Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: REDACTED on May 13, 2017, 07:01:01 PM
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In the course of troubleshooting why my computer was failing to go to sleep I found that:
(i) When a game was launched, Avast changed my power profile to high performance.
(ii) When the game ended, Avast failed to change my profile back.
This is troubling in several respects:
(1) Why is Avast, by default, changing power profiles? It's nice to not get interrupted by notifications but I never asked Avast (or anyone program) to change my power profile. I have the settings the way I like them.
(2) Why is this turned on by default?
(3) Why doesn't it even work properly? (Why doesn't it change the profile back?)
While I personally had to waste several hours troubleshooting why my computer failed to go to sleep because of this grand "feature", that is just a terrible annoyance and inconvenience. At least one user has claimed the change did damage to his/her hardware. See here: https://www.tenforums.com/performance-maintenance/81665-power-plan-automatically-changing-game-launch.html#post1021483 (https://www.tenforums.com/performance-maintenance/81665-power-plan-automatically-changing-game-launch.html#post1021483). This is unacceptable!
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Power settings changes can be turned off in Game Mode settings. Uncheck "Trigger high performance".
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The claim of that user is false.
Setting a system to optimal performance doesn't do damage to hardware.
A system can handle the higher temperatures.
If they get too high, it is a problem with the cooling not installed software.
I wonder how old his system is as nowadays systems shut down when the temperatures gets too high.
It would not surprise me if his CPU broke down (short circuiting) and caused the problem.
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Actually, avast! changes setting back after you exit the game. However, if the system crashes, it'll remain in High Performance mode. I've experienced that several times when testing overclocks.
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Power settings changes can be turned off in Game Mode settings. Uncheck "Trigger high performance".
I'm aware of this. It shouldn't be on by default.
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Actually, avast! changes setting back after you exit the game. However, if the system crashes, it'll remain in High Performance mode. I've experienced that several times when testing overclocks.
While I'm no gamer, that's good to know anyway. Thanks RejZoR.
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The claim of that user is false.
Setting a system to optimal performance doesn't do damage to hardware.
A system can handle the higher temperatures.
If they get too high, it is a problem with the cooling not installed software.
I wonder how old his system is as nowadays systems shut down when the temperatures gets too high.
It would not surprise me if his CPU broke down (short circuiting) and caused the problem.
His CPU, as stated in the thread, was an FX processor. AMD added the temperature shutoff mechanisms well before that. If I were to speculate, he had it at a really high OC that really couldn't be sustained for longer periods of time which setting to High performance ending up screwing up. Something with the cooler may have been at play.
Either way, this shouldn't be a default setting. Leave power settings alone thanks.
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Actually, avast! changes setting back after you exit the game. However, if the system crashes, it'll remain in High Performance mode. I've experienced that several times when testing overclocks.
I tested it when I first investigated it and did not find that result. I'll quick do a retest now.
It appears to work now. It did not work before.
When I first posted the thread (mentioned in the OP) on the other forum, I had the control panel power options screen up on the other monitor. Launching the game switched to high performance. Exiting the game saw no reversal. That seems to have now been fixed.
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The claim of that user is false.
Setting a system to optimal performance doesn't do damage to hardware.
A system can handle the higher temperatures.
If they get too high, it is a problem with the cooling not installed software.
I wonder how old his system is as nowadays systems shut down when the temperatures gets too high.
It would not surprise me if his CPU broke down (short circuiting) and caused the problem.
You are wrong on all counts.
My H80i Corsair Liquid Cooler did in fact fuse to my AMD FX 8150 Cpu because of Avast's manipulation of my Power Mode without giving me any notification that any such feature was installed, or that such a feature was turned on by default without giving me ANY notification. It modified a VITAL part of my system settings, and left it in a dangerous state, i cant even imagine how many laptops will melt under these conditions.
AVAST is an Anti-Virus and as such cannot possibly understand each user's individual setup, CPU limitations and cooling needs.
My CPU was FORCED by Avasts secret changes to rev up to a prolongued high temperature because it was, by Avast, told to constantly rev at 100% minimum Processing rate, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, for an entire month!
I finally discovered that it was Avast that was the culprit having found Monitorless's topic and started observing as Avast WAS switching my Power Modes (if i changed it back to Balanced, Avast would just switch it to High Performance again and again) when i gave no such expressed permission for it to do so....but it's too late now, my H80i and AMD processor have fused together and the damage is unrepairable. I'm over $300 down in damages and none of this was my fault. Avast shouldnt even be messing with the CPU rates.
I do not Overclock, everything is at stock levels. NO processor should EVER be told to stick at 100% on end for long periods of time, especially by software tampering with what it doesnt understand.
Edit: To add to my frustration, 2 things:
1. You added this to Game Mode and turned it on with no notification to the user; you are damaging peoples hardware as we speak.
2. Even the description of your Game Mode currently does not mention that it will alter the systems Power Mode in any way! It only mentions changing Process Priorities.
(http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx5/2ndvenus/Untitled_zpsvmjkz2yz.jpg)
This is wrong, very very wrong.
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No, you are the one that is wrong.
Running a system a 100% does not make it overheat unless there is a problem with the cooling.
Could be dust, bad airflow, broken fan etc.
Running software never is causing a system to overheat unless it is e.g. software that is over clocking things and avast is not doing so.
If software would do so, Microsoft would have gotten millions of claims from people who set it to "optimal performance".
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Games fluctuate the processor between 0-100% they do NOT forcefully hold the CPU to the pinnacle of 100% for an infinite amount of time. This will eventually damage anybodies hardware.
Your company defending post is sickening when you bring opinionative bickering to a case where by fact an Antivirus just burnt out somebodies CPU/Cooler.
I demand answers, and you dont have any so move along.
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As a side note, I'm not convinced performance mode adds any value to gaming (or anything for that matter). The way CPU usage goes up and down seems to handle things well. To test this I ran Cinebench R15 multicore. Here were the results (average of 3 trials):
My Profile: 913.7
Balanced: 912.3
Performance: 914.7
With such a small sample size, I doubt the differences are statistically significant (although I did notice an article suggesting the new Ryzen's see a performance difference). In any case, I'm not convinced there's any value to this "feature". Someone at Avast wasted time programming it, it adds no value and even if 2ndvenus is mistaken about his hardware damage claims, it did result in higher electricity consumption. Because my CPU doesn't need to be at 100% right now because I don't need it to do anything (and while a couple cores are around 5%, the others are at 0% currently which is all fine by me).
As far as I can tell, the performance plan should just be removed from Windows. If one actually wants those settings, it's probably better just to turn off the power saving features in BIOS to begin with (which some do of course).
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CPU simply running at full speed clock isn't equal to CPU running at full speed clock and under heavy load. If it runs at full speed, it's not really consuming that much more power and neither it's deteriorating any faster (at least not of any significance).
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2ndvenus,
after 35+ years working with computers I know a thing or two.
One of them is that running a system at 100% 24/7 does not damage the hardware at all.
I had a AMD Athlon XP 2000+ running at 125c while 90c is the maximum operating temperature according to AMD.
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K7/AMD-Athlon%20XP%202000+%20-%20AXDA2000DUT3C.html
Problems started when it reached 130c and higher.
Reason why it got that hot... dust aka no proper cooling.
P1's (100 MHz) over clocked to 175 MHz and not a single problem.
Several of the systems I have had where running at 100% 24/7 for several years without a problem.
Only time they where not running at 100% was when a reboot was required due to a software update/change.
Your company defending post is sickening when you bring opinionative bickering to a case where by fact an Antivirus just burnt out somebodies CPU/Cooler.
I'm not defending avast at all.
Facts are :
- that for cooler to and CPU melt into each other a temperature of 1000c(!) (or more) is needed because of the melting temperature of the ceramic that is around the core of a CPU.
- in order to reach such temperature the cooling and/or system protection is failing
You added this to Game Mode and turned it on with no notification to the user; you are damaging peoples hardware as we speak.
avast did tell the gaming mode was added.
Ofcourse it was/is enabled.
It wouldn't/isn't making sense to add something and not enable it by default.
Software from avast doesn't damage peoples hardware.
As systems by default don't come with that cooler it would not surprise me that you made a mistake when mounting/installing it.
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Eddy iv done 24 years, i dont care about your opinion on computer hardware, leave.
I need to speak to a developer.
Peoples hardware is being put at risk, the program does not mention the tampering of Power Plans in any of it's component, the program shouldnt even be able to touch your CPU rates and this problem is made worse by the fact the the program did not inform us at all that Power Plans would be used, nor should it even be using them in the first place, it is dangerous to many, many users, and because of this, my hardware was damaged.
Those are the facts.
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I need to speak to a developer.
Contact support: https://support.avast.com/support/tickets/new
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Peoples hardware is being put at risk
The hardware is not at risk at all because of the software.
It is is because of PEBKAC.
the program shouldnt even be able to touch your CPU rates
It doesn't change the CPU rates at all.
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Cant go on one forum without a troll or off-topic confrontation anymore.
Try to be nicer to the next person in here. What am i even saying, iv absolutely no hope for you.
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I can't help it that you have no clue on how things are working etc.
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Cant go on one forum without a troll or off-topic confrontation anymore.
Try to be nicer to the next person in here. What am i even saying, iv absolutely no hope for you.
If you want help from the developers, follow the advice already posted by Asyn.
Please stop your personal disagreements. Settle them outside of this forum.
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Eddy iv done 24 years, i dont care about your opinion on computer hardware, leave.
I need to speak to a developer.
Peoples hardware is being put at risk, the program does not mention the tampering of Power Plans in any of it's component, the program shouldnt even be able to touch your CPU rates and this problem is made worse by the fact the the program did not inform us at all that Power Plans would be used, nor should it even be using them in the first place, it is dangerous to many, many users, and because of this, my hardware was damaged.
Those are the facts.
You're overreacting. There is no hardware at risk and neither there is any damage being done to hardware. It's actually slightly more damaging for hardware if clock is ramping up and down like crazy, changing voltages constantly than running at 100% clock at all times (which also degrades chip a bit, but then again, normal operation does as well and I have yet to see a CPU that has died from wearing out).
Again, CPU running at full clock DOESN'T equal CPU running at full load. If it's just running at max clock at all times, it's just that, it's keeping its core clock at high level.
Like I've said, avast! is switching back to original mode unless you interrupt it, either by a system crash or possibly with a game crash. In which case, avast! will treat currently set High Performance power plan as current plan and will not switch it.
That being said, you did bring a valid point here and I think I know how it could be addressed. Power plan selection in Game Mode and avast! reading the power plan state when installed. This way, no matter if game/system crashes, it would always switch to the correct power plan on next system boot or when exiting a game next time, because it would have it defined in its settings unlike now where it always switches to High performance and switches back to last used profile before the switch. It that already happened to be High performance (because it stayed that way after system crash), it'll just stay with High Performance forever.
I'll forward this idea to the devs. For the time being, switch to Balanced mode manually in Power Settings and turn OFF "Trigger high performance" in Performance -> Game Mode -> Settings panel. This way you'll still have some benefits of the game mode without the power plan switching.
EDIT:
Ok, I've just posted this idea on the dev board. Lets see how it goes.
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I created this account after I noticing Avast just apparently randomly change my power profiles, until I found this forum post about gaming mode.
I usually just stay on Balanced Power Mode, while already tweaking Balanced Power Mode to my own preferences.
I noticed my PC just randomly shutdown my display and went to sleep when I have my PC idle. I disabled all these my Balanced Power Mode. Apparently the PC was changing to High Performance plan when I ran a certain application and I had to find out Avast is the one doing all the change in the System Event logs. Gaming mode tagged that certain application as a game and activated all the time.
I have currently disabled gaming mode.
The issue is that Gaming Mode was an opt-out and there are no notifications whenever Avast just changing my power profiles
I am pretty satisfied about Avast all along but I am not sure if this hidden behaviour is desirable.
At least Avast as an antivirus shouldn't change my PC's behaviour after any auto-updates, except matters related to antivirus.