Dell Command | Power Manager - yay or nay?

I have the XPS 15 9560 and I think I've finally got my thermals under control - but now I wonder if I should have dell command installed? Not sure if it's generally viewed as good or bad, but I think I could use it to configure to i.e. run off power plug instead of battery when plugged in/charge?

Are there other benefits/uses? Is it bad for thermals/throttling?

 

This is the only optional Dell software I run after a clean install.

It allows you to access some power settings & fan settings that are not available elsewhere.

Try out the quiet, cool & ultra performance schemes for your usage scenarios and decide for yourself. Indeed the quiet fan scheme is quieter in my room.

I have not seen any issues posted here.

 

Where did you find Dell's power manager for 9560? Last time I checked their web site it was not recommended for that laptops.

Is it stable on 9560?

 

It is completely stable.

And I very much recommend it, as it allows you to limit the amount of charge the battery will hold. I put my charging threshold from 50 - 60% so it will only start charging below 50% and stop charging at 60% whenever I am at a desk. This helps keep the battery in top shape, and even after 1.5 years, my battery is still at maximum capacity.

 

Thanks for this info. I am primarily concerned about the fan speed as it is very noise at times that make no sense to me. Without any heavy processes, fans kick in at max speed.

Interesting info about the battery as well. I usually have my laptop charging. Are you saying that 60% battery is better than 100%?

 

Is this the power management app you are using?

https://www.dell.com/support/home/uk/en/ukbsdt1/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=0X5N4

 

Yes, Lithium-ion batteries do not like to be at full capacity for long durations of time. So if you are not actively using the battery, then you should limit the max amount it can charge to extend the battery's lifetime. Whenever you plan on using the battery the next day, you can always quickly set it to 80/90/100%.

The program you posted above is indeed the correct program. And it also allows you to change some profiles which affect the fan thresholds as well.

 

Thanks for the info. I have already downloaded the program and now my laptop is so quite

 

I'm using this program Dell Command Power on my XPS 13 9350, once a clean Win 10 install.

But whatever setting I set for charging, it does not follow it. If I set a custom range 50% to 85% it still charges when I put in the AC at 90% for example.

And the Primarily AC Use seems to do nothing as well...

The program looks sweet though. I just swapped the battery and wanted to be nicer to the battery this time, primarily using it on AC during day time.

 

Try setting the settings in the BIOS. See if that allows it to stick.

 

I actually don't have those options in the bios. Only some day settings etc. Weird, and annoying.

 

Sure they are somewhere in the BIOS menu. The power manager only changes these values online. AFAIK this works mostly, the charge just doesn't drop if the laptop is plugged in.

 

Dell command is good to have.