Speed Up Vista Performance By 50 Percent With Power Saver Plan CPU Setting Tweak

Have you notice that your Vista computer does not seem to take full advantage of it's CPU processing capabilities and appears to run slower than XP?

If so, it may be because of the power plan option that Vista is using.

Unlike XP, Vista power plans include a configuration setting that can greatly effect speed and reduce performance by 50 percent, almost to the point of frustration.

Especially if you use the Power Saver plan.

Unknown to many (unless you are a Geek and dig around in the operating system often), Vista default power setting for the Power Saver plan limits CPU performance to 50 percent, even when you are plugged in and not using battery power.

Now, it makes sense that the Power Saver plan is designed to….save power. But it doesn't make sense to cut processing power by fifty percent when using the power cord (unless you REALLY want to save on your electric bill).

Fortunately you can tweak this setting to get better CPU performance.

To modify the processing power setting, click on Start and enter power in the search field. Then click on Power Options in the search results.

If you are using the Power Saver plan (indicated by the bullet), click on the Change plan settings link.

Then on the next screen, click on the Change advanced power settings link.

In the settings screen for the Power saver plan, scroll down and expand Processor power management \ Maximum processor state. You will notice the Plugged in: value is set to 50%. We'll want to change the value by clicking on it and increasing it to 100%.

When finished, click on OK, followed by Save changes (if necessary) on the next screen.

With this change, you will speed up Vista and maintain the same optimization settings for best performance (plugged in) and battery life with the Power saver plan.

If you use other power plans, you can also adjust the Minimum and Maximum processor state values to your preference.

But, depending on how you use your computer while using battery power, will determine the best solution for you. As always test when making changes (one a time) until you find the optimal power plan if you are not happy with battery performance.