x17 R2, power, thermal barrier

Question

Hi Dell guys,

I think you guys tweak the x17 r2 BIOS too conservatively.

i9-12900HK, RTX 3080 Ti, latest AWCC 5.5.80, full speed mode.

Running FurMark or MSI Kombustor GPU test, monitoring the hardware stats by HWiNFO.

GPU power can reach 165W max, but CPU only reaches 30W at around 80 Celsius degrees. Total system power reaches only 240W.

If running GPU + CPU combined stress test (FurMark + Prime95 small ffts), GPU declines to around 130W, but CPU is still at 30W and 80 Celsius degrees. Total system power declines to 200W.

I think the CPU thermal barrier is set too low? There is no point running the CPU at only 30W and 80 Celsius degrees.

Tested in Forza Horizon 5 in-game benchmark @1080P extreme settings, the stable CPU power is 30W too.

This limits the total system performance very much.

I have no other problems, this is just a feedback. And I wish you guys can tweak this in future BIOS updates.

A51-06 · Answer

Hi @kiss4luna ,

Have you tried making sure in the advanced power plan settings the CPU isn't limited to a specific percentage so it can use more wattage, and have you tried using the Intel (TM) Xtreme Tuning Utility to tweak the wattage and find out if it's the BIOS limiting power or it's just the Efficiency cores working.

kiss4luna · Answer

Hi! Power plan checked, no CPU limit. XTU not tested yet. Would update the result later.

kiss4luna · Answer

XTU checked. It seems the BIOS is limiting the CPU power by CPU temp.

A51-06 · Answer

Hi @kiss4luna ! I see you mentioned its based-on CPU temp, which in my opinion is smart but if its too aggressive and dropping wattage too much then @Dell-BradL can be asked.

Alienware

x17 R2, power, thermal barrier

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