Good day to everyone!
I'm already exhausted from the issues with my Acer Predator PNH 16-72 (i9-14900HX, RTX 4060).
There have been countless errors, Windows reinstalls, crashes, blue screens, and unstable performance.
I noticed that without Turbo Boost or without installing Predator Sense, the laptop works more adequately. Since I'm not very knowledgeable in this area, I installed Intel XTU, took screenshots of the readings, and sent them to ChatGPT. Here's the analysis:
- Core frequency spread.
For the P-Cores, there's a discrepancy: some cores are set to a multiplier of ×58 (Core 4 and 5), while the rest are at ×56. This is acceptable with manual optimization, but it can lead to uneven thermal distribution and varying loads during AVX workloads. - E-Cores running at asymmetric frequencies.
Some energy-efficient cores run at 1.10 GHz, others at 2.89 GHz. This spread may indicate transitional power-saving states or that some cores are engaged in background processes. If the frequencies constantly jump between these levels, it's worth checking the Windows power profile (the “High Performance” mode is recommended during testing). - Voltages are within normal range but close to the upper limit.
Values around 1.35–1.38 V for both P- and E-Cores are acceptable for short boosts, but under sustained load (especially with a ×58 multiplier), this can lead to thermal degradation if cooling is insufficient. It's recommended to monitor package temperature under stress tests (ideally not exceeding 90 °C). - Mismatch between set and actual frequencies.
With a ×58 multiplier (which corresponds to ~5.8 GHz at BCLK = 100 MHz), the actual frequency of some cores is lower (1.10–2.89 GHz). This suggests that power or thermal limits are preventing the target frequencies from being reached. You should check PL1/PL2 and Tau (Turbo Time Window) settings.
PL1 = 75W, PL2 = 175W, Tau = 56 seconds — these are typical values for Predator with i9-14900HX / 13900HX.
The issue is that the 175W Turbo Boost lasts nearly a minute, and during that time the laptop enters thermal or power throttling (Power Limit / Thermal Limit).
After the power drops to 75W, frequencies fall sharply, and Windows may experience crashes — especially if drivers or BIOS fail to stabilize the transition in time. - XTU shows fluctuating frequencies and voltages — a direct sign that the power controller (ME firmware) is constantly switching modes to stay within limits.
In practice, this often causes crashes, freezes, and errors like Kernel Security Check Failure, WHEA Uncorrectable Error, “Blue Screen under load,” etc. - BIOS updates from Acer often reset undervolt unlocks, and the laptop stops managing adaptive voltage correctly.
As a result, Turbo Boost launches with excessive voltage (1.38–1.40 V), which is thermally critical for a laptop.
Why am I the one who has to tweak and troubleshoot everything?
Acer locked down BIOS settings, and Intel XTU adjustments barely make a dent. It’s not entirely useless — but it’s frustratingly ineffective.
They shipped this high-end machine without proper thermal or power tuning, and now I’m stuck dealing with crashes, throttling, and instability.
It feels like I’m paying the price for their lack of optimization.
[Edited the thread to add issue detail]
