ThrottleStop Guide-How to Use It (+ Fix “CPU Not Supported”)
ThrottleStop is a free Windows tool that lets you watch your Intel CPU’s real-time clock speed, temperature, and power limits, then remove whatever is holding it back. It fixes throttling caused by heat, power limits, or an overly conservative laptop BIOS. It does not work on AMD chips, and on most 12th-gen and newer Intel laptops it cannot touch voltage at all because Intel locked that feature after a 2019 security flaw.
This ThrottleStop guide covers exactly what most readers actually search for: how to use ThrottleStop the right way, where to get a safe ThrottleStop download, why some people see a “ThrottleStop CPU not supported” message, and whether ThrottleStop AMD support exists at all.
Table of Contents
Quick Answer
Quick Answer
| Question | Short Answer |
| Does it work on AMD? | No. Intel only. AMD users want Ryzen Master instead. |
| Can it damage my CPU? | Lowering voltage cannot physically damage a chip. Worst case is a crash you fix by reverting. |
| Will it work on my 2023+ laptop? | Maybe. Most 12th/13th/14th-gen H-series chips are voltage-locked. HX chips usually aren’t. |
| Is this the same as fixing a bottleneck? | Only if thermal throttling is your bottleneck. Check with the calculator first. |
What ThrottleStop Actually Does
Laptop CPUs throttle themselves on purpose. It’s a built-in safety net, not a bug, and we cover the mechanism in detail in our thermal throttling guide. ThrottleStop, built by Kevin Glynn (“UncleWebb”) and hosted on TechPowerUp, watches for the three reasons your chip pulls back: thermal limits (too hot), power limits (PL1/PL2 caps set by the laptop maker), and VRM current limits. Once it knows which one is hitting you, it gives you the controls to loosen or remove that specific limit, plus an undervolting tool that lowers the voltage your CPU needs to hit a given speed, which cuts heat and often lets it hold higher clocks longer before it throttles at all.
It is not a bottleneck fix in the way our bottleneck calculator or GPU bottleneck guide talk about bottlenecks. If your CPU is simply too weak for your GPU, ThrottleStop cannot change that. What it fixes is a specific kind of self-inflicted bottleneck: a capable chip that never reaches its real speed because it overheats or hits an artificial power ceiling first. Run HWiNFO64 or the MSI Afterburner overlay during a game first. If your clock speed drops while temperature spikes at the same moment, that’s thermal throttling and ThrottleStop can help. If usage is low and clocks are fine, you have a different problem, not this one.
Check This Before You Download Anything
This is the step almost every other guide skips, and it’s the reason so many people download ThrottleStop, get excited, then hit a grayed-out screen. In 2019, researchers disclosed an exploit called Plundervolt that abused voltage control tools like this one to attack Intel’s SGX security feature. Intel’s fix was a firmware update that lets laptop makers lock voltage control entirely. Most of them did.
| CPU Generation / Suffix | Undervolt Access |
| 6th to 10th gen (most laptops) | Usually unlocked |
| 11th gen H-series | Mixed, depends on BIOS version |
| 12th/13th/14th gen H-series (ends in H, like 13700H) | Locked on almost every laptop |
| 12th/13th/14th gen HX-series (ends in HX, like 13700HX) | Usually still unlocked |
| Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake / Arrow Lake mobile) | Mostly locked, varies by OEM |
Open ThrottleStop, click the FIVR button, and look at the top of that window. If it says “FIVR Control – Locked” or “Not Available,” that’s ThrottleStop telling you your CPU isn’t supported for voltage control — not a bug in the app. Your undervolting is off the table no matter what settings you change. You can still use ThrottleStop’s Speed Shift, power limit, and Turbo Ratio Limit controls on a locked chip. Those aren’t affected by the Plundervolt lock and can still meaningfully reduce throttling. To confirm exactly which CPU you have before troubleshooting further, run it through CPU-Z, since H versus HX is easy to mix up on a spec sheet.
ThrottleStop Download and How to Use It
Your only safe ThrottleStop download is TechPowerUp’s official page, since it’s a portable .exe with no installer and plenty of fake download sites exist for exactly that reason. Extract the ZIP to a permanent folder before running it, not a temp folder or your desktop, because if you later set it to launch at startup and then move the folder, Windows will keep pointing at a location that no longer exists. If Windows complains about a missing MFC120u.dll file on first launch, install both the 32-bit and 64-bit Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable packages and try again.
The main window’s right side is the monitoring panel. Watch the FID (frequency), C0% (how busy each core is), and Limit Reasons columns while gaming, since Limit Reasons will tell you in plain terms whether you’re hitting a thermal cap, a power cap, or something else. This is the same real-time monitoring philosophy behind our GPU-Z guide and CPU temperature monitoring guide: you cannot fix what you can’t see. Turn on TS Bench or note your baseline Cinebench score before you touch anything, so you have a number to compare against afterward.
If Your Chip Is Unlocked: Undervolting
Click FIVR, then adjust the CPU Core and CPU Cache voltage offsets. Start conservative at negative 50 millivolts, apply, then stress test with Cinebench or a 20-minute gaming session. If it’s stable, drop another 10 to 20 millivolts and repeat. Older 8th to 10th gen chips often tolerate negative 100 to negative 150 millivolts. Tighter 12th and 13th gen HX chips usually top out around negative 60 to negative 110. Never copy a number from a forum post for a different CPU model and assume it will be stable on yours. Silicon quality varies chip to chip, even within the same model.
Undervolting itself cannot physically damage your CPU. Pushing voltage too low just causes a crash or blue screen, which you fix by rebooting and dialing the offset back up. That’s a real difference from overvolting, which can shorten a chip’s life if abused. ThrottleStop does not raise voltage by default and you have no reason to on a laptop.
If Your Chip Is Locked: Power Limits and Speed Shift
Open the TPL (Turbo Power Limits) window and check your PL1 and PL2 values against what your CPU is actually rated for. Some OEMs ship laptops with unnecessarily conservative limits to save on cooling costs. Raising PL1 closer to PL2, if your cooling can handle it, lets the chip sustain higher clocks under load instead of dropping the moment it hits a low power ceiling.
Also open Speed Shift and set the EPP (Energy Performance Preference) value lower, toward 0, which tells the CPU to favor maximum performance and quicker boosting instead of efficiency. Push any changes gradually and watch temperatures the whole time using the same panel covered in our CPU temperature check guide.
ThrottleStop vs Intel XTU vs Ryzen Master
| Feature | ThrottleStop | Intel XTU | AMD Ryzen Master |
| CPU support | Intel only | Intel only | AMD Ryzen only |
| Settings persist without the app running | No, must run in background | Yes, in theory | Yes |
| Reliability on resume from sleep | Generally solid | Known for crashes and lost settings | Generally solid |
| Works when Intel locks voltage control | No | No | N/A |
Common Problems
Undervolting worked, then a Windows update turned it off. A Windows or BIOS update can silently re-lock FIVR control. Try a sleep-resume cycle first, since some laptops unlock again after that. If it stays locked, check whether a newer BIOS caused it and whether an older BIOS version is still available from your manufacturer.
It stopped working after installing WSL2 or enabling virtualization. This is a known conflict on some Windows 11 systems. Try disabling virtualization in your BIOS if you don’t need it, though some laptops don’t expose that toggle.
The Turn Off/On button doesn’t seem to do anything. That’s expected on recent versions. It had more effect in older releases. Treat ThrottleStop as active any time it’s running, and close it fully if you want your settings to stop applying.
I want it completely gone. ThrottleStop doesn’t write to the registry. Reset your FIVR and TPL values to default, apply, then delete the folder and restart. Your CPU returns to its factory defaults.
I’m lowering the voltage but the VID reading in the top-right never changes. On most modern chips this means FIVR is locked, but on some older Core 2 Duo-era CPUs the FID multiplier and VID voltage share a register and only apply together. Check the Set Multiplier box first, confirm the multiplier and voltage are both set the way you want, then apply — a bare voltage change with Set Multiplier unchecked can silently do nothing.
My CPU drops to 800MHz the moment I unplug the charger. That’s usually your laptop’s own battery power limit, not a ThrottleStop setting — many OEMs cap wattage hard on battery to protect runtime. Check the Limit Reasons column for a power-limit flag while unplugged, and look at TPL for a separate “on battery” power limit some models expose. If ThrottleStop shows nothing changing, deleting its .ini and reconfiguring from scratch can rule out a corrupted profile before you chase the BIOS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ThrottleStop safe to use?
Yes, for the vast majority of laptops. Its own warning text sounds scary because it’s aimed at people pushing Extreme-series chips to their limit, not the average reader raising a power limit or shaving 50mV off voltage. Undervolting can’t damage a chip; the real risk is drawing more power than a cheap or aging power adapter can supply, which is why it’s worth monitoring wall power with a meter if you’re raising PL1/PL2 significantly on an older laptop.
How do I know if ThrottleStop is actually on?
Check the tray icon color, though it varies by version — on most builds green means off and red means active, but confirm on yours by toggling Turn On/Off once and watching which color appears. The more reliable check is the main window: if your applied FIVR or TPL values match what you set, it’s active.
Does ThrottleStop AMD support exist?
No. ThrottleStop reads and writes Intel-specific registers, so it has no ThrottleStop AMD build and never will. Ryzen owners want AMD’s own Ryzen Master instead.
Can ThrottleStop undervolt my GPU too?
No. ThrottleStop only touches the CPU. For GPU undervolting or overclocking, use MSI Afterburner instead, which is built for that.
Why does my FIVR window say “Not Available” instead of “Locked”?
Both mean the same practical thing: Intel or your laptop maker has disabled voltage control for your specific chip and BIOS combination. This shows up constantly on 12th-gen H-series laptops in owner forums, where non-HX chips are consistently reported as unable to undervolt in Windows at all.
Is there any way around a locked BIOS?
Some enthusiasts have modded BIOS files to re-enable overclocking flags, but the reported results are inconsistent and the risk of bricking a laptop is real. This isn’t something we’d recommend for a typical reader.
Will undervolting void my warranty?
Some manufacturers, including Dell, have stated that non-factory processor settings like undervolting fall outside standard warranty coverage. Check your specific manufacturer’s terms before relying on it long term.
My laptop still throttles even with a good undervolt. What’s next?
Undervolting reduces heat but can’t fix a clogged heatsink or dried-out thermal paste. Combine it with better airflow, and if you’re comfortable opening the laptop, a repaste. Compare your temps against normal ranges in our CPU temperature range guide.
The Bottom Line
ThrottleStop is worth installing for almost anyone on an Intel laptop, but it only fixes one specific problem: performance lost to heat, power caps, or an overly cautious BIOS. Check FIVR first to know whether you’re working with a full undervolting toolkit or just power limits and Speed Shift, since that single screen decides which half of this guide applies to you. Whichever side you land on, change one setting at a time, stress test after each change, and keep an eye on temperatures the whole way through — that’s what turns “throttling fixed” into a laptop that’s actually stable.
