Configure the hidden Maximum Performance power plan using CMD

If you use Windows If you're 10 or 11 and you like to push your PC to its limits, you'll be interested in learning about... hidden Maximum Performance energy planIt's a mode designed to extract every last drop of power from the hardwareBut Microsoft keeps it hidden and disabled by default, especially on laptops.

Throughout this guide you will see exactly what this plan does, How to activate it with CMD or PowerShell using the powercfg commandHow does it differ from the High Performance plan, what real impact does it have on games and heavy tasks, and also the risks and disadvantages that should be kept in mind before leaving it activated all day.

What are power plans in Windows and what are they used for?

Windows manages power consumption and performance through profiles called energy plans or energy profilesEach plan is a set of parameters that dictates how the CPU, GPU, disks, display, or even PCIe ports use energy. USB.

In practice, an energy plan is a combination of hardware and system adjustments which seeks one of these three objectives: to save energy as much as possible, to offer the highest possible performance, or to maintain a reasonable balance between the two.

From the control panel or system options, we can choose the profile that best suits our needs at any given time, so that Windows adapts the processor frequency, brightness, disk suspend, hibernation and other functions according to that plan.

It is important to keep in mind that the more aggressive a profile is in terms of performance, The more energy the equipment consumes, the more heat it generates.This might be acceptable on a desktop computer, but on a laptop it directly impacts battery life.

On the other hand, the system does not show everything it does internally with complete transparency: although we can tweak some advanced parameters, We don't see detailed voltage or power measurements.And often two plans that look very similar in the interface give different results in FPS or real consumption.

Standard power plans in Windows: Balanced, High performance, and Power saver

Before activating the hidden Maximum Performance mode, it's advisable to review the three classic power profiles that come with Windows by default, since they are the starting point on which this "extreme" plan has been built.

Balanced Plan

The Balanced plan is the one that comes active by default in most Windows installations and aims to to maintain a reasonable balance between consumption and performanceIt dynamically adjusts the frequency of the CPU and other components based on the actual workload.

In this profile, when the device is idle or performing simple tasks, The CPU lowers its minimum frequency to very low values ​​(for example, 5%).Energy consumption is reduced in PCIe slots and other devices, and the system goes into sleep mode sooner or turns off the screen to save power.

The main advantage is that performance remains stable for daily use, while Fans don't usually spin up that fast.The noise level drops and the temperature remains more controlled. It's a very suitable mode for working, browsing, office tasks, or studying in quiet environments.

High-performance plan

The High Performance profile takes a more aggressive step and is designed for users who prioritize power over savingsHere, screen brightness is increased, CPU and GPU usage is forced higher, and various power-saving mechanisms are relaxed.

On many desktop computers it appears as an optional feature, but on most laptops It is not usually visible by default. due to the impact it has on the battery and temperature.

Among its benefits, this plan allows the computer It runs more smoothly in games, video editing, rendering, or intensive use of multiple applications.It also makes the screen appear brighter, which can be useful if you use the device outdoors or in brightly lit areas.

In return, the CPU fan usually runs at higher revolutions. Heat generation increases and battery life is shortenedIt also doesn't optimize processor behavior much during short periods of inactivity, so the CPU is often kept higher than strictly necessary.

Energy Saving Plan

At the opposite end we have Energy Saver mode, focused on maximize battery life or reduce electricity consumption In general. To achieve this, it lowers the screen brightness to the minimum and significantly reduces performance.

With this plan, Windows aggressively reduces the CPU frequency when power is not needed. It shuts down hard drives after short periods of inactivity.It limits the performance of PCIe slots and the graphics card, and turns off the screen and suspends the computer more quickly.

The advantages are clear: greater autonomy, less heat, and a quieter deviceOn laptops, it can make a very noticeable difference if you're far from a power outlet and are only doing light tasks.

The price to pay is that heavy applications They take longer to open and work more slowly.Games perform significantly worse, and the reduced brightness may be insufficient outdoors. It's an ideal profile for browsing, writing, or viewing documents, but not for pushing the hardware to its limits.

What is the Ultimate Performance energy plan?

Since the Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803), Microsoft has incorporated a new power profile called Ultimate Performance or Maximum PerformanceIt is a plan specifically designed for powerful workstations, high-end PCs, and certain servers.

This mode goes even further than the High Performance plan, as its objective is eliminate or minimize microlatencies associated with energy management techniquesA microlatency is that small delay between the system detecting that a component needs more power and the moment it delivers that energy.

With the Maximum Performance plan activated, Windows Stop "asking" the hardware before giving it more powerand directly allows the CPU, GPU, disks and other components to consume all they need at any given moment.

Furthermore, this profile comes configured to disable virtually all possible energy-saving featuresso that the system always behaves as if it were in a high load scenario or ready to enter it without waiting.

For this reason, Microsoft keeps it hidden on many computers and, above all, It is not displayed by default on laptops or devices that primarily run on battery power.because the impact on autonomy can be enormous.

What exactly changes with Maximum Performance mode?

Beyond the catchy name, the Maximum Performance plan modifies several internal options so that the system Stop trying to save energy except in rare exceptions.Among the most important changes are the following:

• Hard drives never go into sleep mode.This avoids reactivation times, which is useful if you work with many large files or video/3D projects.
• La JavaScript timer frequency is adjusted to prioritize the performance of applications that depend on this type of process.
• The Wi-Fi (WLAN) network adapter It is always configured for high performance.reducing power-saving modes that could introduce small delays to the network.
• Hibernation is disabled, avoiding the processes of saving and restoring the RAM state on the hard drive.
• La CPU power management sets the minimum and maximum at 100%so that the processor hardly drops in frequency, even if the system is apparently at rest.
• The screen keeps a standard shutdown time after about 15 minutes of inactivity, so as not to leave it on forever, although this can be customized.

In practice, this means that the computer responds faster when emerging from idle statesThis means that heavy applications start up a little faster and that certain editing, rendering, or 3D design tasks that generate intermittent load spikes benefit from not having to wait for the CPU to increase and decrease its frequency.

However, it is important to clarify that This plan doesn't work miracles or turn a modest PC into a high-end machine.What it does is reduce small energy management bottlenecks that, in powerful equipment, can be noticeable under certain circumstances.

Does the Maximum Performance plan help you play better?

One of the most common questions is whether to activate this profile. significantly improves FPS in gamesThe nuanced answer is that the benefit exists, but it is usually much less spectacular than many expect.

In games, when you're inside the game, CPUs and GPUs usually already operate at or near their limits. When using power plans like High Performance or even Balanced, power management micro-latencies have less of an impact than in tasks with intermittent load spikes. tests with Shadow of the Tomb Raider At 1080p High quality, measurements have been taken something like this:

• Economizer: some 79 FPS with a power consumption of ~203 W while playing.
• Balanced: around 84 FPS with ~213 W.
• High performance: close to 85 FPS with ~218 W.
• Maximum performance: around 88 FPS with ~219 W.

As you can see, the jump from the Saver plan to Maximum Performance can be around about 9 FPS In this specific scenario, while the increase between High Performance and Maximum Performance is modest, it exists.

In terms of consumption, however, the difference in watts between the most energy-efficient and the most aggressive modes During gameplay it's not enormous (approximately 16 W in that example), which makes it clear that Windows, rather than saving a huge amount, actually cuts performance in the more conservative profiles.

Therefore, in a desktop PC designed for gaming, Activating the Maximum Performance plan may be worthwhile If you're looking to get the most out of your device, the impact on your electricity bill will be limited, while the small extra FPS and smoothness can be noticeable.

Where to find and how to view power plans in Windows

Before activating anything hidden, it's interesting to know How to access the energy plans that are already available on your system, both on Windows 10 and on Windows 11.

A quick way is to open the Start menu and type “Edit energy plan” in the search bar. Clicking on that result will take you to the current plan's settings screen, and from there you can go back using the link to “Energy Options” to see the list of profiles.

Another way is to go to Settings > System > Startup/Shutdown (or Power and Sleep) and, in the right panel, use the link to “Additional power settings”This will directly open the classic Power Options window in the Control Panel.

You can also access it by manually typing the following into the Control Panel's navigation path: Control Panel > All Items > Power OptionsThere you'll see the Balanced, Saver, High Performance plans and, in some cases, other profiles specific to the laptop manufacturer.

From "Change plan settings"You can modify each profile" There from turning off the screen or putting the computer to sleep, and from “Change advanced power settings"You will enter the more technical list where CPU, disks, PCIe, USB, etc. are controlled."

Prerequisites for using the Maximum Performance plan

The Maximum Performance plan is not available in all versions of Windows. It was introduced with Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update)So you need to have at least that version or higher, or use Windows 11.

To check your Windows 10 version, you can open the Run dialog box. Windows + R, to write WINVER and press Enter. A window will appear indicating the installed version and build number.

If your version is 1803 or higher, the plan can be enabled on the system, even if it does not appear in the profile list. If it's older, you'll need to update Windows. if you want to use this mode.

On many updated desktop computers, the plan may be displayed directly under “Show additional plans” within Power Options. On OEM laptops or PCs, it is usually not visible.And that's where the command with CMD or PowerShell comes into play.

How to enable the Maximum Performance plan with CMD (powercfg)

If you don't see the Maximum Performance plan when you open Power Options, you can activate it manually using the line tool commands powercfg, available in all modern editions of Windows.

The key command duplicates a predefined power scheme identified by the GUID in your system e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61which is precisely the Ultimate Performance profile.

To do this from CMD, follow this general procedure:

• Open the Run box with Windows + R.
• Write cmd and press Enter to open the console.
• In the window of the symbol of the system, enter the command:
  powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
• Press Enter and wait for it to run. If there are no errors, the new plan will be saved. registered and available in the graphical interface.

If you prefer to use PowerShell, the process is just as simple, you just need to run it with administrator privileges:

• Search "PowerShell" from the Start menu.
• Right-click on Windows PowerShell and choose "Execute as an administrator".
• In the elevated console, paste the same command:
  powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
• When finished, close PowerShell.

Once you've done that, you can go back to Control Panel > Power Options or to the “Additional power settings” link in the Settings app to check that the new Maximum performance plan appears among the available options.

How to select and customize the Maximum Performance plan

After enabling the profile with powercfg, you will simply need to... activate it from the Windows graphical interface, like any other energy plan.

In the Power Options window, you may need to expand the section on “Show additional plans” To view the new profile. Once located, simply click the circle next to it. Maximum performance to leave it as an active plan.

As with the other settings, you can tap on “Change plan settings” to adjust screen timeout or sleep times, which is useful if you don't want the screen to stay on for hours unnecessarily by going to the maximum settings.

If you enter “Change advanced power settings"You'll see that, at first glance, the configuration seems very similar to that of the High Performance plan, especially in relation to CPU, disk, and PCI Express power managementHowever, there are nuances internally, and as has been seen in tests, the final performance does improve somewhat.

When you no longer need this aggressive plan, you can simply Switch back to Balanced or Energy SaverAnd if you want to remove it from the list of plans, first select another one, then go to “Change plan settings” for Maximum Performance and use the option “Eliminate this plan”.

Real impact on performance, consumption and temperatures

To understand whether using this mode is worthwhile, it is helpful to look at specific data from comparative tests between the different Windows power profiles on the same computer.

On a desktop PC with a processor Intel Core i5-6500, graphics Nvidia Using a GTX 1060 and a 650W power supply, the wattage consumption and average FPS were measured in Shadow of the Tomb Raider under low settings. Economizer, Balanced, High Performance and Maximum Performance.

The results, already mentioned, indicated something like 79 FPS in Power Saver mode and 88 FPS in Maximum Performance mode, with power consumption under load increasing by only about 16 W between the most economical and the most aggressive modes, while Between High and Maximum Performance, consumption was practically identical But the new plan gave several extra FPS.

By observing the CPU frequency at idle with tools like HWiNFO, it was clear that in Energy Saver The frequency dropped to a minimum when there was no load., while in High and Maximum Performance the CPU remained almost always at very high frequencies, even without apparent work.

In summary, Maximum Performance mode is most helpful in contexts where the equipment It constantly switches between inactive and active states. (video editing, 3D modeling, heavy multitasking) and when you want to squeeze out a few extra FPS compared to the High Performance plan without worrying too much about power consumption.

When does it make sense to use the Maximum Performance plan?

This mode is not intended to be used permanently activated in any situation, since it involves a higher energy expenditure and more thermal stress on the components.

It is especially interesting for users who perform intensive tasks on a recurring basis: video editing and rendering, 3D design, animation, demanding virtual machines or heavy development environments where large projects are frequently compiled.

It can also be useful for people who work remotely with many applications open, multiple screens, and demanding tools, when they notice that the equipment It has micro-cuts, small pauses, or a certain lack of fluency. when switching between programs or launching heavy tasks.

In gaming, it can be useful if you already have powerful hardware (high-end CPU and GPU) and want to squeeze out some extra performance. improve gaming performance and some smoother loading times

For basic computer use (browsing, office applications, streamingsocial media) or when you're using your laptop without a power outlet nearby, There's not much point in leaving this profile active.Because you'll just waste battery without noticing any perceptible improvement.

Risks and disadvantages of abusing Maximum Performance mode

Activating this plan won't break your computer overnight, but Constantly abusing it can shorten the lifespan of your components. or at the very least, make you have a bad time with temperatures and noise.

By keeping the CPU and other devices running at high frequencies even when there isn't much load, the system generates more sustained heatIf your PC's cooling is not good, this can result in thermal throttling (automatic performance reduction due to temperature) or occasional instabilities.

It is common for fans with this profile to rotate at higher revolutions and for a longer timeincreasing the noise level, something especially evident in thin laptops or desktop computers with poorly ventilated cases.

In the worst-case scenario, if you also have accumulated dust or poor ventilation, you could suffer unexpected shutdowns or restarts when the system protects itself against excessively high temperatures, or see how the motherboard and CPU reduce their performance to try to withstand it.

In laptops, the battery suffers the most: this mode drains the charge. much faster than Balanced or EconomyIdeally, it should only be used when the device is plugged into a power outlet. In the long run, constantly working at high temperatures isn't the healthiest thing for the battery either.

Third-party programs to further squeeze out performance

In addition to Windows' built-in plans, there are external tools such as QuickCPU which allow for finer adjustment of the processor and system's energy behavior.

With this type of software, parameters can be forced so that no CPU core is turned off or enter deep states of rest, and thus maintain a maximum response level at the cost of further increasing consumption and heat.

The design of these applications is usually relatively intuitive, but they must be used wisely: It's not a good idea to keep the equipment at 100% constant performance. all day, just like you wouldn't always drive with the accelerator pedal floored.

They are useful solutions for specific moments when you really need them to get 100% out of the hardwareFor example, during a long render or a particularly demanding work session, but not to have them active 24/7.

Frequently asked questions about the Maximum Performance energy plan

Since it is a hidden profile and was initially designed for very powerful systems, recurring questions often arise that should be clarified quickly.

What exactly is the Maximum Performance energy plan?

It is a power profile integrated into Windows 10 (since version 1803) and Windows 11, designed to high-power systems that need to minimize micro-latencies of energy management. It disables almost all possible power-saving features to prioritize performance.

Do they improve much? video games with this plan?

The impact on games exists but it is usually moderateIt's most noticeable in the Boot of the titles and in some cases extra FPS compared to the High Performance plan. For most users, the difference is small, and it's more intended for variable workloads such as video editing or 3D design.

Is it safe to use it on a laptop?

It's safe, but It's not advisable to have it always activeIt consumes significantly more battery power and raises the temperature considerably. Ideally, it should only be activated when you're working with the charger plugged in and need peak performance for a short period.

Can it be deactivated or deleted if I'm not convinced?

Yes. It is enough switch to another energy plan (Balanced, for example) and then go into the Maximum Performance plan settings to use the "Delete this plan" option. You can always recreate it with the powercfg command.

With all that said, it's clear that the Maximum Performance energy plan is a very useful tool for those who need to really get the most out of a powerful PC in demanding tasksProvided it is used sensibly, with adequate cooling, and awareness of the increased energy consumption and temperature involved, especially in portable equipment and during prolonged use sessions.