Optimize laptop battery life

In addition to ways to extend laptop battery life, the article introduces a number of solutions to optimize laptop battery life to fully utilize the battery's value when using 'mobile' laptops or in places where there is no power supply. .

>>>Using laptop batteries is most effective
>>> When the laptop battery does not charge

Choose the right hardware

Choosing the right hardware is a key factor determining your battery life. The power consumption of laptops depends on a lot of factors, but among them are the CPU, GPU, screen and machine size. The remaining components are influential but not much, such as 2GB 2 GB DDR SD SD sticks (total 4GB capacity) that consume power equivalent to 2 512MB RAM (total 1GB capacity) or with 2.5-inch hard drive '(popular type of laptop) different capacities also have similar power consumption. This suggests that the higher the battery configuration, the more battery power is not necessarily the case. If you are a frequent traveler or 7 to 8 hours of battery life, consider a backup battery solution with the computer you are using or consider choosing ultraportable (ultra- portable) if new.

1. Processor (CPU)

The TDP (Thermal design power) is not the power consumption of the CPU but the maximum capacity that the cooling system (or cooling fan) must meet in order for the CPU to not overheat. Although not very accurate, it can be understood that TDP is the maximum power consumption of the CPU.

Users tend to choose the most powerful CPU, usually the most expensive and consume the most power. However, according to the writer's experience, unless you need to use a laptop to play 'heavy' games, graphics processing or architecture, for most users, a fully functional CPU or Core i3, i5M CPU has Can fully meet the requirements.

By low to high power saving, Intel Atom processor (CPU) consumes very little power, such as Atom Z550 with only TDP of 2.4W at most. Intel Atom is commonly used in netbooks (notebook computers). In order to reduce power consumption, Atom is often reduced in performance and has a low performance. Ultra-energy-efficient CPUs such as Intel Core 2 Duo L7xxx, Core i3 350UM, etc., usually have TDP of 12W, Vcore of 0.7-0.8V and clocking below 1.5GHz. Slightly higher is the Core i7 6xxUM with 18W TDP, but it is still classified as super-energy efficient because they integrate both the north bridge (northbridge) and GPU in the CPU.

Next, the energy-efficient CPUs of the SL series have TDP of about 17W, they are often cut down on some relatively 'high-end' technologies such as virtualization because few users need to run heavy applications on ultra-portable computers. dynamic. Full-featured support CPUs, such as the P, Core i3, and Core i5 series, have higher TDP, about 25W due to support for advanced features such as virtualization; Note that some Core i3 and i5 series CPUs have a TDP of up to 35W, but this number includes the integrated GPU. High performance CPUs including T series, core i7 M have TDP of about 35W (not including integrated GPUs), and topped the table with 4-core Q9xxx, Core i7 Q CPUs with TDP of up to 45W. These are high-performance CPUs, suitable for gaming, graphics or design configurations.

2. Graphics processor (GPU)

Optimize laptop battery life Picture 1 Currently, in addition to integrated GPUs (on mainboard or in CPU), many laptops are equipped with discrete GPUs. In addition, a number of MTXT series also apply switchable graphics solution, combining an integrated graphics card and a discrete graphics card. The switching between two graphics cards can be decided by the user (ATI switchable graphics solutions), or automatically when there is a requirement for graphics processing (Optimus by nVidia). This is an option you might consider if there is a high demand for battery life but sometimes still requires graphics processing capabilities.

Similar to CPU, GPU is also divided into multi-line, depending on performance and also power consumption. Integrated Intel HD Graphic GPUs (popularly Intel GMA 4500MHD and 5700MHD) with TDP of about 12W or less (7-8W in low-power mode). The ability to handle integrated GPU graphics is quite limited, only suitable for office and study work. Low-end discrete GPUs like AMD (ATI) Radeon HD34xx, 43xx and 53xx or NVIDIA Geforce G 210M, 310M also have TDP of about 12 - 14W, a bit higher graphics processing capability than integrated GPUs, suitable for Simple entertainment bridge. Next is the AMD Radeon HD3650, 46xx, 5470, 6370M or NVIDIA Geforce 410M, 320M GPUs that can meet most games with medium-level graphics settings. Mid-range GPUs like AMD HD 46x0M, 5650M or NVIDIA Geforce GT 420M, 335M, 425M, etc. meet most of the games available in the market; including heavy games. The most advanced (and the most power hungry) are AMD CrossFire or NVIDIA SLI GPUs like HD 6970M CrossFire, GTX 480M SLI. Their graphics processing capabilities are comparable to GPUs of high-end desktop computers, allowing playing games with the highest level of graphics settings.

3. Screen

Readers should choose LED backlight screen instead of CCFL backlight. Many readers still remember that LED screens are more energy-efficient than CCFL screens, but not significant (ID: A1008_120). In general, this is true, but there is one exception you should consider, considering that of ultra-portable laptops. At medium brightness, with the same size, screen 12.1 'CCFL backlight consumes about 4.5W while LED backlight screen is about 3.5W; lower than 1W. For normal laptops, 1W is not significant, but with ultraportable laptops, 1W can be equivalent to 30 minutes of better usage, to help you get a better job.

4. Laptop size

In addition to the above factors, size is also an important factor for battery life: compact screens and boards consume less energy. The disadvantage of compact is that the battery size (and also the battery capacity) is limited.

Use a reasonable battery Other options

Use the battery properly

Optimize laptop battery life Picture 2
Turn off unnecessary applications to avoid wasting system resources, reducing battery life.

When I first used the laptop, many readers would be surprised to see Windows or battery management software showing the remaining battery life changing erratically, maybe just 4 hours before and then only 2 hours and then increased to 3 hours. So where is the cause?

First, let's learn a bit about how Windows calculates the remaining battery time. Often Windows or battery management software simply makes 'division' operations based on the remaining battery capacity and system power consumption. Thus, depending on the operating status of the system, for example when you access the file, the hard drive's reader must move to the location of the file stored on the disk, the CPU must process the result, and so on. .v . in heavy load mode, the system will consume more power, resulting in less battery life. Then, when the requirements are complete, the system runs in light load mode, power consumption decreases and battery life increases. Therefore, the battery life that Windows or management software provides is for reference only. Want to know really how long the 'cylindrical' battery must be based on actual use. Thus, in order to extend battery life, you must reduce the power consumption to the lowest possible level and maintain the system in this state.

1. Adjust screen brightness

The screen is one of the most power-hungry hardware. Therefore, adjusting the screen brightness to match the working environment so that your eyes do not regulate excessively is essential (as mentioned above, this is the advantage of LED backlighting when giving high brightness. more at the same energy consumption). Most power management software, including Windows 7 Power Options, can adjust brightness automatically when the computer switches to battery. In addition, you should also set the time for the screen to automatically reduce the brightness to the lowest and turn off after a period of no use. Practical experience shows that setting to reduce brightness after 3-5 minutes and turn off after 10 minutes is appropriate.

2. Keep Windows healthy

Windows is the most important 'software' and greatly affects battery life. When Windows becomes slow due to installing too many applications, 'garbage' generated during use will consume more memory, hard drives must be accessed continuously, the CPU must operate at a high level which will increase performance. consumption rate. CCleaner (free), Your UnInstaller, Ace Utilities will help you remove unnecessary applications, clean up 'junk' to keep Windows healthy. In addition, you may also consider installing a completely new 'health' of Windows.

If you require high battery life and are not tied to the operating system (OS), you can choose Windows XP instead of Vista or Win 7. This 10-year-old operating system is still enough to meet most needs. demand for users and use batteries more economically than those of 'slick' juniors. Some tests on the laptop show that XP has 20-30% longer battery life than Win 7 because it is lighter and less resource consuming. Unfortunately, Microsoft and many laptop manufacturers are slowly abandoning this OS.

3. Turn off unnecessary applications

Optimize laptop battery life Picture 3
CCleaner cleans 'garbage' to keep Windows healthy

Leaving the applications running regularly will take up system resources, waste power and reduce battery life. In our experience, the application you are interested in is a web browser, especially Firefox. A temporary solution is to close webpages (displayed as tabs) after use, especially web pages with animations or entertaining or even closed sites to free up space. RAM occupied and the browser works ' more smoothly '.

In addition, you can choose to be more 'sustainable' than to turn off applications and services that launch with Windows startup. Many utilities are capable of doing this, such as Ace Utilities or Soluto.

4. Turn off unused devices

Even when not in use, these devices still consume 1 amount of power (albeit small) to maintain a ready-to-operate state. Therefore, you should turn off unused devices such as Bluetooth, WiFi, devices connected via USB ports such as memory sticks, mice, and headphones.

5. Choose Sleep instead of Shutdown and Hibernate

Vista and Win 7 manage power better than XP, especially Sleep mode. In this mode, the computer only keeps the RAM running, and all other components are idle, so the power consumption is usually very small (less than 1W). You should also use Sleep mode instead of Hibernate or Shutdown when not using the computer for a short period of time (less than 1 hour). Instead of losing a lot of power to shut down the computer, start the computer and reload the content from the hard drive into RAM, during that time, the computer only lost about 1W of power to maintain data on RAM. The way the writer used to go out was to turn off unnecessary applications, switch the laptop to Sleep mode and unplug the adapter. When coming to work, the laptop is ready to work in battery saving mode after only a few seconds.

6. Update BIOS, driver

Optimize laptop battery life Picture 4
"Lower pressure" reduces CPU heat and extends battery life compared to normal.

The driver (hardware driver) not only helps the OS to identify and work well with devices and hardware, but also helps them use energy efficiently. A good example is the faultable graphics card driver used for Win 7 of Lenovo Thinkpad T400 / T500 notebooks that makes computers wake up in Sleep, Hibernate and both graphics cards (integrated and removable) ) works at the same time. This results in a power consumption that can be doubled compared to normal and significantly reduces battery life. Follow and update the best (possibly the latest) drivers for your computer from the NSX website.

Note: most laptops with consumer (consumer) lines use drivers provided by hardware devices, such as graphics cards that can use drivers downloaded directly from the AMD, Intel or NVIDIA websites. This driver can help your hardware work properly but if you look at the overall system, it may not be optimal. Business line laptops (business users) are cared more carefully when NSX inspects and corrects them to suit their specific products; Sometimes these edits are small but bring great benefits to users. Experience shows that you should 'prioritize' your computer NSX driver before finding the driver from the hardware device NSX.

7. Considerations when updating software

Contrary to the advice above, the fact that the new version software can affect battery life a lot. In addition to the useful new features, unnecessary 'colorful' effects of the new version will significantly occupy system resources, with no Yahoo! Messenger version 11 not only needs more RAM but also regularly uses the CPU even when the user is not logged in. Therefore, if new features are not needed, consider retaining the old version with frequently used software.

Choose the right hardware Other options

Other options

If you're a frequent traveler or 7 to 8 hours of battery life, in addition to a battery backup solution with a computer in use, consider choosing an ultra-portable ) if buying new.

Designed to meet the needs of mobile work, this model focuses on battery life as well as integrating many energy-saving solutions such as power-saving CPU, integrated GPU and optimal size. Besides that,

Laptops are finished products with high integration, in which the mainboard must be designed separately and almost irreplaceable like desktop computers. Therefore, a laptop will manage battery life more efficiently if the mainboard is properly designed, the BIOS and the driver are well programmed.

You can consider some laptops with optimized design for battery life like Lenovo Thinkpad X200 / 201, HP Elitebook 2540 / 2530p, Dell Latitude E4310 equipped with full-featured CPU (balance between battery life) and processing performance) or Lenovo Ideapad U, Asus U equipped with power-saving CPU.

In case you can't choose ultra-portable laptops, you should consider the following criteria (achieve as much as possible): Full-function CPU (P or Core iM series) or less, integrated GPU ( or convertible graphics card), 14-inch LED screen or lower, the largest capacity battery possible.

1. SSD hard drive

In fact, the power consumption of solid-state drives (Solid State Disk - SSD) is not lower than that of traditional HHD hard drives; Even some early SSDs consume more power. SSD does not help significantly improve laptop battery life, but in another aspect, it helps you do more, significantly improve system performance due to its superior speed of data retrieval. Data compared to HHD hard drive. Not only is it faster, SSDs are even cooler and since there are no moving parts like HDD, your data will be much safer when the computer is dropped or bumped. The biggest obstacle of SSDs today is the price / capacity ratio is still very high compared to traditional HDD.

2. 'Lower pressure' CPU

The problem of 'lowering' the CPU is mentioned in the article 'Undervolting CPU - an effective cooling solution for your laptop, ID: A1005_117'. The biggest benefit of the main undervolt is to reduce the CPU heat and it also helps extend the battery life by 15-20 minutes compared to normal. Unfortunately, there is currently no solution to allow the Core i and undervolt CPUs to publish any documentation about this.

Epilogue

This article hopes to give you an overview of extending laptop battery life. Optimizing your laptop to get the most out of your battery is a job that requires patience and a bit of searching, but it's really worth it when you have to constantly move with your laptop.

Besides, using the battery in an 'economical' way can sometimes bring about an unexpected effect of changing your work habits, you will focus on your main goal and not be distracted by many other things.

Good luck!

Choose the right hardware Use a reasonable battery