Does C-State + C1E OFF in BIOS with Balanced Plan Improve Input Latency? (14700KF)

[muhan]

Hi again,

Thank you for your helpful response earlier.

I have an additional question about the effects of BIOS power state settings on input latency and jitter.

If I disable C-State and C1E in the BIOS (with both EIST and Speed Shift enabled), and use the Balanced power plan in Windows 10, does this configuration:

1. Help reduce or eliminate micro-jitter caused by low power state transitions?
2. Maintain or improve input latency compared to using the High Performance power plan?
3. Provide a more consistent environment for USB polling and interrupt handling for mouse input?

My system:
- CPU: Core i7-14700KF
- Motherboard: MSI B660 (DDR4, latest BIOS & chipset drivers)
- OS: Windows 10
- Cooling: AIO (Enermax 360)
- GPU: RTX 3070 Gaming Z Trio
- RAM: Samsung DDR4-3200

I would appreciate any technical guidance on whether this configuration is recommended for consistent input responsiveness in competitive gaming.

Best regards,
[muhan]

P.S. Also, would it be better to disable EIST in this setup, or is it recommended to keep it enabled when using the Balanced power plan with C-State and C1E turned off?

[RandyT_Intel]

Hi @muhan,

Thank you for posting here in our community. To effectively diagnose and address the issue you're experiencing, I kindly ask you to provide detailed responses to the following questions. This information will help us isolate the problem and determine the most appropriate course of action.  

• Please provide the SSU log report and share it here so I can review your system's configuration. 
• What specific issues are you experiencing with input latency and jitter that prompted this inquiry?
• Are you noticing any performance differences in gaming with different power state settings?
• Have you tried other configurations, and what were the results?
• Additionally, you may follow this guide on how to report performance issues in the game. 

Please note that motherboard manufacturer can offer guidance on BIOS configurations, but the effects on latency and jitter are influenced by the entire system setup, including CPU, OS, and peripheral devices.

For competitive gaming, where consistent input responsiveness is crucial, using the High Performance power plan with C-State and C1E disabled might be more beneficial. This configuration ensures the CPU is always ready to handle tasks with minimal latency. However, this setup can lead to increased power consumption and heat generation, so adequate cooling is essential.

I look forward to your response and am committed to resolving your issue promptly. 

Warm regards,  

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[muhan]

Hi Randy and Intel Support,

Thank you for your continued guidance. I’ve attached the SSU log file as requested.

Regarding your recommendation for High Performance power plan with C-State and C1E disabled:
I’ve tested this configuration extensively, and while LatencyMon reports significantly lower latency values, it introduced undesirable gameplay issues during real Overwatch 2 sessions.

Here’s what I observed:

- The system feels extremely responsive, but the mouse input seems “too early” or overshoots targets.
- My aim feels faster, but hit registration becomes inconsistent — it's as if the shot is fired before the target is in the right position.
- In bot matches, the input feels out of sync with actual game physics, making timing unreliable.
- Surprisingly, using the **Balanced power plan** with **EIST enabled**, **C-State/C1E disabled**, and **Speed Shift ON**, the game feels more natural and stable.
- My shots connect more consistently, and aim tracking is more synchronized with game simulation, even though LatencyMon shows slightly higher latency.

I suspect that dynamic clocking under the Balanced plan improves USB polling timing or system-level interrupt handling, which reduces input jitter despite slightly higher reported latency.

This effect may be amplified due to Windows 10 not fully supporting Thread Director, as mentioned by Archie D., meaning the static high clock under the High Performance plan may cause micro-jitter or misaligned processing.

So while benchmark tools show one thing, real-world play shows another — stability and timing harmony seem to be more important than just lowering CPU latency.

Please let me know what you think, and whether maintaining EIST ON with Balanced mode is recommended in this case.

Best regards,
[muhan]

[RandyT_Intel]

Hi @muhan,

Allow me some time to further investigate this on my end. I’ll share my findings once the analysis is complete. I appreciate your patience in the meantime.

Warm regards,  

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[RandyT_Intel]

Hi @muhan,

I'm currently investigating the system issue you reported. In the meantime, could you please provide the make and model of the monitor you're using?

For the latency issue, kindly follow the steps outlined in this article and let me know if they result in any noticeable improvement.

Additionally, regarding the in-game performance issue, please generate a CapFrameX capture and share it with us. This will help us simulate the issue on our end.

Lastly, please let us know:

• The digital distribution platform where you downloaded the game (e.g., Steam, Epic Games)
• A download link to the game, if available

Thank you!

Regards,  

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[RandyT_Intel]

Hi @muhan,

Just checking in on my previous message regarding your inquiry. Have you had a chance to review it? If you need more information or have any questions, feel free to reach out. I'm here to help!

Regards,  

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician

[RandyT_Intel]

Hi @muhan,

Since I haven't heard from you, I will proceed with closing this case. Please note that it will no longer be monitored. However, you may submit a new ticket if you need further assistance in the future.

Regards,  

Randy T.  

Intel Customer Support Technician