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PC Drivers & Software

mp035
Adept I
‎06-03-2019 01:05 AM

Why does enabling AMD RX 550X GPU in ThinkPad E590 cause CPU to throttle to 200MHz on Linux?

Update: (title changed) It seems that enabling the GPU causes the i7 CPU to throttle down to around 200MHz.  The CPU is not hot (65 deg C) so I am not sure why this is happening.  This very low frequency in turn causes high CPU load (because it can not process the instructions quick enough, they pile up).  Any suggesstions would be appreciated.

Original Text:

I have just purchased a new ThinkPad E590 (i7 8565-U with UHD 620, AMD RX 550X GPU). I have installed Ubuntu 19.04 and everything works very well, except that when I start an application with the AMD GPU enabled, the CPU usage goes up to around 400% (4 cores X 100%). Running the same application from the Intel graphics results in CPU usage around 150%.

I am using the open source amdgpu driver built in to the kernel.  Benchmarks like unigine-heaven give me (FPS) results which are very similar to what I get on windows, but the massive CPU load causes the animations to stutter.  This is also true of Steam games (Dungeons 3, Cities: Skylines), which perform so bad, that they are unplayable.  I do not have this problem with my old XPS15 (Ubuntu 19.04 / i7 4712HQ / Nvidia GT750M) which runs the same games very well, so I assume that the ThinkPad with much faster CPU/GPU should have no problems.

Does anyone have any suggestions on solving this?  Any help would be appreciated.

My system details:

inxi -Fx
System:

   Kernel: 5.0.0-15-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 8.3.0

   Desktop: Gnome 3.32.0
   Distro: Ubuntu 19.04 (Disco Dingo)
   Machine: Type: Laptop

   System: LENOVO product: 20NBCTO1WW v: ThinkPad E590 serial: XXX 
   Mobo: LENOVO model: 20NBCTO1WW v: SDK0J40709 WIN serial: XXX

   UEFI: LENOVO v: R0YET31W (1.14 )
CPU:

   Topology: Quad Core

   model: Intel Core i7-8565U

   bits: 64

   type: MT MCP

   arch: Kaby Lake rev: B L2 cache: 8192 KiB
Graphics:

   Device-1: Intel UHD Graphics 620

      vendor: Lenovo

      driver: i915

      v: kernel

      bus ID: 00:02.0
   Device-2: AMD Lexa PRO [Radeon 540/540X/550/550X / RX 540X/550/550X]

      vendor: Lenovo

      driver: amdgpu

      v: kernel
      bus ID: 03:00.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: amdgpu resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
OpenGL:

   renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics (Whiskey Lake 3x8 GT2)

   v: 4.5 Mesa 19.0.2 direct render: Yes
Sensors: System Temperatures: cpu: 52.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: amdgpu temp: 44 C
Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0
Compilers: gcc: 8.3.0

Shell: bash v: 5.0.3 inxi: 3.0.33

1 Solution
mp035
Adept I
‎06-05-2019 06:18 AM

So, to answer my own question, this behavior is related to the Lenovo CPU Throttling system which requires intervention (probably from a M$ Windows service normally) to keep the CPU throttling limits at a reasonable value.  There is a project here which provides a Linux based service to fix the issue:

GitHub - erpalma/throttled: Workaround for Intel throttling issues in Linux. 

View solution in original post

4 Replies
mp035
Adept I
‎06-05-2019 06:18 AM

So, to answer my own question, this behavior is related to the Lenovo CPU Throttling system which requires intervention (probably from a M$ Windows service normally) to keep the CPU throttling limits at a reasonable value.  There is a project here which provides a Linux based service to fix the issue:

GitHub - erpalma/throttled: Workaround for Intel throttling issues in Linux. 

rowrowvee
Journeyman III
‎10-19-2019 02:39 PM

I just have the same problem. I just bought my device 2 days ago. Thinkpad E490 with RX 550x / Win10 Pro core i7. Do you have any links for Windows?

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mp035
In response to rowrowvee
Adept I
‎10-20-2019 05:45 PM

For windows I had to contact Lenovo support, they sent me links to updated drivers:

 
**AMD software and drivers are designed to work best for up-to-date operating systems. Please be sure to update your operating system before installing drivers.
 
3) Intel(R) Chipset Device Software : https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/r0ych03w.exe

4) Intel Management Engine 12.0 Firmware : https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/r0ymu01w.exe

5) Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver : https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/r0yrs03w.exe

6)  Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console with Optane Memory Driver : https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/r0yot02w.exe
 
7) Lenovo Power Management Driver (64-bit)    : https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles/n2hku52w_x64.exe  
NOTE That these links may not be the latest drivers now.  You may need to contact Lenovo for even later drivers.  Item 4 seemed to be the one that solved my issue.
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alkalineknight
Adept II
‎06-24-2020 12:13 PM

May I ask if this worked for you rowrowvee as I am up against the same issue with my Dell 7300. My setup is as follows;

Setup: Dell Latitude 7300 | i7-8665U | 32GB DDR4 | M2.sata 512GB |
iGPU: UHD 620 | eGPU: RX Vega 56 | Asus XG Station Pro | Thunderbolt 3 (15D9) : NVM 44.00

But due to my setup including eGPU I am not sure whom I turn to for support. Dell, AMD, Intel... etc...

So I would be very interested in what Drivers you are running for your Intel GPU and AMD GPU. Anything that would help me would be amazing right now. As as soon as I connect my eGPU my clock speeds reduce to 0.40Ghz.

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