How Can I Make My Windows More Power Efficient?

Table of Contents

Understand your power usage

On a typical Windows PC, the main components that draw power are the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage drives, motherboard, fans, and displays. The CPU and GPU tend to be the most power-hungry, especially when under heavy load. According to MakeUseOf, the CPU can draw between 65W to 105W at full load on a desktop, with GPUs ranging from 100W to 300W. RAM uses around 5-10W, while SSD storage tends to be under 5W. Fans, motherboard, and other components make up the rest.

The overall power draw depends significantly on the hardware configuration and workload. However, for a typical desktop setup under moderate use, total system power draw is often between 100-300W. Laptops and integrated desktops are usually lower powered at around 30-80W in normal use. But high-end gaming PCs can draw over 500W when the CPU and GPU are maxed out during intensive gaming or computing tasks.

Display power draw also adds up, especially with multiple monitors. A 24″ 1080p LCD may use around 20-25W, while a 27″ 1440p monitor could be 35-50W. So in a multi-monitor setup, displays can be a significant power draw to consider.

Understanding where the power is going in your Windows PC is the first step towards reducing consumption and improving efficiency.

Reduce CPU power usage

Your CPU (central processing unit) is one of the biggest power drains in your computer. When your CPU usage is high, your computer works harder and consumes more electricity. There are a few ways you can reduce CPU power usage on Windows:

Lower your CPU frequency – Most CPUs today support varying their clock speed based on workload. Lowering the maximum CPU frequency can significantly reduce power draw. You can configure this in your computer’s BIOS settings or using a utility like ThrottleStop (https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/throttlestop-download.html).

Change power plans – Windows has built-in power plans that control CPU performance. The “Balanced” plan lowers power usage while still delivering full CPU resources when needed. For even lower power, switch to the “Power Saver” plan (https://www.ninjaone.com/blog/how-to-lower-cpu-usage).

Close background processes – Apps running in the background can utilize CPU resources unnecessarily. Use Task Manager to identify and close any unnecessary background processes.

Upgrade software and drivers – Outdated software and drivers can be inefficient and use more CPU power. Keep your OS, apps, and drivers updated to benefit from power-saving improvements.

Reduce GPU power usage

The graphics card (GPU) is one of the most power-hungry components in a computer. There are several ways to reduce the power consumption of your GPU without impacting performance too much:

Lower the screen resolution – Lower resolutions require less processing power, so reducing the resolution from 4K to 1440p or 1080p can provide big power savings. According to this Reddit thread, dropping from 4K to 1080p can decrease power draw by around 30-50%.

Lower graphics settings in-game – Reducing graphics options like lighting, shadows, texture quality and anti-aliasing can lessen the load on your GPU and reduce power usage substantially. Lowering these settings from Ultra to High or Medium can save 20-40% power while still retaining good visuals according to this Quora post.

Limit FPS – Frames per second directly correlates with GPU usage. Capping your FPS to your monitor’s refresh rate (typically 60Hz or 144Hz) prevents your GPU from rendering more frames than necessary. Services like Nvidia Inspector allow custom FPS limiting.

Undervolt your GPU – Undervolting reduces your GPU’s voltage at a given frequency, allowing power savings without impacting performance. Tools like MSI Afterburner let you undervolt safely through the voltage/frequency curve.

Optimize display and sleep settings

One of the easiest ways to save power is to optimize your display and sleep settings in Windows. This allows your computer to enter low-power sleep mode when not in use.

Go to Settings > System > Power & sleep to adjust settings. Reduce the screen brightness to a comfortable level to use less power. Enable auto-dimming so the screen dims slightly after a short period of inactivity ^[1].

Shorten the screen and sleep delay times so your PC sleeps faster when idle. A delay of 10-15 minutes for the screen and 15-30 minutes for sleep is usually sufficient. Disable unnecessary lighting like the keyboard backlight.

For desktop PCs, you can also disable hybrid sleep and Hibernate after to prevent writing memory contents to disk on sleep. Consider turning off Fast Startup which does a partial shutdown and uses extra power.

Adjusting these basic settings ensures your PC uses the least power needed for your usage patterns.

Uninstall or disable unneeded programs

One of the easiest ways to reduce power usage is to uninstall or disable programs, services, and features that you don’t really need. Programs that run in the background or at startup can drain power even when you aren’t actively using them. Here are some things you can do:

Use Task Manager to view which programs and background processes are using the most CPU or memory. Consider uninstalling or disabling any unnecessary programs.
Disable or uninstall third-party antivirus, system utilities, media players, and other software if you don’t use them. Stick to built-in Windows options when possible.
Turn off background apps in Settings > Privacy & security > Background apps. Restrict apps you rarely use like mail clients or chat apps.

Disable unnecessary startup programs using Task Manager’s Startup tab. Too many startup programs can slow down your PC and drain power.
Turn off Windows features you don’t use under Settings > Apps > Optional features. Features like XPS Services, Fax Services, and Internet Explorer use resources.

Slimming down your installed programs and background processes can meaningfully improve battery life and reduce power usage, especially for laptops. Only keep software installed that you actually need on a regular basis.

Use efficient power plans

Windows includes several built-in power plans that optimize your computer’s energy usage for different needs. The “Balanced” plan is the default, which provides good performance while conserving some energy. However, for maximum energy savings, consider using the “Power saver” plan instead.

The Power saver plan reduces your computer’s performance somewhat, but can increase battery life significantly. It lowers the maximum processor state so your CPU doesn’t use its turbo boost feature, and reduces the screen brightness. The Power saver plan is ideal when you don’t need peak performance and want to conserve battery life.

You can also create a custom power plan optimized for your usage. For example, a custom gaming power plan could use the high performance preset, but with screen dimming and sleep settings enabled to save energy when idle. Custom plans give you granular control over all power settings. Visit Windows’ power options to configure a plan that best meets your performance and efficiency needs.

Maintain your computer

Keeping your computer properly maintained can greatly improve its energy efficiency. Dust buildup in particular can cause increased heat and power usage. Use compressed air to regularly dust out your computer, at least every 6 months or yearly. Be sure to dust the CPU fan, GPU fans, power supply fan, and case fans as dust accumulation on these components causes them to work harder and use more power (Source).

Checking your component temperatures using software like Speccy or HWMonitor can ensure your CPU and GPU are not overheating, which wastes power trying to cool them down. Idle CPU temps should be around 35-50°C and GPU around 40-60°C. Load temps up to 80-90°C are acceptable. If temps are too high, reapply thermal paste between CPU/GPU and heatsinks.

Proper cable management to improve airflow can also help keep temperatures lower to reduce power usage. Keep cables neat, tied down, and out of the way of fans. Avoid choking airflow by cramming too many cables in a tight space.

Upgrade energy-efficient components

Upgrading to more energy-efficient computer components can significantly reduce power consumption. Two of the most impactful upgrades are the power supply unit (PSU) and storage drives.

When selecting a PSU, look for an 80 PLUS certified model, with higher ratings like Gold, Platinum and Titanium indicating greater efficiency. For example, an 80 PLUS Gold PSU converts 87-90% of input power into usable power for your PC, versus 82-85% for a base 80 PLUS model. Higher efficiency PSUs waste less power and generate less heat. This article recommends cooling, graphics cards and the PSU as top priorities for energy efficiency.

For storage, solid state drives (SSDs) can use up to 15x less power than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs have no moving parts and lower latency, reducing electricity demands. This guide notes the efficiency gains from SSDs. Consider replacing HDDs with SSDs where possible.

Leverage new power-saving capabilities

Microsoft has introduced new power-saving capabilities in recent Windows versions that you can take advantage of. Two key features to leverage are modern sleep states and software updates that improve efficiency.

Modern sleep states like Connected Standby and Hibernation allow Windows to go into very low power modes when not being actively used. This can lead to significant power savings over time. According to Microsoft’s guide, Windows 11 has the potential to use over 20% less power than Windows 10 in Connected Standby mode.

Microsoft also periodically releases updates for Windows that include under-the-hood optimizations to improve energy efficiency. Keeping Windows updated ensures you get the latest improvements. For example, Microsoft claims the 2022 Update for Windows 11 has optimizations that improve idle power usage on laptops.

Leveraging modern hardware sleep states and staying up-to-date with the latest Windows updates are two great ways to maximize the power efficiency improvements of the operating system.

Alternative energy-saving approaches

In addition to traditional methods like upgrading components, there are also some alternative approaches to saving energy on Windows computers:

Undervolting the CPU and GPU can reduce power consumption and heat output substantially without impacting performance. This involves reducing the voltage supplied to the processors. However, this requires making changes in the BIOS and testing for stability.

Using remote access instead of leaving a computer idle can also save energy. Solutions like remote desktop software allow you to access files and programs on one PC from another device. So you can turn off the primary computer when not needed, rather than leaving it running idle.

Enabling sleep and hibernation modes to activate during inactivity can minimize wasted energy. The computer will enter a low-power state but can quickly resume when needed.

For desktops, switching to a laptop, tablet or thin client can provide large efficiency improvements. Newer mobile devices are designed to sip power compared to desktop counterparts.