- Reset BIOS to optimal Defaults
- Most BIOS provide an option for this in one of the menus
- Disable C-State
- CPU Enhanced Halt (C1E), C3, C6, C7, C8
- Set Package C-State Limit if available to a low cstate values such as C2 or C0/C1 (lowest).
- The deeper the C-State (C6, C7, C8) the more latency is introduced due to the time it takes to restore the active power state.
- Disable Intel (R) Speed Shift Technology
- Disable CPU Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology (EIST) Function
- Enable Turbo Boost
- Enable XMP
- Set any Fast Boot Settings to OFF
- This may be in the Memory and other sections which let you control what devices that are powered up before it reaches the OS to save boot times.
- Disable any Active State Power Management (ASPM)/Aggressive Link Power Management (ALPM) settings
- This may be in the SATA and/or PCI configuration sections, check each section
- Set your SATA disk controlled mode to AHCI
- Disable OnBoard Video, Audio or Lan Controller if you have a PCI/USB one that is or will be installed.
- Set your Primary Display Output to your dedicated graphics card if present
- Leave High Precision Event Timer (HPET) ON in the BIOS if present or if it is enabled by default
- Make sure Platform Power Management is disabled
- Disable Legacy USB Support, Port 60/64 Emulation
- Having them enabled may cause the CPU to enter System Management Mode (SMM) via System Management Interrupt (SMI) which is a non blocking interrupt and may introduce minor latency.
- If you're setting up a non UEFI operating system this may need to be on during install and can be turned off afterwards.
- Disable any onboard LED traces/lights, e.g. Gigabyte Ambient LED
- Set your PCI Express Max Link Speed to Gen3, devices can negotiate lower spec as needed.