Why does my Dell G5 throttle the CPU during games after reinstalling Windows?
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MellowCactus47
I have a Dell G5 5590 with an i7-9750H and GTX 1650. After reinstalling Windows, the CPU started behaving erratically in several games. Its clock speed repeatedly drops from around 2.4 GHz to 0.8 GHz, causing major frame drops. The processor used to boost above 3 GHz, but now it often stays below its 2.6 GHz base clock even while gaming. Outside games, it usually sits around 2.2 GHz.
The problem is especially noticeable in Elden Ring and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Mirage usually run normally, while Uncharted 4 sometimes becomes unstable until I restart the game. Elden Ring worked correctly the first time, but began throttling on later launches. Sometimes performance improves after the laptop has been running for about 15 minutes, but changing the thermal paste did not fix it.
Temperatures are only around 60–65°C now, compared with roughly 72°C before, so this does not look like normal thermal throttling. BIOS, Windows, and drivers are updated. I have tried changing the power plan to high performance, disabling SpeedStep and C-states, reinstalling Windows 11, and using ThrottleStop. Raising PL1 from 45 W to 60 W also did not help. In ThrottleStop, PL1 turns red when entering the game world, EDP becomes yellow, and a red power warning appears.
The laptop currently has no battery, so it runs only from the charger. Could this be a power-delivery, charger, Dell performance-mode, or driver issue rather than a damaged CPU? Would installing Windows 10 help, or is there another setting or diagnostic test I should check?
Answers
The red PL1 and power-limit indicators point more toward power-limit throttling than overheating. The CPU is being told to reduce its clock because it is reaching a package-power or electrical limit. On Dell gaming laptops, this can be caused by the wrong or underpowered adapter, missing Dell power-management components after reinstalling Windows, an adapter that is not being recognized correctly, or running without a battery.
Check the charger wattage and make sure the BIOS identifies the adapter correctly. Also install Dell’s chipset, Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework, power-management, and graphics drivers from the laptop’s support page rather than relying only on Windows Update. Test with Dell Power Manager or BIOS thermal/performance modes set to Ultra Performance if available.
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The low temperatures do not rule out throttling; a laptop can reduce clock speed because of power or current limits while remaining relatively cool. A clean Windows installation can also leave out the manufacturer’s platform drivers and performance-control software. I would not switch to Windows 10 just for this, especially since it is no longer a supported choice. First verify the adapter in BIOS, install every Dell platform driver, and test with the original charger connected directly to the wall.
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A high-performance Windows plan and manually increasing PL1 do not override firmware protections. If EDP or power turns red, the embedded controller, VRM, adapter, or CPU package is limiting the system. Increasing the limit with ThrottleStop can actually make the limit trigger sooner and is not a good way to diagnose it.
Reset the BIOS to defaults, re-enable SpeedStep and C-states, and remove all ThrottleStop settings while testing. Monitor the reason for throttling with HWiNFO while the problem occurs. Look specifically for power-limit, current/EDP, PROCHOT, BD PROCHOT, and adapter warnings. If the adapter is correct and the BIOS still reports power throttling, the missing battery or a failing power-delivery component may be responsible.
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MellowCactus47: The laptop has no battery at all, and the charger is the one I have been using. I will check whether the BIOS recognizes its wattage correctly and reinstall the Dell-specific power drivers.