Power Plan CPU parameters not working

Question

Hello,

I have an AMD Phenom II 1090 CPU in my desktop  clocked at 3.2 GHz (OEM standard) and all the CPU parameters I specify in the advanced power plan settings under the processor management section seem to be ignored for the most part.

I am trying to conserve power during idle so I set the minimum CPU state to 5%. However, I also do graphics work in Adobe Illustrator, and when that is running I need maximum performance form my CPU; thus I set the maximum state to 100% so it should run at 2.8-3.2 GHz.

However,  while my CPU idles around 700 MHz, when I open up illustrator it stays at 700 MHz.  I have tried all sorts of applications, from games to many office app instances and it still stays at 700 MHz. I have had to resort to manually changing power plans every time I want to do work in Illustrator; and its a hassle.

For some reason it appears that the minimum CPU section is like the maximum because it never exceeds 700 MHz regardless of the workload. I am wondering if I did something wrong and if not, if there is a way to have the CPU clock increase when I open illustrator or some other intensive application; without having to switch power plans every time I open it.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hey Babu,

Thank you for the info. I tried creating new power plans and my results varied. The original problem of the clock staying exactly the same did not persist per say, and I did find a potential middle ground, but I do have one last inquiry. Let me explain my findings first though. So, it appears that when I create a power plan I have to base it on one of the three standards (power saver, balanced, and high performance).

I decided to create identical power plans under each of the presets and the results were different. I created identical power plans in that all the settings that I could change under advance settings were the same; the only difference was the existing plan that I based it on.

The results are quite interesting, but still not entirely satisfactory. For example, when I created the plan based on the power saver, I put 5% and 100% into the minimum and maximum CPU parameters and despite that, the CPU idled at 700 MHz and under extreme loads, only went up to 1.2GHz. When I created a plan based on the balanced preset, I once again put 5% and 100% into the minimum and maximum CPU parameters and the CPU idled at roughly .96MHz -1.2 GHZ, but when under load it went up to 3.3 GHz. Lastly, when I created a plan based off of the high performance preset, again with 5% and 100%, it idled at 1.5-1.9GHz and under load actually overclocked my CPU to 3.5GHz.

From those observations I concluded that the plan I created based on the balanced preset was clearly the most suitable for my needs. However, I am wondering why I cannot create a plan where I can get the maximum range of my CPU from 700MHZ idle to 3.2+ for workloads. Obviously the plan I stated above is pretty close and generally satisfactory, but  an extra 200 MHZ lower, if its possible would be even better.  To that end I tried lowering the minimum to 1% but the idle stayed identical. Is there any way I could get the idle clock lower like the power saving based plan at 700 MHz and still retain the ability to have the CPU hit 3.2+ during workloads or is the balance based plan I created the best that can be done regarding this?

Answer 2

Hi,

Let’s create a new power plan, set the Minimum processor state and Maximum processor state values in the advanced power plan settings, then check if the issue persists.

Refer to the following link to create a new power plan:

**Power plans: Frequently asked questions**

Note: The above link applies to Windows 8.1 also.

Hope the information provided is helpful. Do reply, if you need further help.

Answer 3

Hi,

Apologize for the delay in reply.

You may go with the Balanced plan which you have customized as I feel that is suited for your needs on the computer.

Thank you.