Microsoft Surface Pro 6 and Surface Book 2 units are reportedly running at significantly lower speeds.
The issues are said to have started turning up after an Aug. 1 firmware update.
Surface Throttling Issue
As reported earlier by TechRepublic, the devices are being throttled down to 400 MHz. To put things into perspective, the Surface Pro 6 with an Intel Core i5-8250U runs at 1.6 GHz with up to 3.4 GHz boost and the Surface Book 2 with a Core i5-7300U at up to 3.5 GHz with Max Turbo. In other words, the drop in speed has a huge impact on these devices.
Reports and complaints began trickling in after the aforementioned firmware update for the Surface Pro 6. The consensus is the problem is being caused by the Intel CPU flag BD PROCHOT, a feature that can be used by any peripheral that's designed to throttle the CPU to maintain system temperature at a safe level and avoid overheating.
A Microsoft representative told TechRepublic that the company is already aware of the issue and that it's going to roll out a fix via a firmware update soon.
User Reports
For those who can't wait for the solution to arrive, some users have reportedly had success in fixing the problem themselves by removing their devices from their docks or unplugging their AC adapters.
Others have also said that rebooting doesn't solve the issue, but a few have said that reformatting their devices worked.
"So far a complete resetting (format) got the device to a functional state again ... I fear that the next Windows update or firmware update might break the good state again," one user wrote.
Are you experiencing the same thing on your Surface Pro 6 or Surface Book 2? If so, feel free to hit us up in the comments section below and let us know.
