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Windows 11 causes discrete graphics cards to be locked at their base clock speed when idle
Testing has revealed that this is not a driver issue, but rather a problem caused by Windows updates. After comparing multiple versions, this issue was observed only in the latest version, 8246. Specifically, the latest update causes the discrete graphics card to enter sleep mode too quickly. When any program attempts to wake it up for monitoring, the graphics card repeatedly wakes up and goes back to sleep within a second, and each time it wakes up, it immediately locks onto the base clock speed.
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Thank you for sharing this detailed insight. It sounds like you've identified a specific issue related to the latest Windows build (8246), where the discrete GPU is entering sleep mode prematurely, causing rapid wake/sleep cycles and performance issues.
The update likely changed the default timeout for the “D3” (Device Sleep) state for PCI Express devices, particularly the discrete GPU. Instead of waiting an appropriate amount of time, it’s instructing the GPU to enter sleep mode within milliseconds of becoming idle.
Open NVIDIA Control Panel.
Navigate to Manage 3D settings.
Set Power management mode to Prefer maximum performance.
Apply changes.
