Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Monitors and Energy Savings
The computer display, whether it's built into your notebook computer or a separate
stand-alone monitor connected to a desktop PC, consumes the most power of any
component in an average system. CRTs consume more power than LCDs, so one way you
can conserve energy is to switch over to LCDs for as many computers as possible.
Another way to conserve power is to decrease the brightness of the monitor. Especially
on an LCD, doing this can make a big difference; the brighter the display, the more light it
generates, and more light means more power.
You can change screen brightness in several ways. One is via the power plan in the OS.
Look back at the graphics shown in Exercise 10.4, and notice the Screen Brightness and
Adjust Plan Brightness sliders. You can use these to decrease the monitor's brightness
under certain power plans.
You can also manually adjust a monitor's brightness. On a standalone monitor,
there are typically buttons that open a menu system onscreen from which you can
control brightness along with many other factors. On a notebook display, there is usually
a brightness control associated with one or more of the keyboard keys plus the Fn key.
Hold down Fn, and press the key that is associated with Increase Brightness or
Decrease Brightness.
Hard Drives and Energy Savings
Some hard drives are more energy-effi cient to operate than others. Solid-state drives, for
example, have much lower power needs because there are no mechanical parts. Unless
there is a read-write operation, they consume no power. Among mechanical hard disks,
drives with lower rotational speeds sometimes use less power than their high-performance
counterparts, although the age of the drive is also a factor; newer hard drives use newer
technologies that make them more effi cient.
Energy Star
Originating in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star rating
system for computer technology is now recognized internationally; many other nations
use the standard as part of their own power-reduction policies. When you see the Energy Star
logo on a PC or a component, as shown in Figure 10.3, you can assume that the device
meets certain energy-effi ciency standards. For example, an Energy Star monitor puts
itself into standby (a low-power mode) when it doesn't detect a signal from the PC, and
Energy Star laptops are able to go into Sleep or Hibernate mode when the lid is shut. Energy
Star also applies to motherboards, power supplies, and BIOSs that are able to manage
power consumption.
