Ultimate Performance Power Plan Windows 10: How to Turn It On

To turn on the Ultimate Performance power plan in Windows 10, open a Command Prompt as Administrator, type powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61, and press Enter. Then select it from the Power Options control panel; if it doesn’t appear, click “Show additional plans.” This hidden plan removes micro-latencies related to power management and is designed for high-performance workstations, but it is not a gaming boost and can increase energy use.

What Is the Ultimate Performance Power Plan?

The Ultimate Performance power plan is a built-in Windows power scheme that Microsoft introduced in Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update). It is designed for high-end desktop workstations that need to minimize any delays caused by power-saving features. Unlike the standard “High Performance” plan, which still allows certain components to enter low-power states, Ultimate Performance disables those states entirely, ensuring that the CPU, GPU, and storage devices run at their full potential at all times.

Microsoft originally targeted this plan at developers, media creators, and engineers who run demanding workloads like 3D rendering, video encoding, or large-scale data processing. It is not intended for laptops, because it disables the ability to enter low-power idle states, which dramatically reduces battery life.

Why Is It Hidden by Default?

The Ultimate Performance plan is deliberately hidden from the standard Power Options list. Microsoft hides it because it can cause excessive power consumption and heat generation, especially on laptops and all-in-one PCs. The plan is only meant to be used on desktop workstations that are plugged into a reliable power source and have adequate cooling.

On laptops, the plan may not appear even after you run the command, because the hardware or the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) may not support it. Some laptop firmware simply does not expose the necessary power states that the plan requires, so Windows does not show it as an option.

How to Enable It: Step-by-Step

Follow these steps to enable the Ultimate Performance plan on a Windows 10 desktop:

Press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
When the User Account Control prompt appears, click Yes.
Type or paste the following command and press Enter:
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
You should see a message saying: “Power Scheme GUID: … (Ultimate Performance)”. This means the plan has been added.
Now open the Control Panel, go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
Click the arrow next to Show additional plans if the Ultimate Performance plan is not visible.
Select Ultimate Performance.

If you want to remove the plan later, run the command powercfg -delete e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61 as Administrator.

What Does It Actually Change?

The Ultimate Performance plan works by modifying the “Processor power management” settings in the Windows power policy. Specifically, it sets the Minimum processor state to 100% and the Maximum processor state to 100%. This means the CPU never enters a lower frequency idle state, even when the system is doing nothing.

It also disables core parking, which is a feature that lets Windows temporarily disable certain CPU cores to save power. In addition, the plan disables PCI Express link state power management, which would otherwise put GPUs and NVMe drives into low-power modes during inactivity. The result is that every component stays “hot” and ready, eliminating the small delays that occur when a component wakes from a low-power state.

For most everyday tasks, these delays are imperceptible (measured in microseconds). But for workloads that are extremely sensitive to latency, such as real-time audio processing or high-frequency trading, the difference can matter.

Is It Worth Using for Gaming?

For gaming, the Ultimate Performance plan rarely provides a noticeable improvement over the standard High Performance plan. Modern games are mostly GPU-bound, and the GPU already runs at full speed when gaming. The CPU is also already boosted to high frequencies under load. The only scenario where you might see a small gain is in CPU-heavy games that suffer from micro-stutters caused by core parking or frequency ramping, but the difference is usually within the margin of error.

Many users report identical frame rates when switching from High Performance to Ultimate Performance. The main downside is higher idle power consumption and increased heat. If you are on a desktop with a robust cooling system, the risk is minimal, but you will not gain a significant performance boost in games.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Here are the most common issues users encounter with the Ultimate Performance plan:

The plan does not appear after running the command. This usually means your system does not support it (e.g., a laptop with certain firmware). Try running the command in an elevated PowerShell instead of Command Prompt, and check if the plan appears under “Show additional plans.”
The plan disappears after a Windows update. Windows updates can reset power settings. Simply re-run the duplicate command to add it again.
Battery drains extremely fast. This is expected on laptops. Switch back to Balanced or High Performance when on battery.
System runs hotter and fans spin louder at idle. This is also expected. The CPU is running at 100% frequency at all times, so it generates more heat. If temperatures exceed safe limits, revert to High Performance.
You cannot select the plan because it is grayed out. This can happen if your power plan is managed by the OEM or by a group policy. Contact your IT administrator or check the manufacturer’s power management software.

Ultimate Performance vs. High Performance: What’s the Difference?

The High Performance plan already sets the minimum processor state to 100%, but it still allows core parking and PCI Express power management. The Ultimate Performance plan goes further by disabling those features. In practice, the difference is small for most users. Benchmark tests typically show less than 1% difference in synthetic scores, and real-world applications rarely show any measurable improvement.

The main advantage of Ultimate Performance is consistency: it eliminates the tiny delays that can occur when a core wakes from a parked state or when a drive resumes from a low-power mode. If you are running a server, a render farm, or a real-time system, that consistency can be valuable. For a typical desktop user, High Performance is sufficient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Ultimate Performance damage my PC?
No, it does not damage hardware directly, but it increases heat and power consumption. If your cooling is inadequate, sustained high temperatures can reduce component lifespan. Ensure your CPU cooler is adequate before using this plan.

Q: Can I use Ultimate Performance on Windows 11?
Yes, the same command works on Windows 11. The plan is still hidden, and you can enable it using the same powercfg command. Note that Windows 11 also has a “Best performance” power mode in Settings, but that is a different setting that adjusts power plans automatically.

Q: Will Ultimate Performance improve my FPS in games?
In most cases, no. The GPU is already the bottleneck in gaming. If you have a high-end CPU and a low-end GPU, you will see no difference. If you experience micro-stutters, it might help, but test it yourself before assuming it is a fix.

Q: How do I know if the plan is active?
Open Control Panel > Power Options. The active plan is indicated by a radio button. You can also run powercfg /getactivescheme in Command Prompt to see the current plan’s name and GUID.

Q: Can I use this plan on a laptop?
You can try, but it will drain the battery very quickly and may cause overheating. Microsoft designed it for desktops. If you are on a laptop, stick to Balanced or High Performance.

Q: Does the Ultimate Performance plan affect SSDs?
It disables PCI Express link state power management, which can improve NVMe SSD performance in some workloads, but the difference is usually negligible. For everyday use, you won’t notice any change.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

More cards in this drawer

The whole Numbers and Powers drawer →