Every laptop user at one time or another has run out of battery power, and it seems that you always run out of battery power at the worst possible moment. Getting more out of your battery starts with knowing which components drain the battery the most, so that you can minimize their impact on your overall battery life. Here is a list of the 5 biggest battery drainers for laptops.
The LCD Display
The LCD display is by far the biggest battery drainer in a laptop. In some models it can account for more than 50% of the power used. To combat this, sleep the display as often as possible. Turn down the screen brightness whenever possible as well.
The Chipset
The chipset includes the motherboard and graphics processor. Models that have a dedicated graphics processor will require more battery power. Sleeping the display or putting the machine in standby will help to minimize the need for chipset power.
External Devices
External devices such as USB hard drive, MP3 players, thumb drives, and other devices can use up a lot of battery power, especially those are powered or charged from the USB port. Unplug any unnecessary devices and accessories to save battery power.
The Processor
The processor generally uses around 10% of the battery power in use, though it requires more during heavy processing. Close unnecessary programs and background processes to reduce the load on the processor to prolong battery life.
The Hard Drive
The hard drive tends to use about 5% of the battery power in use, but uses more when the system is reading to and writing from the drive heavily. As with the processor, closing unnecessary programs and background processes will help, as well as avoiding programs that frequently write to the drive.
These guidelines give you an idea of the laptop components that use up the majority of your battery life. Following these guidelines and utilizing the laptop’s power management features should help you prolong the battery life of your machine.