Optimizing battery life regarding SSD and HDD combinations

Hey all,

So I'm trying to find out what configuration would lead to the longest battery life. A plain HDD by itself or a Combination HDD and SSD mSATA drive.
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HDD by itself - might be less because only one drive.

A HDD + SSD mSATA combination - Would this lower battery consumption because SSD would be accessed for program start ups? Or would this lead to more consumption cause there are two drives.

Thanks for your input!

 

I don't think the SSD uses any battery apart from when it's doing something (like accessing files, etc..) so it uses less than a normal HDD which is pretty much constantly spinning

I think there is software you can get that stops the HDD until you go to access files on it (if you are going to be using it for storage only)

Not 100% sure though

 

Very little difference between current SSD's, mSATA SSD's and HDD's with regards to battery life (often in the 10 minute range but that can translate to an hour or more if simply left idle...).

The overall power used during a work session will always favor SSD's (all versions) by default; but if the storage subsystem is pushed to the limit the SSD's will use MORE power and/but will also get more work done - even though the battery life will be much shorter overall (vs. a HDD).

Overall, I wouldn't be too concerned about this metric. If you do need the most battery life then stick to SATA2 devices (SATA or mSATA versions) and the smaller capacities (though I don't recommend 'smaller' for anything anymore...).


Of course any storage subsystem uses power (even if not being actively accessed...) but in relationship to what a HDD uses vs. the rest of the system's power envelope, it is really a non-issue.

Hope this helps.

 

SSD idle power consumption, at least for the more reliable and recommended brands, i.e. Samsung (shhh, Tiller), Crucial, Intel, is usually less than 0.25W, many less than 0.1W. Most of the drive time is spent "idle" so this is the most important metric when looking at hard drives or SSD's. Hard drives usually idle at 0.5W to as much as 1W, but peak at less than 3W usually. SSD Peak power draw can exceed 3W to 5W+! But since SSD's perform the work a lot faster (aka "race to idle") the total power consumption is less.

Most users don't do a lot of number crunching on battery, it's just not recommended anyhow because of the drain on the battery. If the SSD is being taxed, then likely so is the CPU. There is nothing wrong with doing so, but just that if you plan on encoding lots of video you're best to find an outlet. Not only that but frequently your CPU has a restricted speed on battery so it won't be operating at full potential anyhow.

See comparisons here. Make sure to look at idle power consumption average: Crucial m4 256GB 2.5 Inch / 0009, Intel 510 Series 250GB 2,5 Inch / PWG2, Intel 320 Series 300GB 2.5 Inch / 4PC10302, Samsung Serie 830 256GB 2.5 Inch / CXM03B1Q, Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9500325AS 500GB 2.5 Inch / 0002SDM1, Samsung Spinpoint MP4 HM