PC Processors

[PurplFedora]

Heya! First time using one of these tech forums for support, so apologies if I'm doing something wrong.

After an unfortunate chain of events that started with "I should dust out my CPU cooler" and ended with "WHY IS THIS SO SLOW!?", with events in between including having to replace my Cooler Master CPU cooler with the stock AMD one that came with my Ryzen 5 3600 (for some reason the CM's screws wouldn't push down far enough), my CPU has been experiencing some difficulties in its speed that did not occur before.

On startup, my CPU speed is stuck at 0.54 GHz and makes my desktop very painful to use, as applications are slow, my mouse cursor frequently freezes, etc.. I managed to fix this by disabling PROCHOT, however some applications like Discord are still slow and I get terrible framerate in games. I get ~55 FPS on War Thunder's main menu on low graphics settings. I have a 144Hz monitor, so my FPS is usually much higher, around 90-100 FPS.

Additionally, after disabling PROCHOT, some programs use way more of my CPU than they should. For example, Task Manager showed that Discord was using upwards of 75% of my CPU for a bit, which has never happened before.

I know that temperature isn't the issue, as I'm currently averaging 45 degrees Celsius while typing this.

Things I have tried so far:
- Updating BIOS to latest version
- Changing power settings
- Resetting BIOS
- Checking CPU Cooler (once again, temperature isn't the issue)
- Disabling PROCHOT (CPU speed jumped back up to full speed, but still slow sometimes)
- Turning OC on & off (it didn't seem to make much of a difference, I got higher temps with OC on but performance was still bad)

My system specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B450-F Gaming
- Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200 MHz 32 GB (8GB x4)
- GPU: EVGA ULTRA KO GAMING GeForce RTX 2060 6GB Video Card
- PSU: Corsair CX650M 650W 80+ Bronze
- OS: Windows 10 64-Bit Home Edition

I have included several screenshots that may give some insight into my problem. I will reply to this post with screenshots of what it looks like with PROCHOT enabled again.

[PurplFedora]

These screenshots were taken with PROCHOT still enabled.

 

  

[misterj]

Thanks for the RM screenshots, PurplFedora! Please be very careful about disabling PROCHOT, this leaves your processor to destruction if the temperature soars. I have seen several occurrence of this and I need to do some studying. CPU-Z shows the multiplier at 5.47 causing the low CPU clock. Please Enable PROCHOT and run Cinebench and watch CPU-Z to see if the multiplier changes or stays stuck at 5.47. I will  contact AMD Support and get back to you. Thanks and enjoy, John.

EDIT: A favor. Please post screenshots of RM both views and CPU-Z when running Cinebench but please use the camera icon in the forum. This will product much more readable images.

[PurplFedora]

I sadly couldn't complete the full test due to time constraints, and the image was only partly loaded. Do I need to complete the full test to get all of the details?

[misterj]

Thanks, PurplFedora. Wow the screenshots are so much better using the camera icon! Were you able to observe CPU-Z for multiplier changes? I assume you were running Cinebench R23? I failed to say R23. I will open a support request with AMD. Please do a Clear CMOS using instructions from your MB manual. If that does not help, please consider a fresh install of Windows with formatting system disk. Install AMD drivers from here, install RM but no other applications until you rerun the same test.  Thanks and enjoy, John.

[PurplFedora]

I've already cleared CMOS already, it didn't seem to do anything (unless a metal pair of scissors doesn't work with the 2-pin CMOS on my motherboard). I didn't see any multiplier changes on CPU-Z for the time I was running the test, and I was using Cinebench R23. I'll check out the AMD drivers and if all else fails I'll re-install Windows. The last thing I want to do is get a new CPU, so I'll exhaust all of my other options.

[misterj]

Thanks, PurplFedora. I don't think you need a new CPU. I have opened an AMD support request. The Clear CMOS should have been easy to see in the settings all changing. Enjoy, John.

[PurplFedora]

Hi John. According to Ryzen Master, my CPU Clock Speed & CPU Voltage are capped lower than they probably should be (the two bottom left monitors in the screenshot). Could this be the reason my CPU speed won't exceed 0.54 GHz? If so, how could I fix this?

Also, some other things I have tried include:
- Enabling D.O.C.P. in my BiOS settings
- Messing around with some BiOS settings (specifically, the setting that changes what temperature needs to be reached for my CPU to throttle)
- Unplugging & re-plugging the 8-pin cable that controls CPU power on my Motherboard

[elstaci]

If you processor was running at normal speeds before and now it is locked at a very low speed and you can't get it go above 1GHz then I believe it is time you open a AMD SUPPORT - Warranty ticket and see if they believe you processor needs to be turned in to be checked or not: https://www.amd.com/en/support/contact-email-form

I would reset your PC back to all defaults except those BIOS Settings that you need configured for your PC to run optimized.

Best way to check your processor is by installing in another compatible PC. If it acts the same way and still runs less than 1GHz then I would RMA the processor to be checked. But I would wait until AMD Support responds back.

NOTE: Have you tried  disconnecting your PC from the wall outlet and let it sit for an hour to make sure all power has drained and then restart again?

It might reset your CPU back to normal again if you haven't tried it yet.

[misterj]

Thanks, PurplFedora. As CPU-Z indicated that the Multiplier is stuck at 5.47, please try this: in your BIOS, set the Multiplier to a more reasonable value such as 30. Let's see what happens. I believe it is NOT time to RMA your processor. Thanks and enjoy, John.

[PurplFedora]

Alright, I tried unplugging my PC for over an hour and it hasn't fixed the problem. Also, unless there's a different option, I change my CPU to Core ratio (which I'm assuming is the multiplier) to 32 and it hasn't worked either. Finally, the only other PC I have access to is some old Prebuilt one that I got from a friend a long time ago, and I'm pretty sure I might need to install Windows on it again; and even then, I don't know if that PC's Motherboard can support my Ryzen 5 3600. I'm gonna check all my warranty information in case I do need to replace my CPU.

[misterj]

Thanks, PurplFedora. Sorry nothing works. I received a response to my AMD ticket but all it was a lecture about PROCHOT voids the warranty. I asked for a reply to my original question. I was hoping your problem would allow a solution to at least one of the many low clock problems. You can use the AMD Online service for warranty information are go here. Thanks and enjoy, John.

[misterj]

PurplFedora, I got a real response and it said this:

"Thank you for the e-mail.
If all the BIOS settings and Ryzen Master Application settings are set to default, this issue should not happen. If the issue persists, you can claim warranty on your processor at the link below by registering yourself on the Consumer RMA Portal.
https://www.amd.com/en/registration/warranty-services-portal.html
Thank you for contacting AMD."

I asked for more technical information but am not hopeful. Thanks and enjoy, John.

[PurplFedora · Accepted solution]

Alright, I've FINALLY figured out the problem.

Turns out I have a bent pin on my CPU. I'm assuming that it's because I forgot to lift up the bar one time while trying to put my CPU back in the socket, and since it was such a long time since I built my CPU, I forgot the rule of "don't force it".

Since bent pins aren't covered by the warranty, I'll have to order a new one. Thanks for the help everyone, sorry that none of your solutions worked.

[elstaci]

Regarding disabling BD PROCHOT: https://techshift.net/should-i-uncheck-bd-prochot/

Should I uncheck BD Prochot? 

BD prochot is something that underclocks the CPU when temps are too high to help run the CPU in safe environment. It is recommended not to disable it as you might get high temps and high clock speeds which will ultimately burn your CPU.

What does BD Prochot mean? 

bi-directional processor hot

BD PROCHOT stands for bi-directional processor hot. It is a signal path to your CPU. Any sensor, power, temperature or whatever, can send a signal down this line. This will force your CPU to throttle immediately.

Is disabling BD Prochot safe? 

Disabling BD PROCHOT allows the CPU to run at its full rated speed without being slowed down by a bad sensor. Without knowing what sensor is triggering BD PROCHOT throttling, no one can guarantee you that disabling BD PROCHOT is 100% safe.Sep 20, 2020

Disabling BD PROCHOT will definitely void your Warranty on your processor.

The processor should still shut down automatically when it reaches a critical temperature to prevent damage but it won't throttle if the temperature of the processor exceeds its maximum operating temperature but not high enough to shut down.