Usually, raising Intel CPU power limits does not produce a meaningful gaming FPS increase. It can help when the CPU is hitting a power limit during the game and that limit is reducing its frequency. If the processor is instead constrained by temperature, current, motherboard power delivery, the GPU, or the game itself, raising PL1 or PL2 will not remove the actual bottleneck.
There is no reliable universal percentage gain. The answer depends on the specific processor, game, motherboard settings, cooling, and test conditions.
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What PL1, PL2, and Tau control
PL1 and PL2 are package-power thresholds that shape Intel Turbo Boost behavior; they are not direct frame-rate settings. Intel describes PL1 as an average-power threshold, PL2 as a threshold for rapid power limiting, and Tau as the averaging constant used in PL1’s weighted power calculation. Together, these settings help configure Turbo Boost to suit a platform’s power delivery and thermal solution.
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Intel’s 12th-generation desktop processor documentation says: “The package power control settings of PL1, PL2, PL3, PL4, and Tau allow the designer to configure Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 to match the platform power delivery and package thermal solution limitations.” Intel recommends setting PL1 equal to Processor Base Power and cautions that PL1 should not exceed the cooling solution’s limits. Those are general design principles, not a universal set of values for every Intel CPU: check the documentation for your processor generation and the settings actually applied by your motherboard.
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When a workload reaches an active power limit, the processor may reduce frequency to stay within it. Raising the limit can allow higher or more sustained frequency only if that power limit was the constraint. It cannot create extra gaming performance when the CPU was already operating below the limit, or when another constraint is responsible.
What gaming tests show
The available examples support a conditional answer rather than a predictable uplift. One review measured gaming power for an Intel Core i5-13600K, while an Alder Lake comparison directly reported how games responded to power-limit changes. These results are specific to the tested CPUs and setups; they should not be treated as a guarantee for another processor or game.
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| Test | Published result | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Core i5-13600K in Cyberpunk 2077, PC Invasion review (2022) | At a locked 60 fps, 56.2 W average package power and a 71.7 W peak. In an uncapped run averaging 187.5 fps, 96.6 W average and 107.6 W peak. | In those runs, measured game power was below the 181 W limit cited by the review. A power limit above the game’s observed demand would not necessarily be restricting FPS. |
| Core i5-13600K gaming and multitasking session, PC Invasion review (2022) | Maximum measured power across that review session: 138.8 W, below the cited 181 W limit. | This is a maximum from that review’s particular game and multitasking tests, not a cap on what the CPU can draw in other workloads. |
| Alder Lake gaming comparison, ComputerBase (2021) | Game power averages were almost always below 125 W. The review reported no performance impact in the tested games when removing the compared limits; it also reported no impact when the tested Core i9 was held to 125 W. | This is a direct gaming comparison for the Alder Lake CPUs and games tested, but it provides no universal FPS figure for newer or differently configured systems. |
| Core i5-13600K sustained all-core profile, TechSpot | A 181 W PL1/PL2 profile reduced sustained P-core frequency and temperature in long-duration testing. | Power limits can affect sustained all-core workloads. This productivity-style result does not demonstrate a gaming FPS gain. |
The 13600K gaming measurements show why a higher configured limit can make no difference: in those tests, the games did not use as much package power as the cited limit allowed. ComputerBase’s separate Alder Lake comparison likewise found no game-performance response in its tested cases. Neither result proves that every Intel CPU, game, or motherboard behaves the same way.
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A limit increase is worth testing when all of the following are true: the game drives CPU package power to the active PL1 or PL2 threshold; monitoring shows power-limit throttling or a corresponding frequency reduction; and cooling, current limits, and motherboard power delivery have headroom. If the processor does not reach the existing threshold during gameplay, raising it has no power-limit constraint to remove.
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Intel’s XTU guidance explains that power-limit throttling means the CPU reduces frequency to remain within PL1 or PL2. Its guidance also says to increase limits only when cooling and power delivery are adequate. The same guide identifies insufficient cooling and power delivery among possible causes of throttling, so a throttling indicator alone is not proof that PL1 or PL2 is the problem. Identify which limit is active before changing it.
Power-limit throttling versus other bottlenecks
- Power limit: Package power reaches the configured threshold and the CPU reduces frequency to remain within it. A carefully tested PL1 or PL2 adjustment may matter.
- Thermal limit: Temperature is the constraint. More permissive power settings may increase heat without sustaining a higher frequency; address cooling or airflow rather than assuming the power limit is the cause.
- Current or delivery limit: The CPU or motherboard may impose another constraint. Raising PL1 or PL2 does not necessarily override it, and motherboard power delivery must be adequate.
- GPU or game limit: The graphics card, frame cap, or game behavior may be limiting frame rate. A CPU power-limit change will not fix a bottleneck elsewhere.
Should you remove Intel power limits?
Not by default. “Remove limits” can describe different motherboard BIOS profiles or manual PL1, PL2, and Tau values, and motherboard automatic settings are not necessarily identical. Record the values your system actually uses rather than relying on a label such as “stock.” A more permissive configuration may let the processor use more power during CPU-heavy work, which can also mean more heat and greater demands on the cooler and power delivery.
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Intel recommends PL1 equal to Processor Base Power in the 12th-generation desktop documentation cited above and says PL1 should not exceed the cooling solution’s capability. That is a useful caution against treating maximum limits as a free performance switch. Exact appropriate settings depend on the processor’s generation, the board, and the cooling solution; do not copy a number from another CPU’s review as if it were a universal recommendation.
How to test whether a change improves your games
Use the actual game and settings where you want better performance. A synthetic score or a long all-core workload can show that a power limit changes CPU behavior, but it cannot by itself establish a gaming benefit.
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- Write down your configuration. Record CPU model, motherboard and BIOS, GPU, cooler, game, resolution, graphics settings, frame cap, and the current PL1, PL2, and Tau values. Note the motherboard’s power profile and whether settings are automatic or manually set.
- Establish a repeatable baseline. Run the same game scene or benchmark repeatedly with the settings you normally use. Record average FPS and 1% lows, along with CPU package power, frequency, temperature, and any power-limit or thermal-throttling indicators. Keep the frame cap and graphics settings constant.
- Check whether the suspected limit is actually reached. Compare the observed power and throttling indicators with the active PL1 and PL2 values. If gaming power stays well below those thresholds and there is no power-limit frequency reduction, the available evidence gives little reason to expect a PL adjustment to improve FPS.
- Change one setting modestly. Adjust only the relevant limit, leaving the other conditions unchanged. Do not simultaneously change the CPU ratio, voltage, fan curve, GPU settings, or game settings; otherwise, you will not know what caused a result.
- Repeat the same runs and compare like with like. Compare average FPS and 1% lows across repeated runs, then check whether CPU frequency or frame-time behavior changed alongside power. A small difference in one run is not enough to attribute an improvement to the new limit.
- Stop if temperatures or delivery become a problem. If the CPU reaches a thermal limit, or the board’s power delivery is not adequate, return to a safer configuration and address the limiting condition. Intel’s XTU guidance makes adequate cooling and power delivery prerequisites for raising limits.
Does setting PL1 equal to PL2 help gaming?
Not automatically. Matching the values changes the configured power behavior, but it does not make a game draw more power or remove a different bottleneck. It can matter only if the original PL1 or PL2 behavior was limiting CPU frequency during gameplay and the platform can safely support the revised setting. Test with the same in-game procedure rather than assuming equal values improve FPS.
Why is my Intel CPU power-limit throttling in a game?
It means the CPU is reducing frequency to stay within an active power threshold, but it does not establish that changing the threshold is the right fix. Check which limit is reported, whether package power is reaching it, and whether temperature or another constraint is also active. Then compare frequency and in-game frame results before and after one controlled adjustment. If cooling or motherboard power delivery is inadequate, raising the limit can increase demand without fixing the underlying issue.
What to expect from a limit change
If a game is not reaching the active power threshold, expect little or no FPS response from raising it. If PL1 or PL2 is demonstrably constraining frequency, an improvement is possible, but the sources cited here do not establish a reliable percentage or a current-generation universal figure. The result must be measured on the specific processor, board, game, and settings in question.
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More permissive limits can affect sustained CPU-heavy work as well as games. TechSpot’s 13600K long-duration profile illustrates that a 181 W PL1/PL2 configuration changed sustained P-core frequency and temperature; it is a separate workload context, not proof that a game will gain frames. Judge gaming changes in repeatable in-game runs, and weigh any measured benefit against the resulting temperatures and power use.
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