Laptop running slow, only 30% CPU utilization.

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In the shop today I have an HP Pavillion laptop. Intel 2.7GHz. 16Gb RAM. Windows 10. Also in the shop with the same slow cpu issue is a Dell Intel I7 3.2ghz, 16gb ram, Windows 10

Both are running very slow. The resource monitor and the CPU do not go above 30% utilization or 0.48GHz. It is capped at 30%, it goes below, but never above. It is expected it to be working a lot harder than that.

Under Task Manager > Performance, the CPU usage does not go over 30%, and the Speed is clocked down to 0.78GHz.

At the bottom of the Performance tab open Open Resource Monitor, the max frequency is capped at 30%. (This should instead be showing at about 100%). This defines the maximum speed percentage which Windows will allow the CPU to run at.

What is needed is to prevent the “intelppm” service from starting (and subsequently malfunctioning), using the registry. This may especially be the case when slowness occurs on Laptops which are currently plugged in.

To do this:

Press the Windows image + R keys to open the ‘Run’ command box.
In run command box, type regedit press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
At the left pane, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\intelppm

At the right pane:

-Double click the “Start” key.

-Modify the value data from ‘3’ to ‘4’

-Click OK.

-Restart the PC

After that the CPU is longer being clocked down to a low speed, and the Maximnum Frequnency under Resource Manager now shows as 100%.

There is also the intel speedstep technology which can be disabled in the bios:
Intel Speedstep technology takes advantage of a power-management technique known as demand-based switching (DBS) and is designed to dynamically modify the voltage of the CPU—and hence the processor clock speed—based on CPU load. As a result, DBS enables processors to generate less heat by operating at the minimum voltage and clock speed necessary to perform the required operations. For example, on the Intel Xeon processor, reducing power consumption from 1.4 volts (3.6 GHz) to 1.2 volts (2.8 GHz) can reduce the heat generated by over 30 W. So if you disable this feature you may face issues like system overheating. You can also disable this feature in BIOS and check if it makes any difference.

Steps to enter system BIOS:

Restart the computer.
As soon as you see the blue Dell logo start tapping the ‘F2’ key.
After this BIOS will appear . Use the arrow keys of the keyboard to navigate between the options as the mouse is sometimes not functional in this mode.
Navigate to advanced tab and disable “Intel (R) SpeedStep ™”.
Press F10 and restart.