CPU stuck at low clock speed can affect the normal performance of your computer. Several users have reported this issue when they are playing games or just in daily use. Why is your CPU running at low clock speed and how can you resolve this problem? Continue reading this post from MiniTool to get answers.

Limited processor speed is one of the possible causes of slow computer performance. You can check the CPU status under the Performance tab in Task Manager. CPU stuck at low clock speed is common and can happen due to various causes, including improper power settings, misconfiguration of BIOS settings, software conflicts, etc. Here are some solutions to assist you in resolving the CPU clock speed stuck issue.

Fix 1. Change the Power Settings in the Windows Registry

The Intelppm registry on your computer stands for Intel Processor Power Management. You can change the value of this registry key to make your CPU work at full capacity, which helps to resolve the CPU stuck at low clock speed issue.

Step 1. Press Win R to open the Run window.

Step 2. Type regedit and hit Enter to open Windows Registry.

Step 3. Navigate to the target registry key with the following path or copy and paste the path to the address bar and hit Enter to locate it directly.

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\intelppm

Step 4. At the right pane, find and double-click on the Start registry key.

Step 5. Change the Value data to 4 and click OK to save the change.

Afterward, you should close Windows Registry and restart your computer to fully apply this change. Some people report that they have received error message after changing the value data of the intelppm registry. In this case, you are suggested to modify the value data of the Start value back to 3 and try the following solutions.

Fix 2. Perform Clean Boot

If your CPU clock speed stuck at 0.39GHz happens after installing several applications, the error might happen due to software conflicts. In this case, performing a clean boot on your computer is an optimal choice to figure out the problematic software.

Step 1. Press Win R to open the Run window.

Step 2. Type msconfig and press Enter.

Step 3. Under the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services and select Disable all to terminate all the third-party programs.

Step 4. Change to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.

Step 5. In the following window, check those programs and disable them respectively by right-clicking on them and choosing Disable.

Step 6. Close the Task Manager window after operations. Click Apply > OK to save your changes in the System Configuration window.

After that, you should restart your computer and check if your CPU stuck at low clock speed issue is resolved. If the issue is resolved, you need to enable those disabled programs one by one to check out which one is the culprit. If the issue is still here, the software conflict is not the reason for your case.

Fix 3. Reset BIOS

According to the responses of some people, the CPU stuck at low clock speed issue can be resolved by resetting BIOS to the default settings. This is because half the cores are probably missing on your computer. You can read this post to learn how to reset BIOS within 3 steps.

Final Words

It is an annoying issue of your CPU stuck at low clock speed as it influences the computer’s performance largely. This post explains three solutions that might be helpful in resolving this issue. You can try them to find one that works in your case.