Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G (MX150) Turbo Boost Without Battery

Modern laptops are portable & powerful but often struggle when the battery is removed or used with an unofficial charger. Without a battery or with an unofficial charger the laptops often reduce the CPU clock speed to a fraction of the maximum speed. The laptop will still run but with reduced performance.

Many Acer branded laptops reduce the clock speed by disabling Intel Turbo Boost. This means the processor (CPU) will run at its base speed & never increase. This can cause things to feel sluggish & gaming to suffer.

This guide will show you how to enable Intel Turbo Boost on an Acer Aspire 515-51G laptop. The laptop has no battery causing the CPU to maintain the base clock of 1.6ghz. The guide will cover how to enable Turbo Boost on Windows, Linux, & Batocera

1. Acer laptop
2. Working Internet Connection
3. Basic copy & paste terminal knowledge (Linux)
4. Copy of Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip from here (Linux)

This guide was made using Windows 10. A similar process should apply for most modern Windows versions.

This guide was made using an Ubuntu based Linux Distribution with a desktop environment & the editor nano. The guide should be helpful for most popular Linux distributions. Slight changes may need to be made to match your distribution.

For Windows see step #3

For Linux see step # 4

For Batocera see step #6

Windows:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Escape)
2. Navigate to the Performance Tab
3. Click on the CPU box
4. In the upper right corner the CPU model will be listed. Ex: Intel(R) Core (TM) i5-8250u CPU @ 1.60GHz

This tells you your CPU is an I5-8250u that runs at a base clock of 1.60Ghz. (1.80 Ghz in some Configurations)

1. Do a web search for your CPU model. Ex: Intel I5-8250u Specs
2. Open the link that contains intel>productions>sku
3. Look around the site for the line Max Turbo Frequency

This is the maximum speed your CPU should run at if Intel Turbo Boost is enabled. (Ex: 3.40 Ghz)

Linux:

1. Open Terminal (CTRL + ALT + T)
2. Type command lscpu | grep -i model
3. The CPU Model & base clock speed will be listed. EX: Model name : Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8250U CPU @ 1.60GHz

This tells you your CPU is an I5-8250u that runs at a base clock of 1.60Ghz. (1.80 Ghz in some Configurations)

1. Do a web search for your CPU model. Ex: Intel I5-8250u Specs
2. Open the link that contains intel>productions>sku
3. Look around the site for the line Max Turbo Frequency

This is the maximum speed your CPU should run at if Intel Turbo Boost is enabled. (Ex. 3.40 Ghz)

Note: Not all CPU's will support Turbo Boost. Some Intel Atoms, Celeron, Pentium & I3's do not.

Windows:

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Escape)
2. Navigate to the Performance Tab
3. Click on the CPU box
4. In the middle column under the graph the current CPU speed will be listed under the heading Speed. This number may fluctuate. Try to note highest seen. EX: 1.80GHz

This tells you the current max CPU speed is 1.80 Ghz. If this value is less then the Max Turbo Frequency from the pervious step it means Turbo Boost is not enabled. (1.8 < 3.4 so trubo is not enabled)

Linux:

1. Open Terminal (CTRL + ALT + T)
2. Type command watch "(cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep "MHz")"
3. The current clock speeds of all cores will be listed. These numbers may be different and fluctuating. Try to note the highest seen. EX: 1800.000
4. Exit by pressing Ctrl + C

This tells you the current max CPU speed is 1800.000 MHz (1.80 Ghz). If this value is less then the Max Turbo Frequency from the pervious step it means Turbo Boost is not enabled. (1.8 < 3.4 so is not enabled)

Linux (Alternative):

1. Open Terminal (CTRL + ALT + T)
2. Type command cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/intel_pstate/no_turbo
3. If the command returns 0 it means Intel Turbo Boost is enabled. If it returns 1 it means Intel Turbo Boost is disabled.

1. Download the Stable version of ThrottleStop from https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop
2. Unzip the folder to a location of your choice. (Ex: C:/users/youruser/ThrottleStop )
3. Open the program ThrottleStop.exe
4. Grant Administrator permission when prompted
5. Click OK to accept the warning about using at your own risk.
6. Once finished REBOOT your computer.
7. Run/open the Throttle Stop software
8. Turbo Boost should now be enabled

Check if Turbo Boost is enabled by repeating Step 2: Determine Current CPU Speed & If Turbo Boost Is Enabled The current CPU speed should now be higher than the one prior to the Throttlestop installation.

ThrottleStop will need to be run manually after each computer reboot. To ensure ThrottleStop automatically starts with Windows jump to Step 5 : Autostart Turbo Boost of this guide

Method 1: (Fine Tuning Control)

1. Install auto-cpufreq tool from https://github.com/AdnanHodzic/auto-cpufreq

Use any method . I prefer the source code installer. This guide will not cover the software installation.

1. Once finished REBOOT your computer.
2. Turbo Boost should now be enabled.

Check if Turbo Boost is enabled by repeating Step 2: Determine Current CPU Speed & If Turbo Boost Is Enabled. The current CPU speed should now be higher than the one prior to the auto-cpufreq installation.

Method 2 (Just Turbo Enable):

1. Download the attached .zip folder Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip
2. Extract Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip to any location of your choice. (EX: /home/user/Intel-Turbo-Enable)
3. Navigate to newly extracted directory in terminal (EX: cd /home/user/Intel-Turbo-Enable)
4. Run command: chmod +x rdmsr && chmod +x wrmsr
5. Run command : chmod +x Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh
6. Run command: ./Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh
7. Turbo Boost should now be enabled.

If you get a permission denied error while running the command ./Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh try running the command: bash Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh

Check if Turbo Boost is enabled by repeating Step 2: Determine Current CPU Speed & If Turbo Boost Is Enabled. The current CPU speed should now be higher than the one prior to running the Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh script.

Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh will need to be run manually after each computer reboot. To ensure Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh automatically starts with Linux jump to Step 5 : Autostart Turbo Boost of this guide

Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip Download links:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zqtgbqvepxd692xul09ms/Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip?rlkey=ccinhklf85d17l48j6ang4u1d&st=s7ttkoqx&dl=0

https://file.garden/aeUkVLX7giXAZigR/Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip

Windows:

1. Open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc)
2. Navigate to Action --> Create Task
3. Name the task Throttle Stop
4. Make sure Run only when user is logged on & Run with highest privilege's are checked
5. Navigate to the Triggers Tab --> New
6. Change Begin the task: to At Logon & click OK
7. Navigate to the Actions Tab --> New
8. Click Browse and navigate to your ThrottleStop.exe file & click OK
9. Navigate to the Conditions Tab and make sure ALL boxes are unchecked. Even if the box is greyed out it needs to be unchecked. (You may need to enable some boxes in order to uncheck greyed out boxes. Then disable again)
10. Navigate to the Actions Tab and make sure only the Allow task to be run on demand box is checked.
11. Click OK to save the new schedule.
12. Reboot your computer (Optional)

ThrottleStop should now autostart with Windows. To check this open Task Manager after a reboot and look for the ThrottleStop running background process.

Linux:

1. Open Terminal (CTRL + ALT + T)
2. Type command crontab -e
3. If it prompts you to choose an editor select 1 (nano)
4. A text file will open. At the very end of the file add the line: @reboot sh /path/to/Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh make sure to include the .sh extension!
5. Save the file. If using nano editor use CTRL+S
6. Exit the editor. If using nano editor use CTRL+X
7. Reboot your computer.

The Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh should now run at system boot. Turbo boost should be active at boot.

NOTE: crontab may not work for all Linux distributions,. If not do a web search for "autostart program on *YourLinuxDistribution* for assistance or drop a comment & I will try to help.

Batocera Linux is great for gaming but lacks a traditional full software suite making it difficult to finely configure. After much trial & error I found a way to enable Intel Turbo Boost.

1. A terminal can be accessed by CTRL + ALT + F5. Username: root. Password: linux
2. auto-cpufreq will NOT work on Batocera.
3. I Highly recommend you enable SSH to make life easier. The entire process can be done via ssh, command line or the F1 File manager GUI. See https://wiki.batocera.org/access_the_batocera_via_ssh
4. You will need some way to copy the extracted Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip to your Batocera machine. This can be via SFTP, USB, boot off a live Linux disk, or whatever method works for you.

How To Install:

1. Download the attached Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip
2. Extract the .zip file to the location of your choice. (EX: /userdata/Intel-Turbo-Enable)
3. Navigate to newly extracted directory in terminal (EX: cd /userdata/Intel-Turbo-Enable)
4. Run command: chmod +x rdmsr && chmod +x wrmsr
5. Run command: chmod +x Intel-Turbo-Enable.sh
6. Navigate to the directory: /userdata/system/services You may need to create the folder services (COMMAND: mkdir services)
7. Create a new file called intel_turbo_service. Make sure to NOT use a file extension (COMMAND: touch intel_turbo_service)
8. Edit & add the following line to the file: bash /userdata/turbo-enable/intel_turbo.sh & (COMMAND. nano intel_turbo.sh).
9. Save the file (CTRL+s --> CTRL + x)
10. Run/type command: batocera-services start
11. Reboot computer

Enabling:

1. In Batocera GUI open the Settings Menu via Hotkey (controller) or Spacebar(keyboard)
2. Navigate to System Settings--> Services
3. Enable INTEL_TURBO_SERVICE . When enabled the oval will turn white.
4. Turbo Boost should now be active & enable itself across reboots.

Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip Download links:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zqtgbqvepxd692xul09ms/Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip?rlkey=ccinhklf85d17l48j6ang4u1d&st=s7ttkoqx&dl=0

https://file.garden/aeUkVLX7giXAZigR/Intel-Turbo-Enable.zip

Many Acer Laptops have additional hidden Bios features that allow for additional configuration. These settings can include things such as CPU TDP change , Power limit adjustment, under volting, Turbo Boost, & more.

Setting a Bios Password:

1. Some laptops require a Bios password setup prior to accessing the advanced settings tab.
2. To enable a Bios password enable the Supervisor Password option under the Security tab of Bios.
3. Make sure to make the password something you will remember!! You will need to enter it every time you access Bios. It can be difficult to reset if forgotten!

To Access the Advanced Bios:

1. Ensure you are using the laptops original keyboard. USB, Bluetooth, & PS/2 Keyboards will NOT work.
2. Power on laptop & enter the Bios using the F2 key.
3. Once in the Bios force shutdown the laptop by holding the power button down. DO NOT RELEASE THE POWER BUTTON
4. Once the laptop is off press the keys (sequentially): F4 --> 4 --> R -->F --> V --> F5 --> 5 --> T --> G --> B -->F6 --> 6 -->6 -->Y --> H --> N
5. Release the power button & press it again. The laptop should start booting. .
6. Re-enter the Bios using the F2 key.
7. There should now be a new tab in the Bios called: Advanced. There will be 2 Advanced tabs. You are looking for the second one with a whole bunch of options.
8. This is the tab where you can edit all the fun new settings.
9. Repeat the same steps to re-enter the advanced Bios settings whenever needed.

NOTE: The advanced Bios settings are not available on every machine model & bios revision. Your mileage may vary greatly.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to post a comment or send a private message. Happy to help!

Acer Logo: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRY5EFO5KGbtrcYvWogQTC1x6ZZFshTk5gk7w&s

Intel turbo Boost: https://www.oaipc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Benefits-of-Intel-Turbo-Boost-Technology-for-Mini-Computers.jpg