How to Undervolt a Gaming Laptop CPU and GPU for More FPS

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On a desktop, undervolting is mostly about quieter, cooler running. On a gaming laptop it’s a genuine performance tweak — because your laptop is thermally limited, and a cooler chip throttles less and holds higher clocks. Less heat literally becomes more FPS.

How to Undervolt a Gaming Laptop CPU and GPU for More FPS

Same clocks, less voltage, less heat. On a laptop that’s been throttling, that’s a direct FPS gain.

Why undervolting works so well on laptops

A chip requests a certain voltage to hit a certain clock speed. That voltage is usually set conservatively high for stability across millions of units. Lower it, and the chip does the same work while producing less heat. On a thermally limited laptop that throttles, lower temperatures mean it can sustain higher clocks instead of dropping them — see why that matters in How to Stop Your Gaming Laptop From Thermal Throttling.

It’s safe, too: you’re lowering voltage, not raising power limits. The worst case is a crash (back off the offset), not hardware damage.

Undervolt the CPU

This is the laptop-focused version of our full How to Undervolt Your CPU guide — start there for the detailed walkthrough, then apply these laptop notes.

Intel (ThrottleStop):

  1. Open ThrottleStop → FIVR.
  2. Enable Unlock Adjustable Voltage.
  3. Apply a CPU Core offset of about -50mV to -75mV, and match the CPU Cache offset.
  4. Test stability (below). If stable, push toward -100mV+ in small steps.

Note: some newer Intel laptops lock voltage offsets (Plundervolt mitigation). If nothing changes, use the vendor tool or focus on cooling instead.

AMD (Ryzen): use Curve Optimizer in the vendor app or Ryzen tooling — apply a negative count per core (start around -10) and test.

Undervolt the GPU

This mirrors How to Undervolt Your GPU — on laptop NVIDIA GPUs:

  1. Open MSI Afterburner (see our MSI Afterburner guide) and the voltage/frequency curve (Ctrl+F).
  2. Pick a target like ~1800–1900MHz at a lower voltage point (e.g. ~800–850mV).
  3. Flatten the curve to the right of that point so the GPU runs your target clock at the lower voltage.
  4. Apply and test.

Test for stability

  • CPU: run a stress test (Cinebench loop, Prime95) for 15–30 minutes and watch for crashes or errors.
  • GPU: loop a graphics stress test or play your most demanding game for 30+ minutes.
  • A crash or black screen means you went too far — reduce the offset and retest until rock solid.

Measure the payoff

Log temperatures and clocks before and after with MSI Afterburner or HWiNFO. You’re looking for lower temps and higher sustained clocks during a long gaming session — that’s the throttling you’ve eliminated, and the FPS you’ve recovered.

Then collect the free wins

Undervolting earns you sustained clocks; the timer earns you lower latency for free. Pair your undervolt with the Windows timer resolution tweak via Tier1Timer, and make sure you’re plugged in on performance mode so the chip can use the headroom you just freed up.

Undervolting a gaming laptop lowers temperatures so a thermally limited chip can hold higher clocks instead of throttling — turning less heat into more sustained FPS. Go in small steps, test hard for stability, and measure the sustained-clock gain.

Frequently asked questions

Does undervolting a laptop increase FPS?

Indirectly but meaningfully. Undervolting itself does not add raw performance, but by lowering temperatures it lets a thermally limited laptop hold higher clocks for longer instead of throttling. On a laptop that throttles, that converts directly into higher and more stable FPS.

Is undervolting a laptop safe?

Yes when done in small steps. Undervolting lowers voltage, not power limits, so it cannot overheat or overvolt the chip. The only risk is instability if you go too far, which causes a crash, not damage. Test thoroughly and back off if you see crashes.

Can I still undervolt if Intel locked it on my laptop?

Some newer Intel laptops disable voltage offsets via the Plundervolt mitigation. If ThrottleStop offsets do nothing, try the laptop vendor's own tool (some expose an undervolt or efficiency curve), or focus on cooling and fan curves instead. AMD laptops often use Curve Optimizer in the vendor app.

How much undervolt is safe to start with?

Start small: around -50mV to -75mV on an Intel CPU core/cache offset, then test for stability and increase gradually toward -100mV or more if stable. For GPUs, shift the voltage/frequency curve so the target clock runs at a lower voltage. Every chip differs, so tune yours individually.