subject: Configurable Laptop Battery [print this page] At Computex Intel announced that Ivy Bridge would be its first processor to support a configurable TDP. Today all CPUs are rated at a single maximum TDP. Mainstream notebook processors fall in the 35 - 45W range, while mainstream desktops are around 65W. As the world embraces mobility and interfaces like Thunderbolt enable new usage models for notebook users (e.g. docking station with a beefy external GPU), Intel had to rethink its power strategy.
Today with a 35W CPU, Intel guarantees the OEM that if it implements a chassis and cooling system capable of dissipating that much heat the chip will operate as intended. If the OEM offers an optional dock or high-performance cooling mode that could cool a higher wattage chip, the CPU can't take advantage of it. Ivy Bridge changes this.
Ultra low volt (ULV) and extreme edition IVB parts will carry three TDP ratings: nominal, a lower configurable TDP (cTDP down) and an upper configurable TDP (cTDP up). Let's talk about cTDP up first.
ULV Ivy Bridge parts will be rated at 17W, similar to the ULV SNB CPUs that are used in Ultrabooks and the new MacBook Air. Intel will also guarantee these chips at a higher frequency with a TDP of 33W. If the Ivy Bridge MacBook Air could dissipate 17W of heat normally but when placed on a docking station with additional cooling capabilities could remove 33W of heat, the CPU would simply run at a much higher frequency when docked. This goes beyond simple turbo as it exceeds the CPU's nominal TDP, whereas turbo mode is mostly bound by TDP.
The same applies in reverse. If you want the chip to behave as if it were a 13W part instead of a 17W part, that will be possible as well. It's configurable performance based on the current conditions. If you have tons of cooling ability, you get more performance. If you need battery life, you get a chip that makes your system behave like an ultraportable.
The extreme edition IVB parts will also support configurable TDP. 55W parts will be able to go up to 65W or go down to 45W.
You can expect that Intel will use configurable TDP as a reason for customers to buy the more expensive versions of Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge is expected to arrive on notebooks and desktops in April.
Fully Configurable Laptop Battery Manager For Windows 7/Vista
By Nakodari on Jul 01 2009 4 Comments
We have previously covered power DELL Studio PP33L battery tools that allows you to keep a check on your laptop battery, among them so far our favorite has been Battery Bar. But now a new contender has arisen that aims to be totally flexible and fully configurable, and yes it also supports Aero Glass.
BattCursor is a free battery management tool that aims to replace the default Power functionality that comes in Windows 7 and Vista. Everything is customizable, from Cursor, Tray Symbol, and Colorization to Battery Tweaks, Power Profiles, and Notifications.
Fully Configurable Laptop Battery Manager For Windows 7/Vista
By Nakodari on Jul 01 2009 4 Comments
We have previously covered power tools that allows you to keep a check on your laptop battery, among them so far our favorite has been Battery Bar. But now a new contender has arisen that aims to be totally flexible and fully configurable, and yes it also supports Aero Glass.
BattCursor is a free battery management tool that aims to replace the default Power functionality that comes in Windows 7 and Vista. Everything is customizable, from Cursor, Tray Symbol, and Colorization to Battery Tweaks, Power Profiles, and Notifications.
battcursor - windows power management
Unlike Windows, where the Advanced Power Settings is too complicated to use, BattCursor makes it easy to tweak everything from a single window. You can perform battery tweaks and create a custom power ACER MS2113 battery profile to suit your needs or you can simply customize the look and feel. The profile management section is quite impressive since it allows you to automatically change the power plan according to the battery. For example in my case, if the battery is above 70%, the profile would be High Performance, if battery is above 50% then Balanced, and so on.
When the battery reaches the warning level, your cursor will become yellow and so will your battery along with the superbar/taskbar and Windows Explorer. The same will happen when the battery reaches the critical level, in this case, everything will become red.
These colors are just the default, but can be changed to anything of your liking. Not only this, but you can also set when to warn you and which percentage would mean the battery is critical, etc. Just like you can change the Power profile in Windows from the system tray, you can do the same with this tool. Simply right-click the system tray icon and go to Profiles.
There are tons of other features that you can explore. Even if you are comfortable with your current laptop battery power Acer HCW51 battery management, you should still give it a try since it drastically helps you in further reducing the power consumption. Since BattCursor has a less system memory footprint, it can also come handy if you are running Windows 7 on a Netbook.
