of why it does this, something in the power management seems to have lost track of what power state it's in.

The first time it starts going slow unplugging the power cord can reset things and it runs normally again - even after plugging the power back in. However, if it goes slow a second or third time this trick no longer works.

A Restart always puts everything back to normal, but a shutdown may not. That's because Shutdown can use fast start up which can preserve the settings that make it slow. A Restart does a full start up from cold.

 

Don't worry about it. It is doing what it's supposed to do, it is not an 'issue'.
The CPUs used in Laptops vary the clock speed depending on what job they are doing. Running at high clock speeds all the time increases the power consumption and the need for good heat dissipation.

My Laptop is a good example. Nominally a 2.5 GHz processor and it varies from 0.8 GHz to 3.1 GHz depending on the task involved.
A good time to observe this is during a Windows 10 update, just look at the CPU in the Task Manager.
On mine this will cover that whole range of clock speeds at various times.
You can do a similar thing with any application you have in mind.

Mine is a Toshiba and it is certainly not stuck at 0.8 GHz. I don't use the extra section put in by Toshiba for Power Options(Toshiba Eco Utility is off).
There are enough Power Plan options without adding Toshibas.