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Hey everyone,

I've recently upgraded to a new Intel CPU with Performance-cores (P-cores) and Efficient-cores (E-cores). While I understand the general concept, I'm running into some issues where it seems my system isn't always utilizing the P-cores effectively, especially during gaming or demanding tasks. Sometimes I experience stuttering that I didn't have on my previous, older CPU.

Has anyone else experienced this? What are your best practices for ensuring applications, especially games, are correctly assigned to P-cores? Are there specific BIOS settings or Windows power plan configurations that have made a difference for you?

I've tried setting the power plan to 'High Performance' and checked the CPU scheduler settings in Windows, but the problem persists. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Hey TechGuru87,

I've been wrestling with this exact issue on my i7-13700K. It's a common point of confusion with Intel's Thread Director technology. Here’s what I’ve found to be most effective:

1. Windows Update & Drivers: Ensure you have the latest Windows 11 updates installed, particularly those related to CPU scheduling. Also, grab the latest Intel Chipset Drivers from Intel's website, not just your motherboard manufacturer's.
2. BIOS Settings: Look for options like "Intel Thread Director" or "Hybrid Technology" in your BIOS. Make sure it's enabled. Sometimes there's also a setting for "Performance Bias" or "Efficiency Bias" – I recommend leaving this on "Auto" or "Balanced" initially.
3. Power Plans: While "High Performance" is good, sometimes the "Balanced" plan works better with Thread Director as it allows Windows to dynamically shift tasks. You might need to tweak advanced settings within the Balanced plan.
4. Game-Specific Settings: For many games, simply running them in fullscreen mode helps Windows identify them as a primary application and assign them to P-cores. Windowed or borderless-windowed modes can sometimes confuse the scheduler.
5. Process Lasso / Affinity: If you're still having trouble, consider using a tool like Process Lasso. It allows you to manually set CPU affinity for applications, forcing them to run on P-cores or specific core types. This is a bit more advanced but very effective if Windows fails to do it automatically.

I found that a combination of updating Windows, ensuring BIOS compatibility, and sometimes using Process Lasso for specific stubborn applications resolved most of my stuttering issues. It can take some trial and error!