Unpark CPU Cores for Better Performance (+FPS Boost) – The Computer Noob
Core parking allows an operating system to completely shut off a core, so that it no longer performs any function, and draws little to no power. But when the cores are needed, only then the operating system can wake up the core and speed step them to work on the load that’s put onto it.
Parked core(s) = Power saving > Performance
Now, what unparking does, is that it modifies a few power management settings so that the operating system will never park cores. Instead of parking these cores, it will step them up and step them down according to the CPU load, and hence, it tends to result in a net increase in system responsiveness (and might also increase FPS in games) at the expense of power consumption (which you don’t have to care about unless you’re an eco-green-ozone-friendly-recycle-ophile, which you probably aren’t if you’re reading this). And so, this means:
Unparked core(s) = Performance > Power-saving
So, let’s get to how you’re going to unpark your CPU cores in order to achieve this increase in performance, shall we?
Method 1: Using the Windows Registry Editor (REGEDIT) [Manual]
Step 1: Check the parking status of your cores
Download the CPU Unparking Tool (skip the ad to download) and extract it. Then run the file “UnparkCPU.exe” and click on the “Check Status” button. It may take some time (anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes, be patient) and then, it’ll show you the parking status of all your cores, like this:
As you can see, all my cores are showing as “Parked” in the status. For you, it may be just 2, or all 4 like me. So now that we know we do have parked cores, let’s get to unparking them.
Step 2: Run REGEDIT
Press the windows key + R, this should bring up the “Run” box. Here, type in “REGEDIT” (without the quotes) and hit the Enter key.
You should now have the Windows Registry Editor in front of you, which looks like this:
Step 3: Navigate to the right path
Click on the “Edit” tab and then click on “Find”. Then copy-paste the following text into the search box “0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583” (without the quotes). Be sure to check the “Match whole string only” box, and then click “Find Next”. It should look like this:
Step 4: Make the necessary changes to the registry
Now, after it completes the search, the first thing you’ll see is this page:
Here, you need to make changes in only the values of items “ValueMax“ and “ValueMin“.
Double-click on “ValueMax“ and you’ll see a box like this:
Change the value in the “Value data” box to “0” (zero), like this:
And then click “OK”.
Now, do the same for the “ValueMin“ value, and make it “0” (zero). You’re all set!
Step 5: Reboot your system
No actual description below this subheading, really, I mean I really hope you don’t need detailed instructions on how to reboot your system…
Step 6: Verify if it worked
Run the CPU Unparking Tool again, and hit the “Check Status” button.
It should now show you that your cores are unparked, like this:
You did it! All your cores are now unparked!
Method 2: Using a program that does the registry edit
for you, quickly and easily [Automatic]
Step 1: Check the parking status of your cores
Download the CPU Unparking Tool (skip the ad to download) and extract it. Then run the file “UnparkCPU.exe” and click on the “Check Status” button. It may take some time (anywhere from 5 seconds to 5 minutes, be patient) and then, it’ll show you the parking status of all your cores, like this:
As you can see, all my cores are showing as “Parked” in the status. For you, it may be just 2, or all 4 like me. So now that we know we do have parked cores, let’s get to unparking them.
Step 2: Unpark
Not much to say here, really, but okay, yeah, just click on the “Unpark All” button, and that should do it… See? Told you, not as much fun.
Step 3: Reboot your system
No actual description below this subheading, really, I mean I really hope you don’t need detailed instructions on how to reboot your system…
Step 4: Verify if it worked
Run the CPU Unparking Tool again, and hit the “Check Status” button.
It should now show you that your cores are unparked, like this:
You did it! All your cores are now unparked!
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What Does Unparking Cores Do? (Pro’s, Con’s, Benefits)
Core parking is a feature that has been part of the Windows OS since 2008, and it’s been a hot subject for a few years now.
However, many users still don’t fully comprehend what it does and how it affects their systems.
Many users, especially gamers, who are looking for a performance boost on their PCs have been questioning if unparking the CPU cores can help them achieve that.
Is it likely to increase the FPS and stabilize their computers to have fewer fps drops and shutters?
This article will tell you everything you need to know about core parking, how to unpark cores, and if it has any advantages.
What Does Unparking Cores Do?
Unparking cores modifies a few power management settings, so the OS never parks cores, and all the cores will be 100% in use all the time.
It seems logical to assume that unparking cores will result in better responsiveness and better performance.
However, some people have reported different results from unparking their CPU cores.
Some reported a 20% increase in the FPS rate, and some didn’t see any significant changes.
Whether or not it has a good effect on your system depends on multiple factors: Windows version, CPU generation, and the apps and games you’re using.
Unparking CPU cores will result in a boost in system performance if you’re using older Windows versions, like Windows 7.
That’s because the older versions weren’t smart enough to handle core parking flawlessly.
You’re likely to experience a massive increase in fps if you unpark cores with Windows 7 or older.
However, Windows 10 is an advanced OS capable of knowing when to park and unpark CPU cores.
As a result, unparking cores won’t have a noticeable effect on system responsiveness and FPS.
It may help you decrease lags in games, though.
Lags and stutters happen in the time Windows unparks cores to solve the issues, and manually unparking them will save you that time.
The same goes for old CPUs.
Unparking cores will affect the performance more if your CPU isn’t new and responsive.
As for apps and games, many of them rely on the CPU more than the others.
Moreover, many of them are poorly optimized and tuned, which negatively interfaces with Windows, resulting in a badly constructed parking/unparking process.
That’s why you may experience a considerable increase in FPS with some games and no visible change with the others.
Since there are multiple determining factors, you’ll have to try unparking cores for yourself and monitor their effects.
It’s a good idea to benchmark some games before and after unparking to see the results.
After all, you’ve got nothing to lose!
What Are The Drawbacks Of Unparking CPU Cores?
As mentioned before, parked cores draw little to no power.
Unparking CPU cores will result in all your CPU cores working simultaneously and non-stop.
The first drawback that you should expect is higher power consumption.
As a result of long working times, you can also experience higher CPU temperatures.
Overheating can result in FPS drops and eventually damage to the components if not fixed on time.
Moreover, running the CPU continuously while it’s overheating will shorten its lifespan to a great extent.
Is It Safe To Unpark CPU Cores? Should I Do It?
There’s nothing wrong with all CPU cores working together.
After all, they’re designed that way.
However, it matters how you use them and how much you push them.
For instance, if you use your PC for long hours at a time, or if you’ve already experienced overheating issues while idle, unparking CPU cores might not be safe.
However, if power consumption isn’t an issue for you, and if your CPU has a capable CPU cooler unit, then unparking the cores couldn’t hurt!
What Is Core Parking?
Let’s go through the history of CPUs and explain the revolution that eventually led to the core parking function.
Consumer CPUs had low power sleep states for a very long while.
The low power states controlled the whole CPU and ordered it to pause execution along with other PC components from time to time.
This so-called “power-saving method” wasn’t efficient at all.
Fast forward to when multi-core CPUs were introduced, a new power-saving method was developed.
The low power states didn’t stop the whole CPU from working anymore.
Instead, they paused each core’s execution collectively.
Although this power management method was a significant improvement, the cores marked as idle were still drawing power.
A while later, a better power-saving mechanism known as core parking was developed.
Core parking lets the Operating System put a core into sleep mode or completely shut it off to no longer perform any tasks.
The cores will end up drawing little to no power.
Whenever necessary, the OS will wake the previously parked cores up and fully load them.
The scheduler and the Processor Power Management (PPM) engine work together to adjust the number of unparked cores available for running threads.
How To Check If Any CPU Cores Are Parked
Before you start to unpark your CPU cores, let’s first check if any of them are parked:
- Right-click on the Windows logo and choose Task Manager.
- Select the CPU tab and then click on the Open Resource Monitor link.
- Now, you’ll see your CPU cores on the right side, and if any of them are parked, you’ll see “Parked” written next to or under the core number.
- You can also use the Unpark CPU app to check the number of parked CPU cores:
- Download, install, and launch the app.
- Click on the Check Status button.
- After some time, it’ll show you the parking status of your cores.
How To Unpark CPU Cores
Now, if you’d like to unpark your cores, you can do it either through Windows or using third-party tools.
Note: If you’re a laptop user, remove the laptop battery and use it with the power cable connected to the outlet when unparking cores.
1. Using The Windows Registry Editor
- Hit the Windows+R key on the keyboard to open up the Run box.
- Type “Regedit” in the box and hit Enter.
- Once you get the Windows Registry Editor open, select the Edit tab and then click on Find.
- Copy and paste this text “0cc5b647-c1df-4637-891a-dec35c318583” into the search box.
- Check the box next to Match whole string only and then select Find Next.
- You’ll arrive at a new page where you only need to edit the Value Max and Value Min options.
- Double-click the Value Max and change the value in the Value data box to “0.”
- Do the same for Value Min and change its value to “0.”
- Reboot your system.
2. Using The CPU Unparking Tool
The Unpark CPU is one of the apps made for unparking your CPU cores by doing the registry edit for you automatically.
- Download the CPU Unparking Tool program, extract it, and install the UnparkCPU.exe file.
- Once the app opens, click on the Check Status button.
- Once you see all your parked CPU cores, click on the Unpark All button, and you’re done.
- Reboot your system and launch the app again to check if all the CPU cores are unparked now.
3. Using Quick CPU
Quick CPU is another handy app developed by CoderBag for unparking your CPU cores easily.
Before you start, be aware that the application requires .NET Framework 4.6.1 software.
If you haven’t installed this software on your system yet, download it from the Microsoft website.
- Download and extract the .zip file and install the .exe file.
- Once you open the app, you’ll see a window with all your CPU cores, showing their status and whether or not they’re parked.
- You’ll see the System power plan option under the Power Data tab. Choose the power plan for which you need the CPU cores to be unparked.
- At the bottom of the page, there should be a Core parking option with a slider.
- To unpark all cores, move the slider to 100% and then click Apply.
- Reboot your computer and launch the app to recheck the status and make sure all cores are unparked.
You can uninstall the Quick CPU app now if you want to.
How To Park CPU Cores
If you want to undo the unparking and park the CPU cores again, you’ll have to go through the same steps using the Quick CPU app.
- Launch the app, choose the right power plan, and move the slider between 10% and 30%. This way, at least one or two CPU cores will always be active and never get parked, preventing stability issues on light tasks.
- Click on Apply, and you’re done.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Do You Enable Or Disable CPU Cores?
To enable or disable some CPU cores, type “msconfig” in the Windows search box and open the System Configuration app.
Head to the Boot tab and click on Advanced Options.
Check the box next to the Number of processors option and choose the number of cores you want to use.
This way, you can enable or disable some of the CPU cores.
2. Does Disabling CPU Cores Save Power?
Yes, disabling CPU cores will save power because cores draw a substantial amount of power.
When the system goes to power saving mode, Windows will disable as many cores as possible to save power.
3. How Many CPU Cores Do You Need to Have Enabled?
For average PC users, two to four working cores are enough.
They can surf the web, work on documents, watch movies, and listen to music without problems.
However, gamers, video editors, data analysts, programmers, and similar users will need at least six cores to be enabled simultaneously.
Introduction to Static Configuration Options for Heterogeneous Power Planning
E-mail address
- Article
- Reading takes 2 minutes
The static configuration options described in this section can be used to configure the parking engine on heterogeneous systems.
Note These options are only valid for class 1 kernels and replace CP_CONCURRENCY, PARK_DISTRIBUTION_THRESHOLD, and CP_HEADROOM.
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HeteroIncreaseThreshold |
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HeteroDecreaseThreshold |
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HeteroIncreaseTime |
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HeteroDecreaseTime |
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HeteroClass1InitialPerf |
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HeteroClass0FloorPerf |
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SchedulingPolicy |
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ShortSchedulingPolicy |
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General information about the static configuration parameters for the main parking
E-mail address
- Article
- Reading takes 2 minutes
You can use the static configuration options described in this section to customize the behavior of the parking engine.
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CPMinCores |
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CPMaxCores |
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CPIncreaseTime |
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CPDecreaseTime |
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CPConcurrency |
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