Solved Minimum and Maximum Processor State "Optimal" Setting

snsd

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I have Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit and an AMD X2 Dual-Core QL-60 processor (1.9 GHz).

In Vista Power options, there are 2 settings under Processor Power Management: Minimum and Maximum Processor State.

What are the optimal settings for these options? I fully understand that one might choose to have a lower maximum state when running on battery power to prolong battery life. I can think of no reason to have the maximum state below 100% when running plugged-in (unless, of course, one is trying to save electricity, keep the laptop cooler...)

How does minimum state work and what is the optimal setting? I know the default is 5% (but I've done a lot of Googling and cannot find an educated reason why 5% is the default.) Would it be correct for me to presume that if I set it at (say) 5%, then the processor will never operate below 5% of its capability (or whatever # of MHz is closest to 5% capacity) and will run all the way to the maximum specified state where needed? In other words, am I simply giving the processor the leverage to pick whatever power is required between its minimum and maximum specified states?

If my above assumption is correct and the processor will pick the optimum speed within the min/max range, why would I ever increase the minimum above 5% - and better still, why wouldn't I go right down to 1%? (Having said that, I read in one post that processors don't run in relative percentages - but 500Mhz, 800Mhz or whatever - so if my processor can only go as low as (say) 600MHz and my max is 1,900, then I guess if I set my minimum anywhere between 1 and 32%, it would never go below 600Mhz...)

Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion tx 2000
    CPU
    AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-60 1.90 Ghz
    Memory
    3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3200
    Sound Card
    Realtek HIgh Definition Audio
    Hard Drives
    WDC 250 GB ATA
re: Minimum and Maximum Processor State "Optimal" Setting

Hello Dave,

It's just basically a way to save energy in both the "Battey" and "Plugged in" states of your laptop by setting a "Minimum" and "Maximum" percentage of what your CPU can run at. Windows 7 will automatically keep your CPU running at "Minimum" when the computer is idle. Windows 7 will also automatically increase the CPU's percentage to handle any workload as needed up to "Maximum", and then automatically lower the percentage (no less then "Minimum") as the workload decreases or finishes.

Here are some recommended settings, but it really depends on your needs and wants.

Plugged in: 5% MIN & 100% MAX
Battery: 1% MIN & 100% MAX (or lower MAX to save more battery, but slower performance under heavy workloads)

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
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    Custom
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    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
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    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
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    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
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    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
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    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
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    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
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  • Operating System
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    17.3" UHD IPS touch
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    512 GB M.2 SSD
re: Minimum and Maximum Processor State "Optimal" Setting

Thanks Shawn. I know I rambled a bit - but if I do as you suggested - I presume Vista will automatically use more of the processor as needed? i.e. as long as I keep the max at 100%, I should never have performance issues - even if I drop the minimum down to 1-5%.

Thanks,

Dave
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion tx 2000
    CPU
    AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core QL-60 1.90 Ghz
    Memory
    3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3200
    Sound Card
    Realtek HIgh Definition Audio
    Hard Drives
    WDC 250 GB ATA
re: Minimum and Maximum Processor State "Optimal" Setting

No problem Dave. That would be correct. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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