I'm currently working with an AMD EPYC 7313 16-Core Processor on a Gigabyte MZA2-CE0-00 mainboard, and I'm running Rocky Linux 10.1. I've noticed that while my BIOS setting for "Core Performance Boost" is set to "Auto," the CPU isn't boosting as expected. When I run the `cpupower frequency-info` command, it indicates that the hardware limit is 3.73 GHz, and the governor is set to "performance." However, when I run a stress test using `taskset -c 9 stress-ng --cpu 1 --timeout 60s`, my CPU only hits around 3.0 GHz at best. I've checked the CPU max frequency settings, and everything seems correct. I've also ensured that the power policy in the BIOS is set to "Best Performance." I can't seem to find why I'm stuck at the base clock speed. What could be causing this issue?
3 Answers
I doubt it's a thermal issue. Still, it might be worth installing the `lm-sensors` package and checking your temperatures just to be sure. Sometimes the system throttles if it thinks things are overheating.
I had a similar problem on another Supermicro board. An initial BIOS update helped, but it reverted every time I tweaked the power settings. Resetting to default and then applying the best performance settings got me back to boosting. Have you tried just resetting your BIOS settings after changing things around?
Good idea! I did update to the latest BIOS and reset to defaults, but it didn’t change anything - still stuck at 3.0 GHz.
Some systems, like certain HP servers, restrict performance if they detect insufficient power supply or fan issues. Maybe check if there's something similar for your Gigabyte board?
I don't think that's the case. The manual doesn’t mention that, and I have two 800W PSUs installed, and usage is around 200W max.

I checked and reported temps are 47C idle and 66C under load, so that shouldn't be the problem.