Vista power plan don't understand this default setting.

Vista's defafault settings for "Power Saver" sets the minimum and maximum processor state as ZERO percent for battery. I don't understand this. If I open performance monitor the processor is shown as 80% max on AC power. If I disconnect the AC power while on "Power Saver" the monitor shows 40% max frequency. Why ZERO percent as default settings, to me that would mean it wouldn't even run.
Certainly for running light stuff it runs a lot cooler, the fan hardly cutting in at all.

 

Why are you so obsessed with the ZERO thingy.
For me, I just put MAX PERFORMANCE all the time either my laptop is plug-in or run on battery.
I use 3rd party software to set CPU performance instead of Windows Vista Power Option.

 

Just don't understand it as a default setting, that's all. Doesn't make sense. If you don't need max performance... and I don't most of the time, then it makes sense to me to maximise battery life and let it all run a lot cooler. Full performance is only a click away. Just the numbers that don't add up... there's more going on than meets the eye.

 

A bit more info from experimenting,
I don't know if every particular PC behaves like this but on mine if the resource monitor is to be believed, in particular the blue line that shows the CPU frequency then the "numbers" you enter in the power plans are only valid between certain limits. So setting the CPU at zero actually gives 40%. A safegaurd ? Set the minimum to 40 and the max to 80 and it works between those limits. Set the minimum from 40 to 45 and the processor jumps to 80%.
On "power saver" plan am trying 40% as a minimum and 80% as a max. Seems OK, working here with it set like this.