Hey everyone! I'm diving into understanding computers better and have a question. Why is it that my CPU clock speeds drop to a mere 0.4GHz when my CPU usage hits 100%? I would think that with full usage, the clocks should be ramped up to max speed. My computer becomes really choppy at 100% CPU usage, and as far as I can tell, I'm missing out on potential performance. My CPU temperatures are perfectly fine, never exceeding 55°C even after prolonged usage. Just to give you some context, I have a Ryzen 5600G CPU and a 5700 XT GPU, and I'm running a desktop setup with the Linux Power Management Profile set to Performance, not Power Save. I appreciate any help!
5 Answers
That clock slowdown usually happens when the system thinks something's off, prompting it to throttle the CPU under load. Since your temps are okay, it might be a power or software setting messing with things. A good start would be to update your BIOS!
Sounds like something's wrong—try resetting your BIOS and enable XMP/DOCP. Also, check your power settings to ensure they’re set to either balanced or max performance.
Try installing ThrottleStop and see what readings you get. We've had similar throttling issues with laptops at my job, where the CPU temp looks fine, but an external sensor freaks out and thinks it's overheating. Discharging the power might help; just unplug your PC and hold the power button for about a minute.
This could be related to a PROCHOT sensor issue, or it might just be that your CPU's thermal paste is old and needs replacing. Try monitoring your temps with something like CPUTemps or AMD Adrenalin. But just a heads up, since you mentioned you're on a desktop and your temps are under control, that might not be the issue.
I have a similar issue but with an Intel CPU. It usually runs at 3GHz, but sometimes gets stuck at 800MHz until I restart it. Funny enough, a full power off and back on causes the issue, but a soft restart fixes it.
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