Power Plans Explained

Estimated Lesson Length: 20–25 minutes

Lesson Overview

Welcome to Lesson 3 of Module 2.

In this lesson, we’re going to look at Windows Power Plans and how they affect Microsoft Flight Simulator performance.

Power Plans control how Windows manages your CPU, USB devices, PCI Express devices, sleep behaviour, and general system power usage.

For normal office work, Windows often tries to save power.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, we usually want the system to remain responsive, stable, and ready to deliver performance when needed.

The goal is not simply to select the most aggressive option. The goal is to choose the most suitable power plan for your system.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will understand:

• The difference between Balanced, High Performance, and Ultimate Performance.
• How CPU minimum and maximum processor state work.
• Why sleep settings matter during long flights.
• How USB power saving can affect controllers.
• What PCI Express Link State Power Management does.
• Why laptops and desktops should be treated differently.
• How to configure the most suitable power plan for your own PC.

1. What Is A Windows Power Plan?

A Windows Power Plan is a group of settings that controls how your PC uses power.

It can affect:

• CPU behaviour
• Display sleep
• System sleep
• USB devices
• PCI Express devices
• Hard drives
• Cooling behaviour
• Background power saving

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, these settings matter because the simulator places long, sustained load on your PC.

Unlike a quick game of FIFA or Call of Duty, a flight can last one hour, three hours, or even longer. During that time, you don’t want Windows aggressively reducing performance, sleeping devices, or powering down important hardware.

2. Balanced Power Plan

The Balanced plan is the default option on most Windows PCs.

It tries to balance performance and power saving.

When your PC is idle, it lowers power usage.

When your PC needs performance, it increases power.

For many modern systems, Balanced is actually very good because modern CPUs can boost quickly when needed.

When Balanced Is Fine

Balanced can be suitable if:

• You have a modern desktop CPU.
• Your system boosts correctly.
• You are not experiencing stutters caused by power saving.
• Your temperatures are good.
• Your FPS and frame pacing are stable.

Balanced is not automatically bad.

On many modern systems, especially AMD Ryzen and newer Intel CPUs, Balanced can work perfectly well.

Possible Downsides

Balanced may sometimes allow:

• More aggressive downclocking.
• Slightly slower response from idle.
• USB or PCIe power saving features.
• Lower background power use at the cost of responsiveness.

This does not always cause issues, but on some systems it can contribute to inconsistent behaviour.

3. High Performance Power Plan

The High Performance plan is more aggressive.

It tells Windows to prioritise performance over power saving.

It may keep the CPU more ready to boost and reduce some power-saving behaviour.

When High Performance Can Help

High Performance may help if:

• Your CPU is downclocking too aggressively.
• You notice stutters after periods of low activity.
• Your simulator feels inconsistent.
• You are on a desktop PC with good cooling.
• You want fewer power-saving interruptions.

For many dedicated gaming desktops, High Performance is a sensible option to test.

Possible Downsides

High Performance can increase:

• Power usage.
• Heat.
• Fan noise.
• Idle temperatures.

It does not guarantee more FPS.

On some systems, the FPS difference may be small or even unnoticeable. That’s why we test and compare against the baseline from Module 1.

4. Ultimate Performance Power Plan

Some Windows systems include an Ultimate Performance power plan.

This plan is designed to reduce power-saving delays as much as possible.

It can be useful for workstations and high-performance desktops.

Important Note

Ultimate Performance is not available on every version of Windows by default.

It may also be unnecessary for many users.

Do not assume Ultimate Performance is always the best option.

When Ultimate Performance May Be Useful

It may be worth testing if:

• You have a high-end desktop.
• You have strong cooling.
• You want maximum system responsiveness.
• Your system is used mainly for simulation or gaming.
• You are troubleshooting power-related stutters.

When To Avoid It

Be careful with Ultimate Performance if:

• You are using a laptop.
• Your PC already runs hot.
• Your fans become very loud.
• You see no improvement compared with Balanced or High Performance.

Again, the correct choice is the one that gives your system the best balance of smoothness, temperature, noise, and stability.

5. CPU Minimum Processor State

The Minimum Processor State controls how low Windows can allow your CPU to reduce its performance when idle or lightly loaded.

Example:

Minimum Processor State: 5%

This allows the CPU to clock down when it is not busy.

Minimum Processor State: 100%

This tries to keep the CPU active at a higher state more often.

Should You Set Minimum Processor State To 100%?

Not always.

Many people online recommend setting it to 100%.

This can increase responsiveness on some systems, but it can also increase heat and power usage.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator, a sensible approach is:

• Desktop: test 5%, 50%, or 100%.
• Laptop: avoid 100% unless cooling is excellent.
• If temperatures rise too much, reduce it.

The simulator does not need your CPU forced to maximum at idle if modern boosting is already working properly.

6. CPU Maximum Processor State

The Maximum Processor State controls how much of the CPU’s performance Windows is allowed to use.

For gaming and simulation, this should usually be:

100%

If this is set below 100%, your CPU may not boost fully.

That can reduce performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Important Point

If a user has overheating issues, some people reduce Maximum Processor State to 99% to disable turbo boost on certain systems.

That can reduce temperatures, but it can also reduce performance significantly.

For this course, our normal recommendation is:

• Maximum Processor State: 100%
• Only reduce it if troubleshooting overheating, and only as a temporary diagnostic step.

7. Sleep Settings

Sleep settings control when your PC turns off the display or goes to sleep.

For flight simulation, this matters because flights can be long.

You do not want the PC sleeping during:

• Long-haul flights.
• Downloads.
• Add-on installations.
• Updates.
• Remote optimisation sessions.
• Overnight scenery installations.

Recommended Settings For Flight Sim

For desktops:

• Turn off display: optional, based on preference.
• Put computer to sleep: Never while plugged in.

For laptops:

• Plugged in: avoid sleep during flights.
• On battery: keep sensible battery-saving behaviour.

8. USB Power Saving

USB power saving allows Windows to reduce power to USB devices when it thinks they are idle.

This can affect flight sim hardware such as:

• Yokes
• Joysticks
• Throttles
• Rudder pedals
• Button boxes
• Head tracking devices

If Windows powers down a USB device during a flight, it may disconnect or behave strangely.

USB Selective Suspend

This setting is called:

USB Selective Suspend

For flight simulator users, it is often best to disable this on desktop PCs.

That helps prevent controllers disconnecting mid-flight.

Recommended

Desktop:

• USB Selective Suspend: Disabled

Laptop:

• Plugged in: Disabled may be best for sim hardware.
• On battery: Enabled can save power.

9. PCI Express Link State Power Management

PCI Express is the connection used by important devices such as:

• Graphics cards
• NVMe SSDs
• Some network cards

Link State Power Management allows Windows to reduce power usage on PCIe devices when they are not heavily used.

For a gaming desktop, this may sometimes introduce latency or responsiveness issues.

Recommended For Desktop Flight Sim PCs

Set:

PCI Express Link State Power Management: Off

This tells Windows not to aggressively power-save PCIe devices during simulator use.

Laptop Consideration

On laptops, power saving matters more.

If plugged in and simming, Off may still be best.

On battery, Windows may need to use power-saving settings to preserve battery life.

10. Laptop Vs Desktop Considerations

This is very important.

A desktop PC and a laptop should not always use the same settings.

Desktop PCs

Desktops usually have:

• Better cooling.
• Higher power limits.
• More stable performance.
• Larger power supplies.

For desktops, performance-focused settings are usually safer.

Recommended starting point:

• High Performance or Balanced, tested against baseline.
• Maximum Processor State: 100%.
• USB Selective Suspend: Disabled.
• PCIe Link State Power Management: Off.
• Sleep: disabled during flights.

Laptops

Laptops have more limitations.

They are affected by:

• Battery mode.
• Heat.
• Fan noise.
• Power adapters.
• Thermal throttling.
• Manufacturer power profiles.

For laptops, the goal is not simply maximum power. The goal is stable performance without overheating.

Recommended:

• Always fly plugged in.
• Use the manufacturer performance mode if available.
• Keep airflow clear.
• Avoid forcing unnecessarily aggressive settings if temperatures are already high.
• Test carefully.

11. How To Configure A Power Plan

Step 1

Open the Windows Start Menu.

Search:

Edit Power Plan

Open it.

Step 2

Click:

Change advanced power settings

Step 3

Review these sections:

• Processor power management
• Sleep
• USB settings
• PCI Express
• Hard disk

Step 4

Set your chosen configuration.

For a desktop simulator PC, a good starting point is:

• Power plan: High Performance or Balanced
• Minimum Processor State: 5–100%, test what feels best
• Maximum Processor State: 100%
• Sleep: Never during flights
• USB Selective Suspend: Disabled
• PCI Express Link State Power Management: Off

Student Task

Configure the most suitable power plan for your system.

Checklist

• Chosen power plan selected.
• Maximum Processor State set to 100%.
• Sleep disabled while plugged in or during flights.
• USB Selective Suspend reviewed.
• PCI Express Link State Power Management reviewed.
• Laptop users confirm they are plugged in while flying.
• Temperatures monitored after changes.
• Performance compared against Module 1 baseline.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learnt that Power Plans can affect how Windows manages your CPU, USB devices, PCIe devices and sleep behaviour.

Remember:

• Balanced is not always bad.
• High Performance is not always magic.
• Ultimate Performance is not always necessary.
• Maximum Processor State should usually be 100%.
• USB power saving can affect flight sim hardware.
• PCIe power saving can affect responsiveness.
• Laptops need more careful handling than desktops.
• Always test changes against your baseline.

The correct power plan is not the one that sounds the most powerful.

The correct power plan is the one that gives your simulator the best balance of smoothness, stability, temperature and noise.