codewangler: energy performance preference: balance_performance ... current policy: frequency should be within 400 MHz and 3.60 GHz. The governor "powersave" may decide which speed to use within this range. The combination of balanced_performance and governor "powersave" there indicates you are in Balanced mode. You can verify and change it: # check powerprofilesctl list # change powerprofilesctl set performance This is also accessible via the battery icon in systray.