How to enable power option on Desktop

By jjrambo
in Microsoft (Windows)

 Share

Recommended Posts

Proficient

jjrambo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Why would you need to switch between performance and balanced? You should always keep a desktop set to "Balanced".

No, i should not keep my desktop to balanced all the time, cause i don't need CPU speed to drop from 3.6Ghz down to 2.1Ghz while i'm playing games with no good reason cause Intel thought that clock speed should be based on load which can create stuttering in games. When i do gaming i need to switch it to performance which means i need that 'sucker' to run 3.6Ghz if necessary for 5 hours straight, and when my computer idles to switch to balanced cause i don't need full CPU speed.

I have no idea why Microsoft thought that Desktop users don't need this power options in system tray but only laptop. Like everything else Microsoft disables or removes good features based on God knows what reason.

I created power options shortcut on desktop for now till i find some way to hack this in registry.

Proficient

jjrambo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Do you use the intel speedstep is it called in the bios? if so use that and enable high performance in vista, i think speedstep is better than vista's one as vista's high performance makes use of 100% on the processor.

Intel Speedstep does not work if Power Options is set to performance, only if it's set to Balanced.

Grand Master

Eric Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

If you right-click on the taskbar and select Properties you should see a "Notification Area" tab with the system icons listed at the bottom. If your Power checkbox is gray and you can't click it make sure you don't have any 3rd-party UPS drivers like PowerChute installed.

Proficient

jjrambo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
If you right-click on the taskbar and select Properties you should see a "Notification Area" tab with the system icons listed at the bottom. If your Power checkbox is gray and you can't click it make sure you don't have any 3rd-party UPS drivers like PowerChute installed.

Actually no. It stays disabled for desktop.

A desktop should usually be running at high performance all of the time, unless you plan on leaving your system on for weeks on end downloading torrents.

No, i don't do anything on Vista but gaming. I have laptop for my Visual Studio i work in but that's about it.

Veteran

bob_c_b

Posted
Posted
Intel Speedstep does not work if Power Options is set to performance, only if it's set to Balanced.

Really, because I have my Power Options set to High and if I check at the desktop it myu Q9300 idles at 2.0ghz and if I alt tab out of a game I see 2.5ghz? I'm not at home right now, but I'll double check it tonight.

Proficient

jjrambo

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Really, because I have my Power Options set to High and if I check at the desktop it myu Q9300 idles at 2.0ghz and if I alt tab out of a game I see 2.5ghz? I'm not at home right now, but I'll double check it tonight.

Maybe you're right. Maybe after CPU gets overclocked it works only if you set power option to Balanced. Thanks.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Microsoft announces 12th-gen Surface Pro with Snapdragon X2 processors

      By tsupersonic · Posted

      Macbook Air is an appealing option, as are plethora of Windows devices with various different CPU's
    • Mozilla highlights Firefox Nova 2026 redesign and more upcoming features with new roadmap

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      Mozilla highlights Firefox Nova 2026 redesign and more upcoming features with new roadmap by Sayan Sen Last month Mozilla confirmed that Firefox was set to get a major redesign this year. Dubbed "Project Nova", it can already be tested and will roll out to all users later this year.The idea is to keep the browser competitive in a rapidly evolving internet landscape. As such the revamp focuses on improving privacy, usability, performance, accessibility, and customization. Key privacy features including the built-in VPN, private browsing mode, and Enhanced Tracking Protection, will be more visible and easier to manage, while users will have the option to disable AI features entirely through a dedicated kill switch. Additionally, the redesign promises faster page loading, the return of Compact mode, expanded personalization options, and stronger accessibility support. You can find the full details in the dedicated piece linked above. In a new blog post today the company once again reiterated on Nova and also emphasized other new and upcoming features like the settings revamp that is intended to make it easier for users to understand browser settings. In order to make it simpler for users to keep up with such features Mozilla today is launching Firefox roadmap. Hence enthusiasts and interested users will be able to check out what's cooking and also share feedback about the upcoming additions. Alongside the roadmap announcement, Mozilla also highlighted what's new in Firefox 152. One of the biggest additions is the arrival of Tab Groups on Android. The feature, which has already been helping desktop users organize large numbers of tabs, is now beginning to roll out on mobile. Users will be able to group related tabs together, assign names and colors to them, and return to them later. Mozilla says support for iOS will arrive later this year. Firefox 152 also introduces the aforementioned redesigned Settings experience. The company says the changes are meant to make controls easier to find and help users discover features they may not have previously known about. Existing preferences are not changing, though they are now better organized. Another notable addition is the new Blocked Tracker Widget, which provides a visual overview of Firefox's privacy protections by showing how many trackers have been blocked over time and the types of tracking activity the browser has stopped. Looking ahead, Mozilla revealed several upcoming roadmap features. They include customizable keyboard shortcuts, as well as enhanced PDF editing tools that will allow documents to be split, merged, and reorganized directly within Firefox. The company is also working on bringing Multi-Account Containers into the native Firefox experience thus removing the need for a separate extension. Meanwhile Firefox's built-in VPN is set to expand to mobile devices. Mozilla is also developing AI-powered features like Quick Answers, which can provide concise responses to voice queries, and Smart Window, its optional AI browsing experience that is now available without a waitlist. Finally, a new Power Saving Mode is in the works and will help reduce the impact of resource-heavy tabs on mobile devices in order to extend battery life. The video below summarizes the upcoming changes in an easy to understand format: You can find the announcement blog post here on Mozilla's official website.
    • Microsoft unveils new Surface Laptop with improved trackpad, Snapdragon X2, and more

      By tsupersonic · Posted

      Dead on arrival at that price. Like they missed the mark by multiple hundreds of dollars - this should actually undercut the Macbook Air at $899 if they want any sort of sales / further adoption of WoA
    • Microsoft announces 12th-gen Surface Pro with Snapdragon X2 processors

      By +LightEco · Posted

      Wow, 50% increase for the base model. That's steep!
    • Cybersecurity vets protest ‘dangerous’ US government ban on Anthropic’s most powerful models

      By branfont · Posted

      A group made up of dozens of cybersecurity experts, including several well-known veterans of the industry, published an open letter to the U.S. government asking it to lift the export control order on Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos models. According to the open letter, “this action has taken the best models away from [cybersecurity] defenders” who now can’t use the models to find vulnerabilities and make their software and products more secure. “To pull the best capabilities away from defenders without a good reason when our adversaries are rapidly advancing is dangerous,” read the letter. On Friday, the U.S. government ordered Anthropic to limit the export of Fable and Mythos, citing national security concerns, without explaining the specific reasons behind the order, according to Anthropic. In response, the company suspended access to the models to all users worldwide.     https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/15/cybersecurity-vets-protest-dangerous-us-government-ban-on-anthropics-most-powerful-models/

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      Console General earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Veteran
      branfont went up a rank
      Veteran

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      511
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      200
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      109
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      89
    5. 5
      Nick H.
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!