Forum Discussion
Video in Teams causes Surface Pro to overheat
I finally solved the problem by setting pl2 to 13 watt and pl1 to 25 watt in ThrottleStop. Pl1 time is 28 sec. ThrottleStop is in "turned off" mode and doesn't control Speed Shift epp (it is controlled by Windows) . Now my Surface works on 2.5-3GHz I don't have any throttling anymore.
I probably spent a year to realized how to correctly set it but now everything works pretty fine even in heavy apps.
P. S. So, in reality the problem is that some Surface software sets pl1 to 61 watt on Windows. For example everything works correctly on Linux from the box. So, ThrottleStop just correctly sets Pl1 limit and that's it.
P. P. S. Please, like my answer if it helps you because it may help other users (I hope)
Thanks for the your reply and solution. I don't know how to do this. I downloaded the tool ThrottleStop, but not sure, which concrete settings I should select. There are too many things which i could change and don't want to crash my notebook.
I open ThrottleStop. -> Throttle is turned off by default as I understand.
Then i need to go to "TPL" settings?
Screenshot1
- I changed following parameters in blue
- to get the settings in yellow
Now it looks like this
This "Turn On" Button means, ThrottleStop is in "turned off" mode, right?!
zafero1975 The most stupid thing is that the problem happens only on Windows. On Linux everything works perfectly. Well, I will go to buy a new laptop very soon and it is so sad that Microsoft didn't fix the problem at the end for more than 3 years.
I just tested it in Furmark and gives 1 fps on Windows and 13 fps on Ubuntu.
I think the reason is in Intel Thermal Framework because removing of Intermal Thermal Framework participants from Device Manager fixes the problem for a couple of minutes until the processor starts throttle by BD PROCHOT which can be disabled only by Throttlestop.
Interesting is there a way to ping Microsoft support to highlight the topic back?
Alexander_Novikov thanks for the feedback.
The Microsoft support is simply ridiculous. And it's an absurdity that their own hardware/software combination doesn't work for simple requirements. No audio/video/photo editing, no games, just simple office activities.... For now mine still works somehow/halfway, but I also will buy a new notebook this year. I think it will be a Lenovo 😉
Here’s another useful thing I’ve learned. It’s very helpful to disable the DPTF sensors. There’s no need to disable the Processor Participant or Battery Participant, so the system can still manage frequencies, but you should disable the chassis sensors specifically. You can do this in the Device Manager, but if the tablet has already overheated, it might get stuck in the wrong settings. So, it’s better to search for the "NoDPTF registry file" and apply it.
Next, you need to enable ThrottleStop because, by default, DPTF sets PL2/PL1 to 61/25 watts, which, without dynamic management, will lead to immediate overheating. Here are the settings I settled on:
I disabled SpeedStep because it’s an outdated technology, and by default, the Surface uses SpeedShift. BD Prochot doesn’t work particularly well, so I disabled that too. It triggers even when the chassis and the processor are still at safe temperatures.
I set PL1 to 15 watts. I tested it for an hour in Cinebench and during Teams conferences. Everything works great, and nothing freezes, even when running on power. When running on battery and just browsing, the tablet stays completely cool and doesn’t slow down.
I tested 20 watts – the tablet shut down after about an hour in Teams, plus I think it’s harmful to the battery. I believe the threshold can be raised to around 18 watts, but that requires further testing. I tried another hour in Teams with video calls while on AC power with 18 watts, and everything was fine. But, personally, I’m sticking with 15 watts because everything works perfectly as is. The processor runs at 2 GHz and sometimes boosts to over 3 GHz.
Even during prolonged use while plugged in, under full load, the chassis temperature doesn’t rise above 55 degrees.
Yes, this exceeds Intel’s 50 degrees standards, but you end up with a slightly warm but efficient device, not a useless piece of metal. And I doubt the battery degrades more from an extra 5 degrees. In all these tests, the CPU temperature never exceeded 85 degrees, which is also great, as the safe limit for Intel is around 100 degrees, after which the device will shut down.
You can still use Windows power modes, and power efficiency is maintained since they mostly control the SpeedShift EPP setting. We haven’t blocked Windows or DPTF from managing frequencies.So, I can wholeheartedly recommend these settings. I take no responsibility for your devices, but I believe my conclusions are sound.
I personally ended up buying a new laptop with a cutting-edge processor for development and audio processing, but I'm confident that with the current settings, my Surface will last many more years as a tablet for calls and browsing.
I hope I was able to help someone!
- I just noted difference in our screenshots. I made a mistake. Short power should be more than long power.
- You need to uncheck "Disable controls" and check "Sync MMIO" back. I can make a screenshot tomorrow but all other things looks fine.
- Great, thank you!!!! I hope my screenshots also help others 😉
My settings. Power limit is activated because an audio editor works in a separate window.
I personally add ThrottleStop to autorun. I also noted that PL4 somehow impacts maximum frequency, so, your high value is correct!
All the best to you!