Question 9900K + Asus z390 mboard runs at max turbo on all cores at idle/full load

[deustroop]

This board, the Prime z390-A, much maligned as an oc platform, is somehow able to run the 9900K cpu at max turbo at idle, ie, utilization 0-2%, on all cores and also at full load. I do not understand .

OOTB, with no input to UEFI except manually setting the Dram frequency, the cpu freq is max turbo, 5GHz. I literally have not seen 3.6 GHz, at all. MCE is on "Auto" which is off.

HWMonitor shows this as follows.




Next, when I use cpu-z to stress the cpu, running all cores at 100%,
the frequencies ( all of them ) step down as expected to keep the cpu with the power limit of 95 watts. But again the freq are in lock step. HWM shows this




Finally, when I enable MCE, the power limit and stepping are blown away and the board runs back to 5GHz on all cores. With MCE enabled, Is this an oc ? I don't show the temps but the package is ~ 75c.

 

[Ed1]

I would disable MCE, I think once you alter ram speed it gets enabled, but your load test says no.
Make sure you are on Balanced power plan, I have seen others report max freq when HP is set on.

PS: does Vcore change from idle to load?

 

[deustroop]

I do not use MCE in normal ops and only have set it to tease out the parameters of this board's performance. I am copecetic with having 5 GHz turbo on all the time, with down clocking at any load to conform to TDP. I cannot see a downside as the cooling here handles the temps well.

I note that the wife has a new Asus Notebook, the VivoBook S15, and that unit performs identically--a constant max turbo, stepping down to conform with the TDP. I have not entered the UEFI on that unit.

VCore at idle is 0.737v
At 100% load, 1.137v.

Looking further at power states, as you suggest, it appears that the windows power plan is the determining factor. I use HPP automatically. The setting that affects freq is the processor power state. For max and min, it runs @ 100%. However, changing max and minimum processor states to values less than 75% will also reduce the fixed frequencies at idle and load. The lock step for each core still seems an odd but troubless feature.
I'm leaving it at 100%, no MCE .(I note however that using MCE will run the board effortlessly at a constant 5 GHz, an easy o/c, where the user has proper cooling per usual.)
Power on Macduff!

 

[DrMrLordX]

Interesting. What are the VRM temps like when you run it with MCE active?

 

[deustroop]

I/m using HWInfo64 but see no tmp for VRM. Which one is it ?

 

[DrMrLordX]

Should be listed under the motherboard. On my X370 Taichi, under the motherboard heading, it has temps for Motherboard, CPU, VRM, Auxiliary, AUXTIN2, and CPU (PECI). Since you have a different mobo/mobo chipset, I would expect different temp sensors. But you should still have a sensor for VRM.

 

[deustroop]

Can't find one in HWMonitor or HWIn64. Here is MCE / 100% all core--VRM measure may be here somewhere-Tempx values ?

Note the processor power/package value--way over the TDP and the Vcore value.

 

[ehume]

I use Real Temp to monitor core temps.

 

[Markfw]

OK, That picture shows 100% utilization, but your thread title says at idle.

 

[deustroop]

Real Temp does not support octo cores:

" RealTemp is a temperature monitoring program designed for all Intel single Core, dual Core and quad Core processors."

I wonder if Asus Prime z390 boards do not make VRM temp available directly ?

 

[ehume]

I have a version that reports the temps of six cores, but I take your point.

 

[DrMrLordX]

Can't find one in HWMonitor or HWIn64. Here is MCE / 100% all core--VRM measure may be here somewhere-Tempx values ?

The motherboard should be its own entity, with a lot of sensors/info underneath it. If not then it's one of the other sensors.

 

[deustroop]

OK, That picture shows 100% utilization, but your thread title says at idle.

Title says idle/full load
See image #1.

 

[DrMrLordX]

See image #1.

Okay, so looking at the pics again, I'm going to guess that the VRM sensor - if there is one! - is somewhere in the TMPINx fields. None of the temps report higher than 53C, and since that's the only TMPIN sensor that seems to move with CPU load, I'm guessing that one (TMPIN3) is your VRM temp.

 

[ehume]

OCCT has all the Temperature inputs listed. Just click on the bottom button of the three on the right side of the main window.

 

[Campy]

I think I remember hearing that many/some Asus boards don't have functioning VRM temp sensors. Try HWInfo64 or perhaps Aida64 software.

 

[deustroop]

HWInfo shows a "Temp 9 " , reporting 91C when the cpu is idle and about the same at MCE on a full load.That does not seem consistent with the higher voltage pumped into the core. And the other temps don't give me much info either.Temp 5 here appears to be the same as temp3 shown in HWMonitor.
Running HWInfo64, the first image below shows sensors when the cpu is at idle, (all cores however run at max turbo, 5 GHz, as in image #1 in post #1) and the second image below reports the sensors when the cpu runs at 100% usage with MCE engaged.



I can only say VRM is shown at Temp 3 in HWM or Temp 5 or 9 in HWI .
Or nowhere.
I looked at sites discussing Asus boards and inadequate VRM cooling but couldn't find the actual values in HWI or HWM.

The original point I wanted to make remains, that the board can apparently achieve an o/c like performance and run at 5 GHz at full load, without overheating, but requires MCE and has uncertain VRM temps in the process.