Attn: Linux Laptop users

[elfs]

If you are not running powertop, and are not paying attention to LessWatts.org, you're probably not using your power system as efficiently as you could. By following the examples in LessWatts, I have reduced Chi's power consumption from 21W to 14W, and gotten an overall battery life boost from 2.5 to 4 hours. Some of the modes can have hefty consequences; in a worst-case scenario, power failure from a drained battery could result in the loss of upwards of ten minutes of work, as that's the write-cache interval in laptop mode. Combined with a working hibernate mode I can hack all day while being untethered. If only my iPod lasted that long!

Comments

So what about AMD?

[pandakahn.livejournal.com]

Well, it looks good. But I went ot the page and could not figure out if this was a go under AMD or if it was intel only.

How does it do on desktops to help lower energy use costs?

MPK

Re: So what about AMD?

[elfs.livejournal.com]

LessWatts.org is an Intel initiative, so it probably wouldn't help AMD-based systems all that much. And I'm not sure how it works on desktops; that probably depends upon how much the desktop is energy-aware.

[woggie.livejournal.com]

Unrelated in most ways: I read "Chi's power" and transformed it into "Cheese power". Living with the Cheese Queen as I do, perhaps you understand why I became excited for a moment. :)

If I ever get up the courage to try running Linux on a laptop, I will definitely keep this in mind.