Solved CPU Frequency Dropping to 0mhz and more..

I've been trying to diagnose this issue for over a week now with no luck. Every 4 seconds my mouse and keyboard stutter for a fraction of a second and on random rare occasions my screen flickers black with a few verticle lines. The screen flicker happens so fast, I can't see how many lines or their color. Video (VLC, MPC, YouTube) also seems to have a slight hiccup at the same moment as the mouse and keyboard but audio (Pandora, iHeart, WinAmp) does not.

So far, I've tried checking for viruses, trying different mice and keyboards, made sure all drivers were up to date, tried rolling back drivers, tried power management settings, CPU utilization settings, etc etc etc.

This issue does happen in safe mode as well as bios.

As of now, I am leaning towards it being an issue with the PSU but can't be certain. The voltages seem to be staying in appropriate range, according to my HW Monitor. The only certain thing I know is that the hiccup happens like clockwork, every 4 seconds and that the CPU drops to 0 mhz when that happens. Could this be a motherboard, cpu, psu issue or something completely different? Greatly appreciate any help!


Specs:
Windows 10 x64
Gigabyte H270 Gaming 3
i7-7700
32GB Ram
GTX 960
800w PSU

 

Going to try this next. No experience with Linux so I figured I would focus on what I know first.

Using the Gigabyte SIV, I noticed my VCore is jumping around a lot. The lowest I've caught it at is 0.48v. It does become more stable during stress tests but continues to fluctuate to some degree regardless of the PCs load. I ran both CPU and Memory stress tests, 5 minute intervals, the temperatures were always good.

The computer arrived with Intel Turbo Boost enabled, which is set to 4200mhz max. I never messed with clock speeds before but can try disabling the Turbo Boost.

Thermaltake TR-800P TR2 Bronze 800W ATX 12V V2.3. Just realized this PSU is over 7 years old.

It is the i7-7700 (no K)

Issue did not exist when this computer was first built in mid March and the issue started in late May.


Thanks for the helpful replies! Going to try messing with Intel's Turbo Boost and Turbo Boost Short Power settings and trying Linux Live next.

 

Finally got around to testing Linux, I used Ubuntu 18.04. The same issue was happening in Ubuntu.

My CPU temp under max load hit a peak of 134 degrees Fahrenheit (about 57 Celcius) but usually stayed around 110-120s and my other temps all remained under 100 F.

 

Using a surge protector strip. Hadn't thought about that being the issue, I'll try that next when I have the time. Not sure if a strip could cause those issues but its nice and quick to check.

 

Update.
Okay so I tried using a different power strip, outlet and cable, no luck. Next I borrowed a power supply and still no luck. Tried onboard graphics card, removing my 960 but no luck again.. I also tried sitting different sticks of ram in different seats, using different boot drives, removing all unneeded hardware and still nothing but the same.

At this point I guess it can only be the motherboard. I will contact Gigabyte and see if they can help me. Just wish I had definitive proof that the motherboard was the issue before dealing with support.

 

That certainly sounds like what I'm experiencing. I had updated to BIOS F9d on the same day I made this thread. It did not fix the issue but I am wondering now if it is because these updates were done in an incorrect order. On Gigabytes driver page it does say Intel Management Engine should not be updated before BIOS is updated and I know that IME was updated before I updated BIOS. I just tried running Gigabytes older IME executable but no luck with that.


Unfortunately, I do not have a recovery point far back enough to possibly revert the drivers being updated. Should I flash BIOS to revert to its manufactured parameters?

 

Okay so, I have no idea what actually fixed this issue but has been fixed or at least stopped.

I contacted Gigabyte, they suggested I change some BIOS settings but none of what they suggested changed anything. Out of frustration I tried fooling with a bunch of settings in BIOS and after a dozen or so changes, I booted to a completely black screen. I figured I messed something up in BIOS so, I flashed it. The black screen continued but from boot to windows there was nothing but black. I heard windows boot up and I was able to test firefox opening with Pandora thanks to a hotkey I made, so I knew Windows was working, at least to some extent. So obviously, I tried disconnecting my graphic card and using the onboard graphics but the screen was still black, though it was getting a signal. I then tried a different graphics card, still nothing.

At this point I was even more at a loss, so I took everything apart. I took the processor and slapped it in an old 1151 motherboard I had and it was working fine. Then I put my ram into another computer and that was all fine as well. Tried swapping in my drives, graphic card, PSU, and even the heatsink, all worked fine on this motherboard.

I figured, there was nothing else I could try at this point and simply just wait for Gigabyte to help. So I figured I should slap the PC back together while I wait for a reply. After it was back together, I booted it up and the computer almost started then powered down and a few seconds later it tried again on its own. The screen flashed and the display started working again. Then it booted fine into Windows... and on top of all that the issue was gone. No more screen flicker, no more stutter every 5 seconds and everything is running perfect for over 24 hours now.

I have no idea what the issue could have been. I had tested everything multiple times so I can't figure it out.

Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way, I appreciate all the help and knowledge passed on to me. I wish I could at least offer what fixed it but I have no clue!