How can I unlock undervoltig on my Surface book 2, to reduce heat and for more stable frequencies?

Question

Good evening!

Please advise, I want to achieve more stable processor frequencies and reduce its heating, as well as at least slightly reduce power consumption without loss of performance (because at maximum load it slowly discharges while connected to the original charger, this problem has been known for a long time) for this I wanted to perform undervolting (I know for sure that it could be done before, because I watched a video with the same surface book 2). And i am faced with the fact that i can't do it. I read the forums and it says that it is because of uefi update. Can you tell me how I can unlock the ability to undervoltig the processor.

Thank you!

Windows 11 Pro. version 23H2

Model: Surface book 2 15" 16 Ram, CPU - Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8650U, GPU 1060

I downloaded and installed the drivers for surface book 2 for windows 11 from this site : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56261.

In the update centre I ran a check. It says all updates are installed.

Switch off and switch on - Done.

Set maximum performance - Done.

Answer 1

Hi Дмитрий Радченко1,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community.

First, I would like to clarify what you meant by undervolting. Do you mean setting the device to lower its power consumption?

If yes, I'm sorry, but Microsoft does not support or recommend this on Surface devices. Modifying the device's firmware or hardware can cause damage to the device and void the warranty. Additionally, undervolting can cause instability and unexpected behavior in the device's performance.

You mentioned that you are experiencing heating and slow discharge issues even with the power supply connected. I would like to ask though:

• Whenever the device heats up, do you also experience a drop on its performance like freezing or lags? or the device would just continue to run smoothly?
• Are you using the power supply that came bundled with your Surface?

It is normal for the Surface to become warm when under normal use with several applications running for extended period, but the device should still be running fine.  It complies with the user-accessible surface temperature limits defined by the International Standards for Safety (IEC 60950-1 and IEC 62368). If the temperature will reach above the standards, the Surface would automatically turn off also giving you a thermal sign warning. Here are some guidelines below also to reduce heat related concerns (see: Product safety warnings and instructions (microsoft.com)):

• Use CAUTION when operating your device with a pillow, blanket or other soft material in contact with your device, because the material can block the airflow which may result in the device overheating.
• If your device gets uncomfortably warm, remove it and take a break.
• If your device is used for long periods, its surface can become very warm. While the temperature may not feel hot to the touch, if you maintain physical contact with the device for a long time, your skin might suffer a low-heat injury.
• Never place the power supply unit (PSU) for your device on furniture or any other surface that might be marred by exposure to heat since the surface of the PSU may increase in temperature during normal use.

Regarding with the discharge issue, when in maximum load, selecting “Better Performance” in the Power Mode slider provides a great experience and ensures that the device will charge during use. With Power Mode slider set to “Best Performance,” Surface Book 2 will prioritize the CPU and GPU over battery. In limited cases, it’s possible that during prolonged, performance-intensive scenarios, the battery may discharge while connected to the power supply but will never drain entirely.

Additionally, please make sure that your Surface is up to date by checking for updates in Windows Settings > Windows Updates and make sure all updates are installed including Optional updates. Also, check for the Surface drivers' health through the Surface app and run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit to run some system checks and repairs then see if the behavior improves. See this page for reference: Fix common Surface problems using the Surface app and Surface Diagnostic Toolkit - Microsoft Support

Kind regards,
Marrion

Answer 2

Hi Дмитрий Радченко1,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community.

First, I would like to clarify what you meant by undervolting. Do you mean setting the device to lower its power consumption?

If yes, I'm sorry, but Microsoft does not support or recommend this on Surface devices. Modifying the device's firmware or hardware can cause damage to the device and void the warranty. Additionally, undervolting can cause instability and unexpected behavior in the device's performance.

You mentioned that you are experiencing heating and slow discharge issues even with the power supply connected. I would like to ask though:

• Whenever the device heats up, do you also experience a drop on its performance like freezing or lags? or the device would just continue to run smoothly?
• Are you using the power supply that came bundled with your Surface?

It is normal for the Surface to become warm when under normal use with several applications running for extended period, but the device should still be running fine.  It complies with the user-accessible surface temperature limits defined by the International Standards for Safety (IEC 60950-1 and IEC 62368). If the temperature will reach above the standards, the Surface would automatically turn off also giving you a thermal sign warning. Here are some guidelines below also to reduce heat related concerns (see: Product safety warnings and instructions (microsoft.com)):

• Use CAUTION when operating your device with a pillow, blanket or other soft material in contact with your device, because the material can block the airflow which may result in the device overheating.
• If your device gets uncomfortably warm, remove it and take a break.
• If your device is used for long periods, its surface can become very warm. While the temperature may not feel hot to the touch, if you maintain physical contact with the device for a long time, your skin might suffer a low-heat injury.
• Never place the power supply unit (PSU) for your device on furniture or any other surface that might be marred by exposure to heat since the surface of the PSU may increase in temperature during normal use.

Regarding with the discharge issue, when in maximum load, selecting “Better Performance” in the Power Mode slider provides a great experience and ensures that the device will charge during use. With Power Mode slider set to “Best Performance,” Surface Book 2 will prioritize the CPU and GPU over battery. In limited cases, it’s possible that during prolonged, performance-intensive scenarios, the battery may discharge while connected to the power supply but will never drain entirely.

Additionally, please make sure that your Surface is up to date by checking for updates in Windows Settings > Windows Updates and make sure all updates are installed including Optional updates. Also, check for the Surface drivers' health through the Surface app and run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit to run some system checks and repairs then see if the behavior improves. See this page for reference: Fix common Surface problems using the Surface app and Surface Diagnostic Toolkit - Microsoft Support

Kind regards,
Marrion

Thank you for your reply.

I was referring to lowering the voltage to the processor. I know that U-branded processors are already low-consumption, but I would like to improve the performance. I have done this procedure on two of my previous devices and it has always been successful and improved the temperature and indirectly increased the duration of the processor's turbo boost, which would be very useful here.

The device doesn't go into defence, if that's what you mean. I didn't talk about overheating as such, the processor keeps the temperature up to 80 degrees, with second peaks of 92 degrees (it's literally for a moment and the temperature stabilises at 80 +-).But when it reaches 80 degrees it starts to reset the frequency to stay within this boundary. But lowering the voltages would allow it to hold the max frequency longer without harm. Considering that there are better chips and less successful chips and for them they set a medium voltage so that more chips can work. It's a shame that this feature was taken away.

I wouldn't risk charging the device with a third party PSU, I'm very careful with my equipment.

But objectively the native PSU is not enough for the laptop to work in resource-intensive tasks from the network.(Because of the constant microdischarge and charge the battery will degrade more, and given that no one will take to change it, it is very sad) As for switching to a lower performance mode, it is not a solution.

I don't know if it is completely safe to buy a PSU from a surface book 3, as far as I know the PSU there is more powerful.

Answer 3

Hi Дмитрий Радченко1,

Thank you for the response and for the added details.

As much as we would love to assist you on lowering the voltage of the processor, but this is not recommended, and we do not have this option available as well.

Also, regarding with the concern in using the 127watts power supply which is basically for the Surface Book 3, the 127watts power supply is compatible with other Surface devices including the Surface Book 2. See: Buy Microsoft Surface 127W Power Supply – Microsoft Surface

Kind regards,

Marrion

Answer 4

It's a pity of course, hopefully this feature will be unlocked at some point.

Thanks for letting me know about the charger compatibility.

Answer 5

Hi Дмитрий Радченко1,

You can submit feedback on this to Microsoft though through our Feedback hub to let our engineers know about your concern. See: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app - Microsoft Support

Thank you also for spending time here with us in the Community.

Kind regards,
Marrion