FAQ - CPU, GPU, Temps, FPS, Settings, & Other Info
[Anyone at anytime may reference this guide]
Please click 'Like' if this guide helped you
This Sticky goes for Intel 7th and 8th Gen laptops. AMD will be added in the future.
Latest Fix:
Intel 8th Gen: BIOS 1.15 has been released to fix the screen flickering on the Intel 8th Generation laptop.
1. Common Information (CPU, GPU, Temperature Specifics)
Temperatures & Solutions
If temperatures reach the following (under intense situations), these are your options:
97-100C (Throttling below base clock speed)
- Contact Acer for repair (they will re-paste your CPU/GPU)
- Re-paste your CPU and GPU yourself (not advisable due to warranty complications)
90-96C (CPU turns off Turbo at 90C)
- Using Predator Sense, turn fans to max speed
- Undervolt the CPU (guide below)
- Purchase a laptop cooling pad (paid less than $15)
- Limit the CPU performance via Windows Battery Options
- Re-paste your CPU and GPU yourself (not advisable due to warranty complications)
~89C
- If temperatures never go above 89C, you do not have to worry about CPU throttling.
CPU Undervolting
Undervolting guide by @Red-Sand for the 7700HQ and the 7300HQ.
https://youtu.be/N3v3o21M8gg
SUBSCRIBE!
If you would like to learn more about modifications and tweaks to our Helios and Predator laptops, please take a look at the Facebook group in the credits.
Thermal Pasting Guide
(I suggest sending it to Acer support first.)
If you are encountering high temperatures and would like to re-paste your CPU yourself, read below.
- I recommend a nonmetal-based thermal paste with no electrical conductivity, such as Arctic MX-4.
- Video Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph2ibK79zd8&t
*Note*
Re-pasting your CPU will void warranty if you damage something, so proceed at your own risk.
GPU Temperature Information
It seems that it is rarely the GPU that is the problem when it comes to overheating in these laptops. However, the GPU still has some limits that you should keep your eye on.
We only have estimations for the GPU limits from feedback on the forum. It seems that the GPU will near maximum, or maximum performance so long as the temperatures stay below 80C. If temperatures are above this number, these are what can be done:
- Using Predator Sense, turn fans on max speed
- Turn down game settings (only temporary/crappy solution, skip to next)
- Re-paste the CPU and GPU (either via Acer Support or yourself)
Intel CPUs
Intel 6th Generation
i7-6700HQ
- Cores: 4 Physical, 8 Logical
- Base Block Speed: 2.6 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed (Single Core): 3.50
Intel 7th Generation
i5-7300HQ
- Cores: 4 Physical, 4 Logical
- Base Block Speed: 2.5 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed (Single Core): 3.5
i7-7700HQ
- Cores: 4 Physical, 8 Logical
- Base Block Speed: 2.8 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed (Single Core): 3.8
i7-7920HK
- Cores: 4 Physical, 8 Logical
- Base Block Speed: 2.9 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed (Single Core): 3.9
Intel 8th Generation
i7-8750H
- Cores: 6 Physical, 12 Logical
- Base Block Speed: 2.2 GHz
- Max Turbo Speed (Single Core): 4.1
NVIDIA GPUs
GTX 1050Ti
- Base Graphics Clock Frequency - 1290MHz
- Boost Graphics Clock Frequency - Up to 1392MHz
- Dedicated Video Memory - 4GB GDDR5
GTX 1060
- Base Graphics Clock Frequency - 1404MHz
- Boost Graphics Clock Frequency - Up to 1670MHz
- Dedicated Video Memory - 6GB GDDR5
GTX 1070
- Base Graphics Clock Frequency - 1442MHz
- Boost Graphics Clock Frequency - Up to 1645MHz
- Dedicated Video Memory - 8GB GDDR5
GTX 1080
- Base Graphics Clock Frequency - 1556MHz
- Boost Graphics Clock Frequency - Up to 1733MHz
- Dedicated Video Memory - 8GB GDDR5
2. FPS Drops/Lag
Desktop Right-Click Lag
Steps:
- The easiest way to disable this is using the program 'ShellExView' that be found at: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html
- After downloading and launching the program, you will need to find the two items to disable. These both are under the Extension Name 'TheDesktopContextMenu Class' with the description 'igfxDTCM Mod' as shown in the screen shot.
- Disable these two items.
- Restart your computer.
- Give feedback to let us know if this solved the problem.
Possible FPS Drop Solutions
Post below which step fixed the FPS drops.
- Go to Windows Settings > Gaming, and disable Game bar, Game DVR, and Game Mode.
- Update NVIDIA Drivers, and Uninstall GeForce Experience.
- Update your BIOS to the latest version.
- Update the Intel Graphics adapters to latest by: right-clicking the start menu, opening Device Menu, expand Display Drivers, and right-click the Intel(R) HD and update drivers.
- Uninstall any 3rd-party screen recording/overlay software.
- Uninstall any 3rd-party anti-virus software (e.g. Norton, McAfee, etc.) or cleaning/monitoring software (e.g. CCleaner, Glary Utilities, etc.)
Windows Update Caused Crashing
A possible fix is reinstalling all drivers from Acer's web sitefor your device.
Windows Update Failure
3. Battery Gaming
- Laptop is self-throttled;
- Degradation of battery;
- Poor game play.
4. Predator Sense Information & Overclocking
- Uninstall Predator Sense, restart your laptop, and reinstall Predator Sense from your laptop's support page.
- Right-click the Predator Sense icon and run the 'Compatibility troubleshooter.'
- Uninstall or shut down MSI Afterburner if installed.
- Try re-enabling hibernation/hyberfil.sys if you disabled it when GPU shows idle when being used.
@Red-Sand has found a way to enable the overclocking feature on the G3-571.
***Warning***
Will cause the laptop to run hotter. Do so at your own risk.
You can follow the video to manually enable this, or you can download the zip file from the description and go as follows:
1. Download file
2. Unzip contents
3. Run preferred .bat file as administrator
4. Restart Predator Sense
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5FFCug83Ko
*SUBSCRIBE*
I will explain further. What this does is change the device that Predator Sense reads in the registry. Red-Sand uses the PH317 in his video. The batch file I created uses the G3-572. Both work.
5. Sound Modifications (EqualizerAPO)
EqualizerAPO
-*-WARNING - READ BEFORE CHANGING PREAMP-*-
Always keep volume at middle range (50%) when changing the Preamp, as high Preamp could damage your speakers, headphones, earbuds and/or ears. By default, the Preamp is lowered to -3. Increasing it until +3 is relatively safe but be cautious of increasing it more than that without taking the previous precautions mentioned. High Preamp may also distort sound quality.
-*-The drivers must be reinstalled after every major Windows update.-*-
This is the first posting. Details and screenshots will be added and refined in the future. We will be able to post our own equalizer profiles for best audio settings as well, as we mess with it. The settings are stores in *\EqualizerAPO\config\config.txt.
Basic Device Setup:
1. Make sure the audio device you want to use/modify/test is connected.
2. Download Equalizer APO
a. https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/
3. During installation, I set the location to C:\EqualizerAPO because they do not give you desktop shortcuts.
4. After the installation, you will be prompted for which audio devices you wish to use Equalizer APO for. You can choose one, or all. This can be changed later.
5. When you choose the device(s), it may require a restart, and all Windows will disappear.
6. Configuration:
a. To modify the equalizer and Preamp settings, launch C:\EqualizerAPO\Editor.exe
b. To change what devices use Equalizer, launch C:\EqualizerAPO\Configurator.exe
Laptop Speakers (includes headphone jack):
I had some difficulty getting it to change my Helios 300 (G3-571) speakers, but I found out how. Follow below:
1. After Equalizer APO installs, open the Configuration.exe.
2. Highlight Speakers, and check the 'Troubleshooting options' button.
3. Uncheck both 'Use original APO' buttons, and change Install as to 'Install as SFX/EFX (experimental)'
4. Restart and it should work.
5. Feedback is appreciated.
Questions, please let me know.
Frequency Table (to help with tweaking the equalizer):
Sub-Bass - 62Hz and lower
Mid-Bass - 62-125Hz
Upper-Bass - 125-250Hz
Lower-Mid - 250-500Hz
Middle-Mid - 500-1kHz
Upper-Mid - 1k-2kHz
Lower-Treble - 2k-4kHz
Middle-Treble - 4k-8kHz
Upper-Treble - 8kHz and higher
6. Meltdown, Spectre, and Intel ME Vulnerability Information
Acer Meltdown/Spectre Link
Meltdown
- On Intel CPUs and any CPU with Speculative Execution (Apple CPUs)
- Meltdown is probably the most serious of the three vulnerabilities. It allows processes to bypass security checks and execute code/read data stored in the CPU's memory.
- Fix: Microsoft Windows patch KB4056892 (OS Build 16299.192 on Windows 10 Version 1709 or later)
- Running Windows without this patch makes your system vulnerable to Meltdown (and some of Spectre).
- To check if you have this update, navigate to Settings > Update & Security > View installed update history.
- *Note* Some Anti-virus can conflict with the update.
- Refer to Microsoft for more specifics: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4056892
Spectre
- 99% of CPUs suffer from this vulnerability. Unlike Meltdown, AMD and mobile CPUs are included.
- Refer to Meltdown for getting the patch in Windows.
- BIOS updates mitigate vulnerabilities with Spectre.
Intel ME (Intel-SA-00086)
- This vulnerability is different from Meltdown and Spectre. It required a patch from the software Vendor to fix in the form of a BIOS update.
- Acer's information about this update can be found here: https://us.answers.acer.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/51890
7. Credits
- To the Acer Community
- @Acer-Manny for making this post possible
- @ven98 for his input and suggestions
- @Red-Sand AKA Opoka Opoka for the pasting video.
8. Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that if your product is under warranty, re-pasting your CPU or any of the following will void warranty. Proceed at your own risk:
• repair of antenna systems outside of the product;
• damages caused by misuse, abuse, accidents, fire, power surges, viruses, malware, reckless, willful, or intentional conduct;
• servicing not authorized by Acer;
• usage that is not in accordance with product instructions or manuals by a product or part that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Acer etc.
For the complete warranty details, please click on the following link https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/standard-warranty.
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571
- Dr. Seuss
Answers
-
Hi Skelomorph,
Nice work, very useful post and thanks
4 -
brummyfan2 said:Hi Skelomorph,
Nice work, very useful post and thanks
SkeloPlease quote me so I get a notification of your reply!
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss3 -
Could please elaborate on how to disable hyperthreading on i7 7700 hq0
-
Sadly, I did not notice before making this that on my Helios 300, you are unable to disable Hyperthreading. In order to do so though, you would access them through your bios.
I will have to remove that the next time I update the main post (requires me to have a mod do it, so will still be there for now).
SkeloPlease quote me so I get a notification of your reply!
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss1 -
Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
-Model number
-Part number(not required, but helpful)
-CPU
-GPU-Operating systemHelios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.
Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!
Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!3 -
ven98 said:Please quote me so I get a notification of your reply!
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss0 -
Very useful, but how do i turn up fans? in the predator sense i know but where?0
-
what is your device?Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
-Model number
-Part number(not required, but helpful)
-CPU
-GPU-Operating systemHelios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.
Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!
Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!0 -
Ok so why is my gtx 1060 core clock 2012mhz and 1949mhz on memory clock. i have it on turbo in predator sense.0
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flashridr said:Ok so why is my gtx 1060 core clock 2012mhz and 1949mhz on memory clock. i have it on turbo in predator sense.Please quote me so I get a notification of your reply!
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss0 -
Skelomorph said:What are you using to lookup your core clock frequency?
i looked in gpu z0 -
flashridr said:Predator 17 7700hq & gtx 1060
Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
-Model number
-Part number(not required, but helpful)
-CPU
-GPU-Operating systemHelios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.
Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!
Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!0 -
ven98 said:Skelomorph meant what kind of software you have used to measure the temperatures of the componets.0
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I don't know why it clocks so high. This is the amount of frequency that Acer has given it on turbo preset.
Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
-Model number
-Part number(not required, but helpful)
-CPU
-GPU-Operating systemHelios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.
Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!
Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!0 -
flashridr said:If i look in msi afterburner there is +120 on core clock and +100 on memory (turbo mode). On normal it runs 1885mhz on core and 1900mhz on memoryPlease quote me so I get a notification of your reply!
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss0 -
@flashridr @ven98
Honestly, none of the mobile GPUs are able to reach that amount of MHz even with overclock (1670 + 120 is only 1790 MHz, which is what the OC in Predator Sense adds). The chips themselves are the same between desktop and laptop, however the bios in the mobile limit the MHz. It looks that your card may have desktop card BIOS on them. I am unsure but can think of no other explanation unless it is not reading correctly.
For more information on the cards MHz and desktop vs laptop, look here: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/nvidia-pascal-mobile-gpus-gtx1070-gtx1060/
Edit: Since the Mobile GPUs are based on the Desktop, running at these MHz should be ok, but IDK how the temperatures will be with heavy usage.Please quote me so I get a notification of your reply!
If I helped you, like my post and/or select my post as 'Solved'.
Please put your laptop model in your signature so we can know what device you have.
Product: Acer Predator Helios 300
Model: G3-571"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened."
- Dr. Seuss1 -
Skelomorph said:@flashridr @ven98
Honestly, none of the mobile GPUs are able to reach that amount of MHz even with overclock (1670 + 120 is only 1790 MHz, which is what the OC in Predator Sense adds). The chips themselves are the same between desktop and laptop, however the bios in the mobile limit the MHz. It looks that your card may have desktop card BIOS on them. I am unsure but can think of no other explanation unless it is not reading correctly.
For more information on the cards MHz and desktop vs laptop, look here: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/nvidia-pascal-mobile-gpus-gtx1070-gtx1060/
Edit: Since the Mobile GPUs are based on the Desktop, running at these MHz should be ok, but IDK how the temperatures will be with heavy usage.
Also you can try this
https://youtu.be/TpIkYr9aDc8
1 -
I dont need to undervolt, because temps are max 60°C, you cant compare predator 17 vs helios, couse there is so much difference in cooling. I would post pictures but i cant because of some restrictions on this site
1 -
Desktop and mobile GPUs are the same. They differ because of VBIOS setting, which limits the GPU's power draw and therefore the frequency. It is that Acer predator 17 has better cooling and Acer has set the power limit higher I think, which lets the GPU clock higher. If the mobile GPU had higher power limit, you could overclock it as much as the desktop variant.Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
-Model number
-Part number(not required, but helpful)
-CPU
-GPU-Operating systemHelios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.
Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!
Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!2 -
I have found that my Predator Helios 300 hits 97c CPU temps only while charging and playing games. If I play those same games on battery power alone, temps will only hit 60c. My question is, can I run my Helios 300 without the battery and solely AC power?
I am also using XTU to undervolt by .115 and during heavy use I have found that even with a full battery and AC power I actually drain battery %1