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Energy consumption of my laptop
- Thread starter fxpip
- Start date
Quote from rcanfiel:
there is usually a power/battery consumption installed on most laptops
Yes, there is but it doesn't tell me how much Watt is being consumed at each moment , just how much time there is left at the present power consumption rate..
Any idea how much Watt is being consumed at the lowest CPU power settings and the lowest LCD brightness settings on a 17 inch Acer with intel core duo processor ?
Here's how to estimate your laptop's power consumption at any given moment.
Step 1. Look up the power ratings of your laptop battery, in Volts (V) and Milliamperes (mAh). You'll usually find them printed on the battery itself, as well as published as part of the specs -- for the laptop (if using OEM battery) or aftermarket batteries.
Example: 14.8 V and 6,450 mAh
Step 2. Convert the above to watt-hours power rating:
Volts x Amperes = watt-hours
Example: 14.8 V x 6.45 Ah = 95.46 Wh
So, this particular Li-Ion battery can supply 95.46 W for 1 hour... or 47.73 W for 2 hours... etc.
Step 3. Have your laptop unplugged, running only on battery power, in a specific hardware / software / energy state you want to test.
Follow either 4a OR 4b.
Step 4a. IF the power gauge shows remaining time, divide that time, expressed in hours, by the power rating in watt-hours.
Example: 2h30m remaining
95.46 Wh / 2.5h &asymp 38 W
This is your instantaneous power consumption.
Step 4b. IF the power gauge shows remaining % of full capacity, then:
- note the exact time it takes the gauge to decrease by 1%
- divide the power rating in watt-hours by 100 times that time, converted to hours.
Example: 90 seconds to go from 67% to 66%
100 x 90 / 3,600 = 2.5 hours
95.46 Wh / 2.5h &asymp 38 W
This is your instantaneous power consumption.
Step 1. Look up the power ratings of your laptop battery, in Volts (V) and Milliamperes (mAh). You'll usually find them printed on the battery itself, as well as published as part of the specs -- for the laptop (if using OEM battery) or aftermarket batteries.
Example: 14.8 V and 6,450 mAh
Step 2. Convert the above to watt-hours power rating:
Volts x Amperes = watt-hours
Example: 14.8 V x 6.45 Ah = 95.46 Wh
So, this particular Li-Ion battery can supply 95.46 W for 1 hour... or 47.73 W for 2 hours... etc.
Step 3. Have your laptop unplugged, running only on battery power, in a specific hardware / software / energy state you want to test.
Follow either 4a OR 4b.
Step 4a. IF the power gauge shows remaining time, divide that time, expressed in hours, by the power rating in watt-hours.
Example: 2h30m remaining
95.46 Wh / 2.5h &asymp 38 W
This is your instantaneous power consumption.
Step 4b. IF the power gauge shows remaining % of full capacity, then:
- note the exact time it takes the gauge to decrease by 1%
- divide the power rating in watt-hours by 100 times that time, converted to hours.
Example: 90 seconds to go from 67% to 66%
100 x 90 / 3,600 = 2.5 hours
95.46 Wh / 2.5h &asymp 38 W
This is your instantaneous power consumption.
It should be added that, before Step 4a (but not 4b), the battery needs to be fully charged.
For both 4a and 4b, the closer the battery is to its original spec, the more accurate your power consumption estimate will be. If the battery's output capacity has been degraded, say, after hundreds of discharge / recharge cycles, you'll obviously get an overestimate.
Another, far more general and flexible, option would be to use a dedicated device like this.
For both 4a and 4b, the closer the battery is to its original spec, the more accurate your power consumption estimate will be. If the battery's output capacity has been degraded, say, after hundreds of discharge / recharge cycles, you'll obviously get an overestimate.
Another, far more general and flexible, option would be to use a dedicated device like this.