I just switched to Arch Linux on my Asus Zephyrus G16 and, while I'm enjoying the experience, the battery life has taken a hit. Back on Windows, I could easily get about 10 hours of battery life using it for programming, but now I'm barely reaching 4 hours with normal use. I'm looking for ways to limit CPU power draw or manage overall power consumption. I used an app called g-helper on Windows that limited CPU usage to about 20W. My laptop gets pretty warm during simple tasks, and I noticed the fan kicks in, along with higher RAM usage. I've already tried switching to the integrated GPU instead of the dedicated one, but it hasn't helped much. Any suggestions?
4 Answers
You might want to try out a few tools like TLP and Auto CPU Frequency – they can really help manage your power usage. Power profiles can also be beneficial. Just make sure you have everything set up correctly to see a difference!
I’ve had good results using power profiles on my setup as well. They can really help in extending battery life while using Linux.
If you're looking for more tips, check out the migration page on the wiki for suggestions on optimizing your setup. Just remember to be cautious with package installations and always verify your ISOs!
Running PowerTOP can give you insights into which processes are using the most power. Also, consider shutting down the Nvidia GPU with a PCIe command; it can help reduce the power draw significantly.
I have CPU Autofreq installed too; how do I check what's managing my power? My laptop needs the `asusctl` package, which has its own power management, right?