One of the most popular services we offer at JumpstartMyPC.com is a PC Tuneup.  Why?  Because people want speed from their computer and they have steadily watched their PC slow down, down…. down to a crawl.  We have highlighted numerous ways that anyone can improve their own PC performance (like defrags, registry cleans and deleting unnecessary files) but today we tackle the simplest tweak possible, power settings.  Most people have no clue that their computer is designed to monitor and control power usage.  This feature is built into Windows and changing the settings is super easy.

WARNING: Before jumping into the step-by-step, it is important to note that changing these settings may very well provide you with a performance boost, but it might come at a price.  Pay close attention to the temperature of your system (especially with laptops).  I have seen cases where increasing the power settings has resulted in a system that “runs hot.”  While this is not the standard, it is something to keep an eye on.  It is also important to keep in mind that these settings are to be used while the computer is plugged into a constant power source.  If you are using a laptop and are concerned about prolonging the battery life, be certain that you change the “running on batteries” settings or “power plan” accordingly.

Windows Vista or Windows 7

It surprised me to learn that by default, Windows Vista and 7 both come configured for ‘Balanced’ performance.  In other words, your PC’s performance has been diminished by default.  Using Windows’ power-management features to save energy makes sense–but you shouldn’t do it at the expense of productivity. For example, if you’re working on a desktop PC (or using a plugged-in laptop as your desktop), you don’t need your hard drive to turn off after 5 minutes, your processor to throttle back when idle, or your video playback to be ‘optimized for power savings’.  Since you’re not trying to preserve battery life on this machine, you should crank every performance setting to maximum.

Here is how you access the Power Options:

1. Click Start (the Windows icon in the bottom left)
2. Type “power” (without the quotes)
3. Select “Power Options”
4. Choose the High performance plan. (If you don’t see it listed, click “show additional plans”)

* If you want to tweak individual settings, such as how long the hard drive should sit idle before shutting down, click Change plan settings, Change advanced power settings.

Windows XP

If you are using Windows XP (which is still the most popular operating system used today), your features are limited, but can still help you control your “power scheme.”  To access and make changes to the power options:

1. Right-click on the desktop
2. Choose the Screen Saver tab
3. Click on Power (located in the Monitor Power section)

If you are using a desktop/tower, then your settings are probably already configured to give you the most power.  If you are using a laptop as your main system and you leave it plugged in all day, try changing the “power scheme” to the home/office desk option.  Your computer will stay “awake” longer and provide you with quicker access if you have been away for a while.

Tags: Laptop, Performance, Power Settings, Speed, Vista, Windows, XP

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 11:29 am and is filed under Tips and Tricks, Windows 7. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.