How much can Core i5 13600HX's performance change between power modes, and when should performance mode be used?

  Performance mode on the 13600HX makes a clear difference under heavy loads (rendering, encoding, AAA) and none under light ones. On most HX machines: performance mode allows 120W+, balanced cuts it roughly in half.

  Be practical: heavy work plugged in on performance mode, everything else on balanced. For quiet, some vendor control centers let you dial PL1/PL2 manually. Performance mode isn't always better — weigh the fan noise against the frames yourself.