![]() ![]() ![]() We tested both of these systems with an OCZ Vertex 120GB SSD and a 320GB 5400RPM HDD. For the Intel system, we used a Gateway M-7818U 15.4" notebook with GMA X4500 graphics, and the ATI system is Dell's Studio XPS 16 with Mobility Radeon HD 3670 graphics. Laptops were selected in order to cover the three primary graphics chip suppliers: NVIDIA, ATI, and Intel. With the information from the white paper in hand, we decided to conduct some power tests on three different laptops. Other power saving features focus on additional peripherals, with specific mention made of networking, Bluetooth, and audio components. They even claim, "In-box support of these technologies enables power-saving benefits immediately after installation." Immediate power saving benefits? If they can actually live up to that claim on the shipping version, that will be excellent. One way this is accomplished is by keeping better track of what is going on in the system and reducing processor activity so that it can enter lower power states. ![]() Windows 7 is supposed to improve laptop battery life by reducing CPU power requirements. Reducing idle power consumption benefits all other end-user workloads and scenarios, from DVD playback to office productivity." That makes sense, and Microsoft goes on to state, "Windows 7 provides greater idle efficiency by reducing (and in many cases eliminating) background activity on the system." For example, if a portable computer uses 12W when the system is idle, all other scenarios increase power by some amount over the base 12W. Reducing idle power consumption reduces the base power consumption. What about other power saving features? A section on the idle power requirements states: "Idle efficiency is critical for the overall battery life of a PC because idle time dominates most scenarios. Obviously, running your LCD at a lower brightness level will require less power, but we standardize our laptop testing at 100 nits in order to keep things equal. In terms of the true impact of this feature, however, there hasn't been any significant change that we can test in a fair way. Some users might prefer that to seeing their screen go black if they are just pausing for a couple minutes. You can now set the delay and brightness level that your LCD will dim to before turning off completely. One item where users do have more control than in Windows Vista is in regards to LCD dimming. Microsoft has a white paper detailing some of the changes. However, that doesn't necessarily mean there won't be improvements for laptops. It doesn't look like Windows 7 is going to be any more power friendly than Windows Vista when it comes to power draw on desktop systems. ![]()
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