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    Will Vista kill laptop battery time?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by thewanderer, Oct 22, 2006.

  1. thewanderer

    thewanderer Newbie

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    It's my understanding that a notebook computer running anything above Vista Home Basic will kill laptop battery time becasue of the Areo graphics. Is this true? If so would turning the Areo graphics off solve this problem?
     
    thewanderer, Oct 22, 2006
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  2. Teranfirbt

    Teranfirbt Notebook Consultant

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    I noticed with my desktop that my GPU ran about 5 degrees C hotter with Vista and Aero than it does with XP. Aero probably will lower battery life since it'll require the GPU to be constantly working.
     
    Teranfirbt, Oct 22, 2006
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  3. iOsiris

    iOsiris Notebook Evangelist

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    Very likely.
     
    iOsiris, Oct 22, 2006
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  4. miner

    miner Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    It is only true to a certain extent since the GPU is used to accelerate the desktop GUI but I have been using Vista RC2 and I get around the same battery life, I havent tested it accurately but if any battery life lost should be in the 15 - 30 min range. You can ofcourse disable Aero when on battery if you still feel the need for a few extra minutes.
     
    miner, Oct 22, 2006
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  5. Angrymob

    Angrymob Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    I think it highly depends on how you have set your power profiles within Vista, and your notebook's specifications. I've been running Vista RC2 on my XPS M1210 and I have yet to notice a significant decrease of battery time doing the same tasks with the same settings as under XP. Maybe about 10-20 minutes max less with Vista.

    So I wouldn't worry too much about Aero being a resource hog and draining battery life too much. I am sure it'll be fixed, if not, improved by the time Vista ships early next year.
     
    Angrymob, Oct 23, 2006
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  6. Jalf

    Jalf Comrade Santa

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    When you're running Aero, it *will* drain battery life. In the "old days" (now), the GPU can almost deactivate when you're not running a game. It has to do a tiny amount of 2D work (which doesn't need much power, because it isn't even done per frame, only when a window changes, and it's something GPU manufacturers have been optimizing for low-power operation for ages)

    In Aero, on the other hand, the 3d part of the chip has to be active, which is where the serious power is drained.

    But of course it also depends on your GPU. If you have a 7900GTX SLI rig, you're going to notice a huge difference (because it drains a lot of power in 3d mode), but with, say, a GMA950, it probably won't make a big difference either way.
     
    Jalf, Oct 23, 2006
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  7. mtrivs

    mtrivs Notebook Evangelist

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    mtrivs, Oct 23, 2006
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  8. NumLock

    NumLock Notebook Evangelist

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    So much for ultra portables running vista any time soon...
     
    NumLock, Oct 23, 2006
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