The primary goal of power management settings is to reduce your computer’s energy consumption, while maximizing performance and user convenience. By adjusting these settings, you can strike a balance between performance and power savings – reducing the amount of energy used without sacrificing the system’s overall performance.
To adjust your power management settings, you can use the Windows Power Options utility or your computer’s BIOS settings. Depending on your computer, the steps may vary slightly.
Using the Power Options Utility
1. Open the Start menu and select “Control Panel”.
2. Select “Hardware and Sound” and then click on “Power Options”.
3. On the left side of the window, select “Change plan settings” for the power plan you want to modify.
4. Click on “Change advanced power settings”.
5. Expand the tree view to display all of the available power settings options.
6. Adjust the settings as desired.
7. Click “OK” to save the changes.
Using the BIOS
1. Restart your computer.
2. When the system restarts, press the appropriate key to access the BIOS setup utility. The key may vary depending on the system; common keys include F2, F10, F12, Delete, and Esc.
3. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate through the options in the BIOS setup screen.
4. Look for a “Power Management” section.
5. Select the section and make any necessary adjustments. Many systems provide several power saving options, including:
• Sleep mode – This suspends system activity and reduces power consumption when the system is inactive.
• System Standby – This puts the system into an extended sleep state and further reduces power consumption.
• Wake on LAN – This feature allows the system to be powered on remotely using a network signal.
• Hard disk spin down – This suspends activity for hard drives after the specified period of inactivity.
6. Save your changes and exit the BIOS setup screen. The system will restart with the new settings in effect.
Adjusting power settings can help you significantly reduce your computer’s energy consumption, but it is important to strike a balance between energy savings and performance. Without proper adjustment, you may find that system performance is unacceptably slow. Similarly, if you are too aggressive in your power settings, you may find that the computer is not responsive enough to your input. Experiment to find the right balance that meets your needs.