Fixing CPU frequency drops on ASRock Z370M Pro4 in Outlaws
My frame rate was jumping around like an EKG monitor, and the instability was honestly giving me anxiety. The VRM cooling on the ASRock Z370M Pro4 just can't handle modern heavy instruction sets; as soon as the core hit 92-98℃, the frequency would tank. I tried the Windows 'Ultimate Performance' mode first, but that was a nightmare—the CPU stayed clocked high, but temps hit 100℃ and the whole system just hard-rebooted. I had to go into the BIOS, manually cap the PL1 and PL2 power limits at 125W, and nudge the Vcore down to 1.20V to keep the heat in check. Using RTSS, my 1% lows jumped from 22 FPS to 41 FPS, and the frame time jitter shrunk from 25-60ms to a much tighter 18-24ms. I did hit a few BSODs when I first lowered the voltage, but adding a +0.02V offset fixed it. Now the VRMs are sitting at 82-88℃ with the fans screaming at full blast. Cinebench loops prove the clock is stable now, and the input lag is finally gone.
