---
title: "Disable AHCI link power management (HIPM/DIPM) to stop SATA drive hitches"
description: "Link power management lets a SATA drive and its controller put the cable link to sleep when idle. What it changes, when it hurts, and how to undo it."
url: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-sata-link-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)
---

# Disable AHCI link power management (HIPM/DIPM) to stop SATA drive hitches

**Short answer:** Link power management lets a SATA drive and its controller put the cable link to sleep when idle. Waking it adds a delay to the next read. This tweak sets NoLPM, which keeps the link awake. In the registry it sets NoLPM to 1 under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device.

## In the app

- Switch: Disable AHCI Link Power Management (Power, Pro, Advanced)
- Undo: Yes. Switching it off sets a standard Windows value, which may not be exactly how you had it.
- Game profiles that switch it on: ARC Raiders, Battlefield 6, Call of Duty and 4 more
- Catalog row: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks#t-1075

## What it does

Link power management lets a SATA drive and its controller put the cable link to sleep when idle. Waking it adds a delay to the next read. This tweak sets NoLPM, which keeps the link awake.

In the app the switch is called "Disable AHCI Link Power Management", described there as: Prevents HIPM/DIPM sleep on SATA SSDs to avoid IO latency spikes.

## When it helps

- Short freezes when a game reads from a SATA SSD or hard disk that had gone idle.

## When it hurts

- Slightly higher idle power use, which matters on a laptop.
- It does nothing for NVMe drives, which do not use SATA link power states.

## What it writes

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

Registry values:

| Key | Value | With the tweak | Switching it off |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device` | `NoLPM` | `1` | 0 |

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

## The same change by hand

Run in a Command Prompt opened as administrator. Make a restore point first.

```bat
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device" /v "NoLPM" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
```

Put it back:

```bat
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device" /v "NoLPM" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
```

See what it is set to now:

```bat
reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device" /v "NoLPM"
```

## How to undo it

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. It writes NoLPM back to 0.

## Verdict

Worth it on a desktop with SATA drives. Skip it on battery.

## Questions

### What does the "Disable AHCI Link Power Management" tweak change in Windows?

In the registry it sets NoLPM to 1 under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\storahci\Parameters\Device.

### What is the standard value of NoLPM?

Frozen Tweaks writes 0 when you switch the tweak off, which is the value it treats as the Windows standard. With the tweak on, NoLPM is 1.

### Is "Disable AHCI Link Power Management" safe to switch on?

Worth it on a desktop with SATA drives. Skip it on battery. The main cost: Slightly higher idle power use, which matters on a laptop.

### 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 AHCI Link Power Management" 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

- [PCIe link state power management](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-pcie-link-state-power-management)
- [NVMe idle power states](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/nvme-idle-power-states)
- [Fast Startup](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-fast-startup)

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