Processor Performance Technology - 2

Reducing processor speed and voltage conserves power and dramatically increases battery life, but it also significantly reduces processor performance. This means that applications that require extremely high performance could suffer when in a battery-optimized mode. Additionally, when the processor speed changes, access to memory is temporarily blocked. This can cause problems with applications that require streaming access to memory (such as video playback), resulting in glitches or dropouts in the display. If you want maximum performance when running under battery power, you can manually override or disable the performance control technology.

To disable processor performance-control technology and force the processor to run at maximum performance, if you are running Windows 9x/Me or NT/2000, you should use the application supplied by your laptop manufacturer to disable the technology. If you are using Windows XP, you should select the Always On power scheme, which can be accomplished using the following steps:

1.	Select Start, Control Panel (make sure you're using the Control Panel classic view).
2.	Double-click the Power Options tool and select the Power Schemes tab.
3.	Under Power Schemes, select the Always On scheme.

As you can see from the previous tables, the Always On power scheme in Windows XP automatically selects processor policies of None for both AC and battery power, which means that the processor will be forced to run its highest performance level at all times.

Caution

If you use the Always On power scheme on a laptop, battery life will be greatly reduced, and the system might be prone to run extremely hot or even to overheat. If you find that the system is running too hot when using AC power, you can try selecting a power scheme such as Minimal Power Management or Portable/Laptop, which uses the Adaptive processor policy to reduce power under periods of lower demand. For minimum heat production and maximum battery life, you can try the Presentation or Max Battery schemes.