Low power mode while downloading?

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InnocentNoobie

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Messages
231
Going from no computer to a computer raised my electric bill from $18/month to $40/month. Granted, some of that is due to me being in my apartment more often, and I don't play with no lights on either. But anyways, I'm trying to save money and have been afraid to leave my computer on for long periods of time while large files download.

Going into sleep mode of course stops the downloads. My ASUS motherboard has a power-saving feature, and of course I turn off my monitor. Any other, relatively simple, steps I could take?

My rig is:

e8400
4870 512
ASUS p5q pro
4gig corsair xms2
2 hds

Thanks!
 
Is C1E and SpeedStep enabled in the BIOS? That's the primary cpu power saving features I know of.
 
You could switch all of your lightbulbs to CFL light bulbs if you haven't already. That'll reduce your power usage far more than Intel's Speedstep in action. Still enable speedstep to cut down on power usage.
 
It would be cool if I could virtually shut off the 4870 when the monitor isn't on. The ATI drivers let me tune down the clock, but only to 500mhz from 750mhz stock. The thing still outputs quite a bit of heat when idling, and I guess it is the main power consuming component I'm worried about.
 
Things you can do if it suits you...
Dont overclock and consider underclocking if you dont miss the power.
Find the lowest voltage your CPU and memory can use.
Use Speedstep to slow your CPU when idle (as mentioned in post #2).
Unplug floppy drives
Dont leave memory sticks plugged in
Set hard drives to power down early.
If you can run ok with less memory, use one ram module.
See if Rivatuner lets you clock your gfx card lower. This can be made to autorun at boot.


There are lower power parts you can buy but the cost wont be offset by the electricity savings in most cases.
However if you can sell on your old hardware for a decent price, it could be worthwhile.

For the future, consider the following:
Get an 85%+ efficient PSU

Use only 2 memory Dimms (or maybe 3 if using i7 for triple channel speed).

Choose a gfx card with low idle power (currently the 4850 or 55nM GTX260 is best).
You will save 35W at idle and 37W at load moving to a the 55nM GTX260 from your 4870.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/Forums/showthread.php?t=212397

There are micro atx motherboards that consume less power and will fit all your hardware.

Choose hard drives that have lower power consumption.
This wont have a big effect if your drives power down.
2.5" hard drives can use less power but arent as fast.
Compact Flash hard drives are coming of age (ie prices are dropping, products are getting better) and promise power savings and faster speed.

Choose a screen that is lower power like the more efficient CFL or LED backlit desktop screens.
If you feel like having the best home cinema and saving power, the most efficient large screen is the new Mistubishi 65" Laser TV, only 135W !!
It also doubles as one of the finest HDTVs ever made.
Costly at the moment but Laser might be an option when you next upgrade.
 
My P5B-E has a mode which is supposed to low power a lot of things for just this situation. You must have AI Suite installed and you tap the power button to activate it. It seems like it suspends the video card, lowers clocks and a bunch of other stuff. Processing/downloading continues in this state and heat output seems to drop.

Since I went to Vista in late summer I never installed AI Suite or any of the other ASUS tools so I haven't been using it recently. I did find that my 8800GTS fan (I think) would be stuck at 100% after waking the system up.

AI Nap? might be the name of it.
 
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