---
title: "PCI Express Link State Power Management: off or on for gaming?"
description: "Link State Power Management (ASPM) lets PCIe devices such as the graphics card and NVMe drives put their link into a low power state when idle."
url: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-pcie-link-state-power-management
author: Frost LIVE, Founder of Frozen Tweaks
published: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-08
category: "Power"
source: Frozen Tweaks (https://frozentweaks.com)
---

# PCI Express Link State Power Management: off or on for gaming?

**Short answer:** Link State Power Management (ASPM) lets PCIe devices such as the graphics card and NVMe drives put their link into a low power state when idle. Leaving that state takes a moment. This tweak sets it to Off in the active power plan. It runs powercfg -setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PCIE ASPM 0 and 2 more commands.

## In the app

- Switch: Disable PCIe ASPM (Power, Pro, Advanced)
- Undo: Yes. Switching it off sets a standard Windows value, which may not be exactly how you had it.
- Catalog row: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks#t-1105

## What it does

Link State Power Management (ASPM) lets PCIe devices such as the graphics card and NVMe drives put their link into a low power state when idle. Leaving that state takes a moment. This tweak sets it to Off in the active power plan.

In the app the switch is called "Disable PCIe ASPM", described there as: Sets Link State Power Management=Off to avoid PCIe L1/L1.2 latency spikes.

## When it helps

- Brief stutters when the graphics card or an NVMe drive wakes its link under changing load.

## When it hurts

- Higher idle power use and more heat, which matters most on laptops.
- The High performance plan already sets this to Off, so there may be nothing to change.

## What it writes

Read from the app's source. "Switching it off" is what the app writes when you turn the tweak off again.

Commands the tweak runs:

```bat
powercfg -setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PCIE ASPM 0
powercfg -setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PCIE ASPM 0
powercfg -S SCHEME_CURRENT
```

Switching it off runs:

```bat
powercfg -setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PCIE ASPM 1
powercfg -setdcvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PCIE ASPM 1
powercfg -S SCHEME_CURRENT
```

Source: Tweaks/pcie_aspm_off.hpp in the app's source, app 2.0.0, checked 2026-10-08.

## How to undo it

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. It runs the commands shown under "Switching it off".

## Verdict

Off is the right setting for a gaming desktop. On a laptop, use it plugged in.

## Questions

### What does the "Disable PCIe ASPM" tweak change in Windows?

It runs powercfg -setacvalueindex SCHEME_CURRENT SUB_PCIE ASPM 0 and 2 more commands. The full list is in the table on this page, read from the app's source.

### Is "Disable PCIe ASPM" safe to switch on?

Off is the right setting for a gaming desktop. On a laptop, use it plugged in. The main cost: Higher idle power use and more heat, which matters most on laptops.

### How do I undo it?

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. Switching it off sets a standard Windows value, which may not be exactly how you had it.

### Is "Disable PCIe ASPM" free in Frozen Tweaks?

It is part of Frozen Pro and Elite. You can also make the change by hand with the values on this page.

## Related guides

- [How to Fix Stuttering and Frame Drops: Diagnose Before You Tweak](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/fix-stuttering-frame-drops)

## More tweak explainers

- [NVMe idle power states](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/nvme-idle-power-states)
- [Fast Startup](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-fast-startup)
- [Hibernation](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-hibernation)

---
Written by Frost LIVE, founder of Frozen Tweaks. Canonical version: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-pcie-link-state-power-management