Power plan Balance Vs. High Performance.

[bobka]

I have Intel i5 2500K CPU. When Windows runs a game in Balance mode, I get either 1605 Mhz or between 3300 and 3600. When I use High Performance, it goes up to 3700. Does it make any difference in performance? Also, what else is accelerated? Is High Performance worth it?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I think 3700 means the CPU is running in Turbo mode, which would give you a slight performance boost from 3300.

But that 3700 speed applies only to one core, compared to 4 cores when running at 3300. If your game uses only a single thread, you might see an improvement, but it may not be noticeable.

 

[marsmimar]

Another consideration is how much added heat, if any, will your machine have to deal with. A slight boost in performance may not be worth it if you start to experience other problems like unexplained shutdown, BSOD, noisy fans, etc.

 

[bobka]

Thank you. The temp rises from 31-32C to about 37-38C. I ran World of Warcraft and Dirt 3 games. With latter, the only real noise I hear is the fan from my Video card. Other 5 fans are rather quiet. I can't really complain. CPU jumps to high frequency when it needs to, and when idle or low use stays at 1600. Maybe I can adjust power settings manually for when I play the games, and leave it at balance for other times. I do use my computer for other purposes as well.