How to disable Intel Turbo Boost on Microsoft Surface with powercfg command

1 What is Intel Turbo Boost Technology?

The Intel Turbo Boost is a technology that automatically allows processor cores to run faster than the rated operating frequency if they’re operating below power, current, and temperature specification limits. This feature available on Intel Core i5, Intel Core i7, and Intel Core X-series processors.

2 Should I disable Intel Turbo Boost on Microsoft Surface?

There are a few reasons that you might want to disable Intel turbo boost feature on your Surface devices:

• Reduce power consumption without hurting much to the device’s performance.
• Makes your device run cooler and quieter.
• In Windows 10, you have an option to automatically turn off Intel turbo boost while on battery and turn on while charging.

3 How to disable Intel Turbo Boost on Microsoft Surface?

There are several approaches to disable Intel Turbo Boost on Microsoft Surface devices. However, since most advanced power settings can’t be configured through the UI on Microsoft Surface, the best way to configure it is through the Windows command line. To do so.

1. Right-click on Start menu (Win + X).
2. Go to Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
   
   
3. Enter the following command:

   powercfg -attributes sub_processor perfboostmode -attrib_hide

   This command will re-enable the Processor Performance Boost Mode which is turned off by default.

4. Now enter:

   powercfg -q scheme_current sub_processor perfboostmode

   This command will query your current Processor Performance Boost Mode. It should return the following output:

   Power Scheme GUID: 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e  (Balanced)
     GUID Alias: SCHEME_BALANCED
     Subgroup GUID: 54533251-82be-4824-96c1-47b60b740d00  (Processor power management)
       GUID Alias: SUB_PROCESSOR
       Power Setting GUID: be337238-0d82-4146-a960-4f3749d470c7  (Processor performance boost mode)
         GUID Alias: PERFBOOSTMODE
         Possible Setting Index: 000
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Disabled
         Possible Setting Index: 001
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Enabled
         Possible Setting Index: 002
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Aggressive
         Possible Setting Index: 003
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Efficient Enabled
         Possible Setting Index: 004
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Efficient Aggressive
         Possible Setting Index: 005
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Aggressive At Guaranteed
         Possible Setting Index: 006
         Possible Setting Friendly Name: Efficient Aggressive At Guaranteed
       Current AC Power Setting Index: 0x00000002
       Current DC Power Setting Index: 0x00000002

5. To disable Intel Turbo Boost while on battery (DC Power) enter:

   powercfg -setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_processor perfboostmode 0

6. Now enter the same command again to re-query the current Processor Performance Boost Mode:

   powercfg -q scheme_current sub_processor perfboostmode

   Now you will notice that the current DC power setting index is set to 0x00000000 which is identified as a Disabled option.

   Current AC Power Setting Index: 0x00000002 
   Current DC Power Setting Index: 0x00000000

7. Finally, you can save your current power settings by entering:

   powercfg -s scheme_current

4 How to re-enable Intel Turbo Boost?

To re-enable the Intel Turbo Boost, you simply change the value for perfboostmode back to 2 (Aggressive). To do so:

1. Right-click on Start menu (Win + X).
2. Go to Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
3. Enter the following command to re-enable Turbo Boost:

   powercfg -setdcvalueindex scheme_current sub_processor perfboostmode 2
   powercfg -s scheme_current

4. To verify you can query your current configuration by entering:

   powercfg -q scheme_current sub_processor perfboostmode

   Now you will notice that the current DC power setting index is set to 0x00000002 which is identified as a Aggressive option.

   Current AC Power Setting Index: 0x00000002 
   Current DC Power Setting Index: 0x00000002