How to overclock the processor on Xiaomi phone without the risk of overheating: the full guide

Why Xiaomi is slowing down and how to fix it

Have you noticed that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 Pro has become slower to open apps, and games are starting to “lay down” even on average graphics settings? The reason is often not a worn-out battery or crowded memory, but a suboptimal processor. Smartphone manufacturers (including Xiaomi) artificially limit the power of chipsets through firmware — this is called thermal throttling.

In this article, we will discuss 7 working ways to speed up the processor on Xiaomi phones, from basic (cleaning the system) to advanced (manually configuring the cores through the engineering menu). Importantly, not all methods are equally safe. For example, overclocking through custom cores can lead to irreversible damage to the SoC when the allowable voltages are exceeded. So we focus on risk-free techniques that do not violate warranty and do not require root rights.

Before you start, check the current processor boot.

1. Install the CPU Monitor or AIDA64 app from Google Play.
2. Run a real-time performance test.
3. Pay attention to the CPU Usage (download) and CPU Throttling (throttling).

If the load exceeds 80% for simple tasks (scrolling the tape in social networks), and the temperature of the chip rises above 50 ° C, your processor works in power saving mode.

Method 1: Disable MIUI Optimized Settings (without root)

MIUI's default firmware activates MIUI Optimized Settings, which limits background CPU activity to save charge, one of the main causes of "brakes" in multitasking, and can be disabled through the developer's hidden settings:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version until the notification “You became a developer” appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional settings → Developer settings.
4. Find the MIUI Optimized Settings option and turn it off.
5. Reset the device.

After that, background processes will use up to 20% more CPU resources, which will speed up the switch between applications, but keep in mind that battery consumption will increase by 5-10%.

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If MIUI Optimized Settings is not on the menu, upgrade to the latest version of MIUI 14+ or use an alternative method via ADB (described below).

Method 2: Configure performance mode through ADB

For advanced users willing to work with the command line, there is a method to unlock hidden performance modes through Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method does not require root, but requires a computer and USB-cable.

Attention: incorrect ADB commands may cause a system failure.

1. Download Google’s Platform Tools and unpack the archive.
2. Turn on the phone debugging over USB in the developer settings.
3. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and type in the command line:

adb shell


settings put global force_high_performance true

This command will force maximum performance mode to be activated, disabling the CPU clock limit. To get it back, use:

settings put global force_high_performance false

The effect is noticeable immediately: in synthetic tests (for example, AnTuTu), performance gains reach 12-15% by removing software stubs, but battery life will be reduced by 15-25%.

Method 3: Cleaning the system from “junk” processes

Even on top-end chipsets (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Dimensity 9000), background processes can eat up to 30% of CPU power. MIUI has a built-in tool for optimizing them, the Security App. Here's how to use it:

• 🧹 Cache Clearing: Open Security → Cleanup → Deep Cleanup: Remove the cache of system and user applications.
• ⚡ AutoRun: In the same menu, go to AutoRun and turn off AutoRun for unnecessary apps (like games or instant messengers you rarely use).
• 🔄 Memory Optimization: Activate Acceleration in Optimization, which will suspend background processes, freeing up resources CPU.

For a deeper cleaning, use third-party utilities like SD Maid or Greenify (the latter requires root for full functionality). After cleaning, check the processor boot in AIDA64 - it should decrease by 10-20%.

Delete the cache in Security App|Disable autostart for 5+ applications|Activate acceleration mode|Reboot phone-->

Method 4: Use of custom firmware (for experienced)

If you’re willing to sacrifice the warranty for maximum performance, consider installing custom firmware based on LineageOS or Pixel Experience.These builds remove the limitations of MIUI, allowing the processor to run at maximum frequencies without artificial throttling.

Advantages of custom firmware:

• 🚀 Absence of thermal throttling at the core level.
• 🔧 Manual configuration of governors (frequency control algorithms) CPU).
• 🗑️ No pre-installed bloatware (unnecessary Xiaomi system applications).

However, there are risks:

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect firmware can lead to a "brick" (completely inoperable) of the device.Be sure to unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool before installing it and create a NANDroid backup.

For models on Snapdragon (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) we recommend ArrowOS firmware - it is optimized for high-performance chipsets. For Mediatek (Redmi Note 11), Havoc-OS with the Kirisk core, which supports overclocking to 2.8 GHz (versus the standard 2.4 GHz).

Method 5: Manual control of CPU cores (requires root)

For users with unlocked bootloader and root rights, the most flexible method is to configure the CPU cores through applications like Kernel Adiutor or FrancoKernel Manager.

• 🔼 Overclock the clock frequency of the cores (for example, from 2.2 GHz to 2.6 GHz).
• 🔽 Lower voltage (voltage) to reduce heating.
• ⚙️ Change. CPU Governor (frequency control algorithm) to more aggressive (performance instead of ondemand).

Example of settings for Snapdragon 870 (installed in POCO F3):

1. Open Kernel Adiutor and go to the CPU section.
2. Install Governor on performance for all cores.
3. Increase the maximum frequency of large cores to 3.0 GHz (if supported by the chipset).
4. Reduce the minimum frequency of small cores to 300 MHz to save energy in the idle.

⚠️ Warning: Exceeding standard frequencies by more than 10% can cause silicon transistors to overheat and degrade in the chipset.Use stress tests (Prime95) stability-test.

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The optimal balance for most Xiaomi chipsets is: maximum frequency +10% of the standard, minimum frequency -20%. This gives a gain of 15% without critical heating.

Method 6: Optimization of heat sink (physical methods)

Overheating is the main reason for the processor's throttling, and even if you overclock the chipset software, at temperatures above 60°C, the system will force the chip to lower its frequency.

• 🧊 Thermopaste replacement: In Xiaomi models older than 2020 (like the Redmi Note 9 Pro), the thermopaste dries out, impairing thermal conductivity. MX-6 (thermal conductivity 11 W/m·K).
• 📱 Use of cooling stands: Black Shark FunCooler Pro is suitable for gamers (reduces the temperature by 8-12).°C).
• 🔋 Disconnecting fast charging: Charging power of 30+ W heats up the chipset. Switch to 10 to 18 watts in Settings. → Battery.

To check the temperature, use the Throttling Test CPU (available on Google Play). If the temperature exceeds 65°C after 10 minutes of load (for example, Genshin Impact games), you need to improve the heat sink.

Method 7: Reverse to the older version of MIUI (if the update slowed down the phone)

Sometimes newer versions of MIUI contain bugs that artificially limit performance, such as after upgrading to MIUI 14.0.5, many Redmi K50 users complained about the FPS drop in games.

1. Download the desired version of MIUI from the official Xiaomi website (Archive section).
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the phone’s root folder.
3. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
4. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Select a firmware file.
5. Confirm the installation and wait for the reboot.

After the rollback, check the performance in Geekbench 6. In most cases, multithreaded results improve by 10-20%.

FAQ: Frequent questions about overclocking the Xiaomi processor