Most people know to switch from Balanced to High Performance. Fewer know what the difference actually is — or that there's a third option that outperforms both for gaming.
Balanced power plan
Dynamically scales CPU frequency based on load. When load drops, frequency drops. When load rises, there's a ramp-up period before the CPU hits full speed.
For gaming with variable load (menu → combat → menu), this creates micro-stutters as the CPU spins up to handle sudden load spikes.
High Performance
Keeps CPU frequency higher on average but still allows some scaling. Core parking may still be active depending on your system.
Ultimate Performance
Introduced in Windows 10 1803. Removes all frequency scaling — CPU stays at maximum at all times. Also disables:
- Core parking
- Hard disk timeout
- USB selective suspend
- PCIe link state power management
# Activate Ultimate Performance
powercfg /duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
# Copy the GUID from output, then:
powercfg /setactive <GUID>
The catch
Maximum power draw and heat. For desktops: no issue. For laptops: battery drains faster, thermals run hotter.
Locking it in
IzanagiOP activates Ultimate Performance and locks it so Windows Update or driver installs don't reset it back to Balanced. https://terweb.lt/
