put pc in low-power state while downloading

Question

Can you give me some tips on how I can lower the power consumption of the computer while I am downloading a file? I'm using windows xp as my main, but I also have w7 installed. If your tips are only for w7 then you can also answer it.Thanks in advance

Answer 1

I'm using an old Eee PC 701 (with a broken display for added power efficiency!) for my torrents and other downloads. It also serves various other purposes and it is ideal as a 24/7 computer.

If you're looking for a really power efficient computer to run 24/7, consider the Fit-PC2, no matter how hard you try to save a few watt with your desktop PC, you will never ever get anywhere near the 6-8 Watt power consumption of this baby. :)

Answer 2

As Molly says, use the options on download managers to shutdown your pc. The issue with standby mode is that your PC will power down the CPU and network adaptor.

Some general tips:

• Always turn off your monitor, which (so I have read) amounts up to ~50% of power usage on a laptop.
• Windows Vista/7: Turn Aero off temporarily (transparency kills power)
• Windows 7: you can choose the Power Saver option which will reduce CPU usage, fan motor usage (laptops) and other things. These options are customisable in the Change advanced power settings page of the power plan. Note that these settings may also limit your wireless/network usage, so check the advanced options to ensure maximum performance there.

This experience might be different per computer, but I have noticed better battery performance (hence better energy saving) on my Windows 7 partition over XP.