Disable Turbo Boost to Reduce Power Consumption and Heat
If your laptop’s CPU is running very hot and you’ve tried to undervolt it, you’ve probably discovered there’s no easy way to do so—especially on laptops whose BIOS doesn’t expose those controls. I ran into the same issue with my Ryzen 7 5800H, despite numerous attempts, I couldn’t undervolt because the firmware simply wouldn’t allow it. While it may seem drastic, disabling Turbo Boost is one workaround—and you might be surprised how little real-world performance you lose by turning it off.
- Heat & Noise: Aggressive boosting spins fans faster and raises CPU temperatures, often causing thermal throttling and fan noise spikes.
- Battery Life: Reducing boost levels directly cuts power draw, extending unplugged runtime.
- Workload Fit: GPU-bound games or lightweight tasks rarely need max CPU frequency, so limiting boost can be unnoticeable in practice.
- Fine-Grained Control: Beyond the basic
Enabled/Disabledoptions, Windows offers efficiency-focused and calculated-boost modes—some only visible after the registry tweak.
- Open Registry Editor: Press
Win+R, typeregedit, and click OK. (Be careful in the registry!) - Navigate to the Path: In the top bar of the Registry Editor, paste:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power\PowerSettings\54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00\be337238-0d82-4146-a960-4f3749d470c7
- Modify Attributes: Find
Attributeson the right side, double-click it, and change its value from1to2.
Now, you can control the mode:
- Search for
Edit Power Planin Windows search and open it. - Click
Change advanced power settings. - Expand
Processor power management, then expandProcessor Performance Boost Mode. - You can now choose different
STATE/MODEforOn BatteryandPlugged in.
| Mode | Simplified Effect | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled | No boost—CPU stays at base frequency. | Laptops seeking max battery life & low heat. |
| Enabled | Standard boost—OS-managed boost when needed. | Everyday use with balanced performance. |
| Aggressive | Boosts readily to max frequencies, regardless of power draw. | Demanding workloads on well-cooled rigs. |
| Efficient Enabled | Boosts but favors energy efficiency over raw speed. | Laptops needing mild boost without heat. |
| Efficient Aggressive | Prioritizes efficiency but still seeks higher boost levels. | Mixed-use systems wanting more boost safely. |
Guaranteed performance level = the CPU’s nominal base frequency.
| Mode | Simplified Effect | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive At Guaranteed | Requests a calculated extra boost above the base frequency for a precise jump. | When you want controlled high boost. |
| Efficient Aggressive At Guaranteed | Same precise boost above base, but with efficiency constraints to limit power usage. | Modern systems needing strong boost with better power. |
- Ultra-quiet/cool laptops: Start with
Disabled, then step up toEfficient Enabledif performance lags. - Balanced desktop/laptop:
EnabledorEfficient Aggressive At Guaranteedoffers strong performance with decent power control. - Max-performance rigs: Use
AggressiveorAggressive At Guaranteed—just keep an eye on thermals.
While tweaking these settings can be very beneficial, always make changes one at a time and observe your system's stability, temperatures, and performance.
Yes, this is the simplest and most direct method to limit CPU heat generation.
However, I do not recommend that most laptop users disable this feature. Most laptop models have CPUs with very low base frequencies to conserve power and limit heat. Daily use rarely causes the CPU to remain at full load for extended periods.
Instead, slow performance can lead to a backlog of computational tasks, forcing the CPU to operate at its base frequency under sustained load — which actually makes heat buildup more likely. Short bursts of high heat may buy longer periods of low load, and these extended low-load periods are more beneficial for overall thermal management.
This is the original design intent of boost mode.