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March 16, 2026
ASB Gaming

How to Disable Hyper-Threading on Intel CPUs (And Does It Improve FPS?)

How to Disable Hyper-Threading on Intel CPUs (And Does It Improve FPS?)

Many gamers and PC enthusiasts tweak their system to squeeze out every bit of performance. One setting that often comes up in discussions is Hyper-Threading. Some players disable it to reduce CPU scheduling conflicts in games.

In this guide, we’ll explain what Hyper-Threading is, how to disable it, and whether it actually improves FPS in games.

What Is Hyper-Threading?

Hyper-Threading is a technology developed by Intel that allows a single CPU core to run two threads at the same time.

For example:

CPU Cores Threads Without Hyper-Threading88With Hyper-Threading816

This helps with multitasking and productivity workloads, such as video editing, rendering, and heavy background tasks.

However, some competitive gamers believe disabling it can sometimes improve latency consistency.

Does Disabling Hyper-Threading Improve FPS?

In most modern games, the FPS difference is very small.

Possible effects when disabling Hyper-Threading:

Potential Benefits

  • Slightly more consistent 1% lows

  • Reduced CPU scheduling conflicts

  • Lower CPU temperatures in some cases

Potential Downsides

  • Lower performance in multitasking

  • Lower performance in CPU-heavy games

  • Slower productivity workloads

For competitive titles like Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, or Valorant, some players prefer Hyper-Threading disabled for slightly more consistent frame pacing.

But the improvement is usually small and system-dependent.

How to Disable Hyper-Threading in BIOS

If your CPU supports Hyper-Threading, you can disable it through your motherboard BIOS.

Typical steps:

  1. Restart your PC

  2. Enter BIOS (press Delete or F2 during boot)

  3. Go to Advanced Mode

  4. Navigate to:

Advanced
 → CPU Configuration
 → Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

  1. Set it to Disabled

  2. Save and exit BIOS

After rebooting, your CPU will run one thread per core.

Why You Cannot Disable Hyper-Threading on Intel Core Ultra CPUs

On the newest Intel desktop processors like Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, Hyper-Threading no longer exists.

These CPUs use a new architecture that completely removes the feature.

Example core layout:

Core Type Count Performance Cores8Efficiency Cores16Total Cores24Total Threads24

Since each core only runs one thread, there is no Hyper-Threading option in BIOS.

So if your system shows 24 cores and 24 threads, that means Hyper-Threading is already effectively disabled by design.

Should Gamers Disable Hyper-Threading?

For most players:

Leave it enabled if your CPU supports it.

Only experiment with disabling it if:

  • You play competitive esports titles

  • You want to test for smoother frame pacing

  • Your CPU has very high thread counts

Every system behaves differently, so the best approach is testing both settings.

Need Help Optimizing Your Gaming PC?

If your games are stuttering, lagging, or not using your hardware properly, proper system optimization can make a huge difference.

At ASB Gaming, we specialize in gaming PC optimization to improve FPS, reduce input delay, and eliminate stutters.

You can learn more at:

https://www.asbgaming.com/