GPU Power Limited to 30w Under Extreme Conditions on Dell G15 5530

Summary: This article discusses why GPU power is limited to 30w while under extreme conditions and under heavy loads, or is set to Thermal or Battery Saver modes.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Symptoms

Affected Platforms:

  • Dell G15 5530

This can be seen on G15 5530 laptops:

  • The laptop is running benchmarking or performance monitoring utilities.
  • The Laptop is not on a solid frame, reference Triggering Laptop Mode on Dell G15 5530 and G16 7630 Laptops Limits the Power to the GPU.
  • That is under a heavy load and is in a high temperature environment at or beyond the maximum operating temperature specifications.
  • The flow venting is abnormal.
  • The computer is set to Thermal Modes that limit the use of the fan, such as Quiet Mode.
  • The computer is using battery, and the power mode settings are set to optimize battery life, such as Battery saver mode.
  • The computer is under a heavy load, in a high temperature environment at or beyond the maximum operating temperature specifications and playing games with heavy graphics usage.
Note:
  • The computer may experience slow framerates or performance when the GPU power is limited.
  • The power consumption of the GPU is limited to ensure that the computer does not overheat.

Examples of Frames Per Seconds (FPS) dropping during heavy graphics usage:

GPU working with 94w and 71 FPS (normal usage)

GPU working with 30W and 50 FPS

Cause

Not Applicable

Resolution

The computer is working as designed. Firmware updates allow a better balance between performance and protection.

This is an integrated feature on these laptops. To protect the laptop, an event triggers the GPU power to drop and protects the components of the laptop. This is expected behavior. BIOS and VBIOS updates were implemented to fine-tune the sensors to achieve a better balance between protection and performance.

Methods to recover from this behavior:

Affected Products

Dell G15 5530
Article Properties
Article Number: 000217923
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 22 Apr 2025
Version:  12
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.