Jump to content

Will switching to a linux distro improve battery life?

criso8
By criso8
in Phones and Tablets
 Share
Posted

I want to maximize by laptop battery life while at school. I've used Ubuntu in a vm for a while and I enjoy it alot. Will dual booting improve by battery life or is it a case by case basis?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

yep, just pick something striped down, not like ubuntu, if you can dedicate time, I recommend debian; or arch linux if you have a lot of free time

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

I dual booted with ubuntu on a toshiba portege which had a bad battery life. It may have increase by 10 minutes, nothing substantial

Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof.

As I get older I get angrier more cynical, meaner. I feel some warning posts coming. I feel a ban coming. I was warned.

CPU-i5 2400 GPU-Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC Mobo-H67MA-D2H-B3 Ram-G.Skill Ripjaws 8gb 1333mhz Case-Fractal Define R4 PSU-Corsair CX750 Storage-Samsung EVO 250gb, 1tb WD Black,Hitachi 1tb Other stuff-Corsair K90, M90 Cooling-3x 140mm Fractal fans Sound-Sennheiser HD438 headphones
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

It might, but most likely no. The problem is that GNU/Linux distros often don't support various power savings features in different laptops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

If you download a lightweight version of linux, yes.  Try Xubuntu, Manjaro, Arch, or Elementary OS.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

If your laptop is from generic brand (Fujitsus home versions, Acer, Lg, Samsung) then it might make it bit better. If its from business brand (IBM/Lenovo, Asus, Dell) then it most likely will not. My Lenovo got 2.5-3h battery life on WinXP. Now it has just over 2h with Mint.

^^^^ That's my post ^^^^
<-- This is me --- That's your scrollbar -->
vvvv Who's there? vvvv

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites
Posted

It might, but most likely no. The problem is that GNU/Linux distros often don't support various power savings features in different laptops.

TLP and Powerdown are actually two excellent options. Running TLP on my Thinkpad and it's giving me 6-7hrs estimated battery life on the default 6-cell, which is about the same as Windows, if not better. 10 hours is the claimed battery life by Lenovo.

I haven't properly benchmarked it because I keep battery % between 40-80 using charge thresholds.

Interested in Linux, SteamOS and Open-source applications? Go here

Gaming Rig - CPU: i5 3570k @ Stock | GPU: EVGA Geforce 560Ti 448 Core Classified Ultra | RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB DDR3 1600 | SSD: Crucial M4 128GB | HDD: 3TB Seagate Barracuda, 1TB WD Caviar Black, 1TB Seagate Barracuda | Case: Antec Lanboy Air | KB: Corsair Vengeance K70 Cherry MX Blue | Mouse: Corsair Vengeance M95 | Headset: Steelseries Siberia V2

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing Phones and Tablets

×