The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    power consumption of on-board gadgets

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by zwoerdkop, Jul 20, 2007.

  1. zwoerdkop

    zwoerdkop Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    4
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hi all,

    Soon I will buy a Dell Vostro 1400, as this one is known for long battery life (with 9-cell battery). For me, 'autonomy' in the field is very important, and performance is not the main issue.

    How do options, like a on-board Bluetooth device, influence power consumption when NOT in use? As far as I know, such options cannot be switched off completeley, but I guess that such options don't draw too much current while not in use.

    Any experts out there? Thank you!
     
    zwoerdkop, Jul 20, 2007
    #1
  2. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    7,197
    Messages:
    28,841
    Likes Received:
    2,166
    Trophy Points:
    581
    I found that Bluetooth wastes power on some Samsung notebooks by stopping the CPU getting into the C3 low power state (see my Q35 review). On the Samsung notebooks with XP, the Bluetooth tray icon has start and stop options which I couldn't find in Vista so the alternative is to disable Bluetooth in Device Manager.

    In general, Vista has better power management options than XP although you may find more options to switch off power by looking in Device Manager.

    I would be very impressed with 9 hours on one battery if you have a standard CPU. I think 6 hours with the 9 cell battery would be a more reasonable forecast. 9 hours would represent an average power drain of 9W. Some notebooks with standard CPUs can achieve that on idle (see my review of the Samsung Q35 - link below - for discussion of power management and battery life) but you will always get upward spikes in power drain which shift the average up from the baseline.

    Anandtech's second take on the Intel Turbo memory suggests it will extend battery life. Alternatively you can get a hybrid HDD or possibly a SSD.

    Dell (UK site) indicates a battery life for the M1330 of up to 7 hours. This has a smaller display than the Vostro plus the LED backlight option will reduce the power drain for a given brightness and it also has a 9 cell battery option.

    Alternatively, you may want to look at other notebooks (Lenovo?) which have low power CPUs and, with a big battery, might give you the running times you are seeking.

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jul 20, 2007
    #2
  3. zwoerdkop

    zwoerdkop Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    4
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    John,

    thank you for your extensive and useful reply.


    Axel
    I
     
    zwoerdkop, Jul 21, 2007
    #3