Sort of surprised about cpu throttling down under load

[Michael Lovett]

On my sp3 i7, I've been a bit of load testing... mostly to see if my unit is going to experience some of the heat related problems others have noted.

I fired up a movie, and 4 copies of a cpu intensive program that runs calculations that take hours each to complete.

On the plus side, the UI did not become unresponsive, unlike on my prior laptop.

However, what I saw surprised me - as the sp3 heated up (to 104 externally) the cpu utilization and speed both dropped - to about 34% utilization (down from 100%) and down to .9 gig hz!

In other words, I think in order to prevent overheating the unit slows everything down to let the unit cool off.. is this right?

If that's the case, it makes the sp3 a bit problematic as a desktop replacement. How would a developer of software understand the speed metrics of his application if the os/cpu are slowing things down to accommodate heating issues??

Michael

 

[ctitanic]

Let me clarity something. Nobody said over that the SP3 can replace your desktop. It can replace a laptop, it can replace another tablet, but it can't replace a desktop where your can have enough space to install the best cooling system in the market.

Look at your Surface as a desktop companion, a very powerful and capable one but definitely no a PC to run 4 copies of a CPU intensive program and on top watch a movie. Come on! You are pushing the envelope, do not you think?!

 

[Michael Lovett]

Yes, I think that's pushing the envelope. And my point it not to gripe that the sp3 isn't "as good as a desktop".. it's more of a realization that there are certain things it's not going to be good at.

And possibly developing software where one has to measure time based performance, might be one such area.

The reason for my post was just that this was a new awareness for me and I thought it might be a useful awareness to others

M

 

[ctitanic]

Got your point but we need to be realistic.

What I do is that I keep a desktop PC always on and I connect to it from my Sp3 to run any heavy task on it.

 

[bluegrass]

Frank - is your desktop in a domain or workgroup? Could you run your desktop from Paris, France, or Cancun, Mexico just as well as if you were at home?

 

[mohcho]

It shouldn't matter if you know what you're doing and have admin rights on either domain or workgroup systems.

And yes, taxing the SP3 and expecting it to function exemplary under all conditions is a bit much to expect.

 

[ctitanic]

Frank - is your desktop in a domain or workgroup? Could you run your desktop from Paris, France, or Cancun, Mexico just as well as if you were at home?

I have my AP at home configured with a VPN connection so yes, wherever I have Internet I can't connect to mpg home PC.
At work I do not want my personal Pc to join the domain so I use Logmein or TeanViewer.

 

[Michael Lovett]

I thought I'd laid the throttling issue to reset. After all, my initial load test of 4-cpu intensive apps, plus a video was over the top.

So today I'm using the unit to run just one sustained calculation (which can run for 15 minutes or longer).

The CPU speed jumps up to around 3.2 for the first 30 seconds or so. Then as the unit heats up, the cpu speed drops, drops, and drops, until it is below 1Gig.

This is slower than many of the surface pro 2 tablets, and slower than the laptop I'd hoped to replace it with.

So now I'm wondering: just why are we being sold i5's and i7's that can't sustain their speed? What is the good of having this CPU speed if it can only be maintained for short bursts?? Honestly, this is getting close to "false advertising" for me... and I love the SP3 overall so don't be fast to dismiss me as a hater

But If I bought a car that was advertised as a replacement for my previous car, and I found out that after 10 minutes on the highway and highway speeds, it would slow down to 30 mph until it cooled off, I would think I'd been majorly duped. Why shouldn't I have the same reaction over the sp3??

Michael

 

[ctitanic]

Well, depending on the car that you were trying to replace.
Read this:
http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/procthrottlemax-powercfg-setting.10536/#post-77387
That may help you.

 

[ctitanic]

Lets put if in this way:
a) is the sp3 thinner compared to sp2? Yes
b) lighter? Yes
c) better screen? Yes
d) faster? No

3 vs 1. For many these 4 points are not enough, for me they are.

 

[grumpy]

Lets put if in this way:

How about adding a little perspective to "your way"

a) is the sp3 thinner compared to sp2? Yes

By 4mm

b) lighter? Yes

By 100g

c) better screen? Yes

Debatable. The size/aspect often comes down to preference. Using thinner glass compromised by holes seems to have been a mistake.

d) faster? No

It should have been able to at least hold its own against the SP2

3 vs 1. For many these 4 points are not enough, for me they are.

Your point by point comparison is misleading. One really needs to look at the individual tradeoffs. So, saving 4mm and 100g in exchange for seriously hobbling the performance - I don't consider that an equitable tradeoff. Perhaps it is for those coming from an iPad or for whom a WinRT device would really meet their needs.

But, perhaps we can finally put to bed this notion that it is only an issue with the GPU or only affects gamers.

 

[ctitanic]

Affect gamers and users running "very intensive" calculations. Come on! Tell me that that's the majority. Any way, I'm tired of these discussions. Do you think that the SP2 is better? Get one!