diff --git a/av1/encoder/var_based_part.c b/av1/encoder/var_based_part.c
index b446430..59ee3d3 100644
--- a/av1/encoder/var_based_part.c
+++ b/av1/encoder/var_based_part.c
@@ -349,6 +349,7 @@
   int64_t threshold_base =
       (int64_t)(threshold_multiplier *
                 cpi->enc_quant_dequant_params.dequants.y_dequant_QTX[q][1]);
+  const int current_qindex = cm->quant_params.base_qindex;
 
   if (is_key_frame) {
     thresholds[0] = threshold_base;
@@ -379,19 +380,18 @@
     if (cm->width >= 1280 && cm->height >= 720)
       thresholds[3] = thresholds[3] << 1;
     if (cm->width * cm->height <= 352 * 288) {
-      int last_qindex = cpi->rc.last_q[INTER_FRAME];
-      if (last_qindex >= QINDEX_HIGH_THR) {
+      if (current_qindex >= QINDEX_HIGH_THR) {
         threshold_base = (5 * threshold_base) >> 1;
         thresholds[1] = threshold_base >> 3;
         thresholds[2] = threshold_base << 2;
         thresholds[3] = threshold_base << 5;
-      } else if (last_qindex < QINDEX_LOW_THR) {
+      } else if (current_qindex < QINDEX_LOW_THR) {
         thresholds[1] = threshold_base >> 3;
         thresholds[2] = threshold_base >> 1;
         thresholds[3] = threshold_base << 3;
       } else {
-        int64_t qi_diff_low = last_qindex - QINDEX_LOW_THR;
-        int64_t qi_diff_high = QINDEX_HIGH_THR - last_qindex;
+        int64_t qi_diff_low = current_qindex - QINDEX_LOW_THR;
+        int64_t qi_diff_high = QINDEX_HIGH_THR - current_qindex;
         int64_t threshold_diff = QINDEX_HIGH_THR - QINDEX_LOW_THR;
         int64_t threshold_base_high = (5 * threshold_base) >> 1;
 
@@ -415,9 +415,12 @@
       thresholds[2] = (5 * threshold_base) >> 1;
     }
     if (cpi->sf.rt_sf.force_large_partition_blocks) {
-      thresholds[1] <<= 2;
-      thresholds[2] <<= 5;
-      thresholds[3] = INT32_MAX;
+      if (current_qindex > QINDEX_LARGE_BLOCK_THR ||
+          cm->width * cm->height <= 352 * 288) {
+        thresholds[1] <<= 2;
+        thresholds[2] <<= 5;
+        thresholds[3] = INT32_MAX;
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/av1/encoder/var_based_part.h b/av1/encoder/var_based_part.h
index e6f8209..8067bf5 100644
--- a/av1/encoder/var_based_part.h
+++ b/av1/encoder/var_based_part.h
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@
 #define QINDEX_HIGH_THR \
   220  // Use high qindex variance partition thresholds when qindex is above
        // this threshold
+#define QINDEX_LARGE_BLOCK_THR \
+  100  // Use increased thresholds for midres for speed 9 when qindex is above
+       // this threshold
 
 /*!\brief Set the thresholds for variance based partition.
  *