Quick commands to read available and active CPU governors and understand how they affect performance and power. 08.01.2026 | reading time: 2 min Governors determine how the kernel adjusts CPU frequency; checking them is simple and immediate, and it can tell a lot about a system's power and performance behavior. Do this now List available and active governors, then inspect every core; for example run: ```bash cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_available_governors for f in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor; do echo "$f: $(cat $f)"; done ``` Typical output may look like: ```bash performance powersave /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor: performance /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu1/cpufreq/scaling_governor: performance ``` What else to check Look at the driver and per-core settings with `cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_driver`, remember some platforms use the "intel_pstate" driver which behaves differently, and note that writing a governor requires root and is nonpersistent unless you use a system service or boot script. Quick toolset For richer output and safe changes consider `cpupower` or `cpufreq-info` from cpufrequtils, and use `tuned` or a distribution service to make settings survive reboots; these tools add validation and profiles, which is safer than echoing values by hand. Next steps Try changing a governor on a test machine and measure load and power draw; small experiments teach more than theory, and mastering these commands is a practical step toward systems work, so consider advancing your skills with exam-focused training like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1 and intensive preparation at bitsandbytes.academy. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. processes utilities troubleshooting
