Processor stuck at 10% Speed

[Senkusha]

Hi all! I have an Alienware R13. Its warranty recently expired. But I have a problem. I noticed that my PC is acting really sluggish. I looked at my Task Manager (Windows 11 Pro) and noticed that instead of my CPU running at 3.19 GHz speed, it's only running at 0.38 GHz. I've looked at my Power Management settings, and they are set to Best Performance, and 100% minimum and maximum processor power usage. I've tried tweaking some Intel SpeedStep settings, I've even unplugged my computer from the power strip and directly into the wall outlet. Also the case appears to be fully secured. The temperature is running at about 30C to 40C and my utilization is only averaging 5%. I've tried a few Registry settings and looked for anything that would be considered Power Throttling. I'm out of ideas. Here's my Processor Stats:

CPU

12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF

Base speed: 3.19 GHz
Sockets: 1
Cores: 16
Logical processors: 24
Virtualization: Enabled
L1 cache: 1.4 MB
L2 cache: 14.0 MB
L3 cache: 30.0 MB

Utilization 3%
Speed 0.38 GHz
Up time 0:02:56:50
Processes 246
Threads 4145
Handles 141063

My computer should be blazing fast and shouldn't be lagging just changing application windows. Does anybody have any insight as to what I can do? My next course of action is trying to swap out my power supply and getting into the hardware. I'm really hoping that this is just a software glitch.

 

[TwitchisMental]

What happens when you stress test it?

You can use Cinebench to stress test it and watch your usage via TaskManager or HWMonitor.

You can get Cinebench here - https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9PGZKJC81Q7J?hl=en-us&gl=US

You can get HWMontior here - https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

Watch the temp, power consumption, and the speed that the CPU is running at.

If the CPU is malfunctioning you may get a blank screen or the computer may turn off.

Let me know the results.

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Have you recently downloaded and installed any Windows Updates or Driver Updates?

Do you have an SSD? If so what percentage of free space does it have left?

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Have you run a hardware diagnostics test at all?

It being an Alienware it should have dell diagnostics via Dell Support Assist within Windows or by rebooting the computer and booting into the built in diags. This is usually done by pressing f12 multiple times right after being turned on and until the boot options appear then choosing Diagnostics.

From there let that run and see if it provides any errors. If it does what errors do you get?

 

[Senkusha]

Okay, quickly, I'll do a stress test on the CPU and get back to you. I'm sure Windows has automatically downloaded updates, I typically don't mess with the updating process and just trust that it won't break anything.... I'm used to Ubuntu's stuff just working when it's released/updated.

Yes, I do have an SSD. Currently at 219 GB free of 934 GB (Drive C) (about 23%).

 

[TwitchisMental]

Okay, quickly, I'll do a stress test on the CPU and get back to you. I'm sure Windows has automatically downloaded updates, I typically don't mess with the updating process and just trust that it won't break anything.... I'm used to Ubuntu's stuff just working when it's released/updated.

Yes, I do have an SSD. Currently at 219 GB free of 934 GB (Drive C) (about 23%).

You are getting close to being below the recommended free space for SSDs. It varies depending on the quality of the SSD and the flash storage technology used with in.(QLC,TLC, etc). With that said, leaving above 20% free space is the usual recommendation. I have witnessed quite a few various performance issues caused by a near full SSD.

Samsung Magician is actually a great tool that while made for Samsung Drives, works for most others.. It has built in tool under Drive Details that will let you know if there is insufficient free space. If it does give that warning, the resolution would be to free up some space. Then see if you continue to get performance issues.

Not promising this is the cause, but it is certainly something to check off the list.

You can also check your Windows Update History by using the view update history option.

So let me know the results of the stress test, drive health & details results, and the recent updates that were installed(if any). We can go from there .

 

[Senkusha]

I've noticed as I'm running Cinebench, my CPU is maxed out at a solid 12% utilization. Temps are at 27C, and I've noticed that my max voltage is 0.778V. Clock speeds are 399 MHz for all but one core. (the odd ball is 412 MHz).

 

[TwitchisMental]

I've noticed as I'm running Cinebench, my CPU is maxed out at a solid 12% utilization. Temps are at 27C, and I've noticed that my max voltage is 0.778V. Clock speeds are 399 MHz for all but one core. (the odd ball is 412 MHz).

That is not a good sign.

Can you also provide the drive health & details results as well as the recent updates that were installed(if any).

 

[Senkusha]

So in about six hours, I'll have removed 14 GB of downloads off of my C drive. LOL

 

[Senkusha]

That is not a good sign.

Can you also provide the drive health & details results as well as the recent updates that were installed(if any).

Is there an easy way to copy/paste that info?

 

[TwitchisMental]

Is there an easy way to copy/paste that info?

The only real info I need is if it says insufficient free space and if does show drive health for your specific drive, what percentage it is at.

 

[Senkusha]

Well, I deleted over 80GB of games and stuff that I haven't touched in months. I'm moving about 15GB of random data that I'll go through later. That makes my free drive space over 350 GB / 900 GB. So there should be plenty of space. I'll see if I can figure out what Windows Update installed recently...

 

[TwitchisMental]

Well, I deleted over 80GB of games and stuff that I haven't touched in months. I'm moving about 15GB of random data that I'll go through later. That makes my free drive space over 350 GB / 900 GB. So there should be plenty of space. I'll see if I can figure out what Windows Update installed recently...

I am assuming that you are still having the same issue then eh?

I am not sure how comfortable with hardware you are, but it could certainly be the CPU going out.


You could also check for a UEFI/BIOS update. There is a recent one on the driver update page for your computer.

Alienware Aurora R13 System BIOS | Driver Details | Dell US

You can use Dell Support Assist to download and install this for you.

Important Note as noted from the Dell Page :
- Do not power off the system until the process of updating the BIOS is completed.
- BIOS updates take no more than 5 minutes to be installed on your system. You can install the updates in the background while using the system.


You could also remove the cooler and check the thermal paste. It may just need the old paste removed and new paste applied. I know it is showing as 27 with the software, but while not as common as it was, the temperature shown by the software could be incorrect.

Note : Only do this yourself if you are comfortable doing so. If not I would suggest taking it to a repair shop.


It could also be your PSU. If it is not producing enough power it can cause similar issues. Do you have a multimeter?

 

[Senkusha]

Okay. I was able to finally run the diagnostics. After a 27 minute, "fifteen minute test" no issues were found, and my warranty is expired. LOL

No, I don't have a multimeter, nor do I really have the money to purchase any replacements. I'm almost ready to go back to DOS on this thing!

I'll try a BIOS update tomorrow, as I'm sure it'll probably take like 30 minutes just to get into the software. I've looked at the case,and to be honest, I'm really not sure how to get inside the case. I read online that a screw was loose on somebody's machine and the computer throttled the processor because of it, but everything seems tight.

 

[TwitchisMental]

Okay. I was able to finally run the diagnostics. After a 27 minute, "fifteen minute test" no issues were found, and my warranty is expired. LOL

No, I don't have a multimeter, nor do I really have the money to purchase any replacements. I'm almost ready to go back to DOS on this thing!

I'll try a BIOS update tomorrow, as I'm sure it'll probably take like 30 minutes just to get into the software. I've looked at the case,and to be honest, I'm really not sure how to get inside the case. I read online that a screw was loose on somebody's machine and the computer throttled the processor because of it, but everything seems tight.

Well another thing you can do is backup your important data and reinstall windows. This would give you a fresh start and eliminate 99% possible software related issues.

If it works awesome.. if not I would suspect CPU or PSU at this point.

Edit: assuming it isn't a bios issue... which it was lol.

 

[Senkusha]

Update!

It worked! Flashing the BIOS fixed the issue! Thank you!

CPU
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF
Base speed: 3.19 GHz
Sockets: 1
Cores: 16
Logical processors: 24
Virtualization: Enabled
L1 cache: 1.4 MB
L2 cache: 14.0 MB
L3 cache: 30.0 MB
Utilization 6%
Speed 4.14 GHz
Up time 0:00:01:27
Processes 207
Threads 3974
Handles 106655

 

[TwitchisMental]

Update!

It worked! Flashing the BIOS fixed the issue! Thank you!

CPU
12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900KF
Base speed: 3.19 GHz
Sockets: 1
Cores: 16
Logical processors: 24
Virtualization: Enabled
L1 cache: 1.4 MB
L2 cache: 14.0 MB
L3 cache: 30.0 MB
Utilization 6%
Speed 4.14 GHz
Up time 0:00:01:27
Processes 207
Threads 3974
Handles 106655

Awesome sauce glad to hear it .

 

[Reverie]

Man I loved reading through this and I'm glad you got it fixed!!

 

[Cedric]

Awesome work @TwitchisMental ! Thanks for your help!

 

[TwitchisMental]

Awesome work @TwitchisMental ! Thanks for your help!

No problem, it is what I do .

 

[Senkusha]

OMG! It's BACK! The stupid slowness returned! And a BIOS update didn't do anything.

 

[TwitchisMental]

OMG! It's BACK! The stupid slowness returned! And a BIOS update didn't do anything.

Interesting...

Does it occur while in safe mode?

Here is a guide on how to get into safe mode - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-windows-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234