{"id":311,"date":"2010-07-04T11:25:54","date_gmt":"2010-07-04T09:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fabianpiau.com\/?p=311"},"modified":"2020-04-10T00:44:13","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T23:44:13","slug":"extend-your-laptops-battery-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.fabianpiau.com\/en\/2010\/07\/04\/extend-your-laptops-battery-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Extend your laptop’s battery life"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/span>Version fran\u00e7aise disponible<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

To continue on the topic of my previous post, I introduce you some tips under Linux (Ubuntu & Debian distributions) and general tips to increase your laptop’s battery life.<\/p>\n

\"Laptop<\/p>\n

Turn off the screen<\/h4>\n

You have to make a phone call, go through a document or… a body need. During this time, you often leave your computer on. Rather than keeping your monitor on or suspending the system (note that when the system wakes up, it consumes a great amount of energy), why not turn the screen off temporary with a single click?<\/p>\n

For this, you just have to create a launcher (shortcut) and configure it to execute this command:<\/p>\n

xset dpms force off<\/pre>\n
Then, it can be added to your taskbar or desktop. For daily use, you can also assign it to your own keyboard shortcut.<\/p>\n
The acronym DPMS stands for Display Power Management Signaling. It is a command line program that allows power saving behaviour of monitors when the computer is not in use. Other options are available. You can read this post<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n
\"Launcher<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
CPU Scaling<\/h4>\n
CPU Scaling is a feature built into most modern mobile CPUs that allows them to scale up or down in how fast they run (the frequency). If you have a fairly modern mobile computer there is a very good chance that your CPU can handle frequency scaling. For example, my five-year-old computer is based on an Intel Centrino CPU which supports it !<\/p>\n
It is a pity that your processor runs at full speed if you are using a word processing or surfing the internet. Unless you are editing a movie or playing video games, this enables you to extend the use time of your laptop.<\/p>\n
The idea is to “underclock”<\/a> the processor when it is not fully stressed by your applications. A processor can save energy by running slower. Unfortunately, this will result in a slight performance degradation. So you have to find the good compromise.<\/p>\n
Processors handle scaling differently. Various frequencies and modes are available depending on your model. To know yours, you need to install and activate the “CPU Frequency Scaling Monitor”<\/a> applet.<\/p>\n
\"CPU<\/p>\n
Here is a short explanation for each mode:<\/p>\n