How to Turn Turbo Boost On Your Intel i5, i7, or i9

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A comprehensive guide on getting the most out of your Intel CPU

Written by Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 8, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Turning Turbo Boost On or Off
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• Should I turn Turbo Boost On?
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This wikiHow teaches you how to enable Turbo Boost Technology on your Intel i5-equipped PC. Turbo Boost should be on by default, but you may need to make a quick change in your BIOS to get it to work. Unless you have issues with your PC overheating, it’s best to leave Turbo Boost on since it allows your CPU to run at a higher speed to perform more demanding tasks.

Quick Steps

1. Boot your PC into the BIOS to access your motherboard’s settings.
2. In the System Utilities screen, find the Power and Performance Options.
3. Turn the Turbo Boost setting on if it isn’t already enabled.
4. Restart your PC, and Turbo Boost will remain enabled.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Turning Turbo Boost On or Off

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1. 1
   Boot your PC into the BIOS. The easiest way to do this in Windows 10 and Windows 11 is just to hit your PC's setup key, often F2 or Del, repeatedly while booting your machine. If the bootup process happens too quickly, you can also enter the BIOS/UEFI from within Windows. Here's how to do it:

   • Click the
     
     menu.
   • Click Settings
     
     .
   • Click Update & security (or System for Windows 11).
   • Click Recovery.
   • Click Restart now under ″Advanced Startup.″ The PC will reboot to a blue screen.
   • Click Troubleshoot on the blue screen.
   • Click Advanced options.
   • Click UEFI Firmware Settings.
   • Click Restart. The computer will now reboot into the BIOS.
2. 2
   Go to the CPU/processor configuration screen. The BIOS will look different depending on who manufactured your motherboard. In most cases, the setting for Turbo Boost will be in a menu called CPU Specifications, CPU Features, Advanced Core Features, or something similar.

   • Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to navigate the BIOS, and press ↵ Enter to make your selections.
   • Press Esc to go back a screen.
   • While the BIOS menu options may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, this process is the same for Intel’s i5, i7, and i9 chips.
   • Struggling to find the right menu options in your BIOS? Some motherboard manufacturers make things a little confusing in their BIOS. You can find a list of all user guides for all Intel-supported motherboards here.
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3. 3
   Locate ″Intel® Turbo Boost Technology″ in the menu. You’ll usually see either ″Enabled″ or ″Disabled″ beside it. If you see ″Enabled,″ you don’t need to change anything in the BIOS.

   • Turbo Boost should be on by default. If it’s not, you may have one of the few motherboards that turns it off, or you’ve enabled a BIOS profile that turns it off to preserve power.
4. 4
   Select Enabled from the menu.
5. 5
   Save your changes. The exact key to press should appear at the bottom of the BIOS. In most cases, it’ll be F10.
6. 6
   Exit the BIOS and reboot the computer. Press Esc and then follow the on-screen instructions to restart. When your PC comes back up, Turbo Boost will be enabled.

   • Just FYI, you’re unlikely to notice a giant boost in performance, although your computer will definitely run a little faster when performing memory-intensive tasks.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Should I turn Turbo Boost On?

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1. 1
   Unless you have overheating issues, leave Turbo Boost enabled. Turbo Boost automatically adjusts the clock speed (how fast your CPU can perform tasks) of your CPU based on how much work is being performed. Turbo Boost will allow the CPU to work beyond its normal parameters when running memory-intensive programs or completing complex tasks. So long as this doesn’t cause your PC to overheat, this is no big deal.

   • How do I know if my PC is overheating? Download a program like Core Temp for free. It’ll monitor the temperature of your CPU and GPU.
   • What is considered too hot for a CPU? It depends on the wattage and clock speed of your CPU, but generally speaking, your CPU should not reach or exceed 80–90 °C (176–194 °F). Anything around 40–50 °C (104–122 °F) is considered “normal” while 35–40 °C (95–104 °F) is perceived as ideal.

Community Q&A

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• Question

  I'm assuming this will make the CPU run warmer?

  

  Community Answer

  Yes, overclocking a CPU will increase the heat at which it runs and also make it more prone to "heat throttling." Ensure that your setup has sufficient cooling, or you may end up overheating the system, or causing it to run less efficiently.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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