Power saving actions (1 Viewer)

[lubbe75]

I have started to experiment with hibernate settings (Power Scheduler etc), but I find it troublesome to get everything working. If it's not the TV Server refusing to start, then it's the USB TV stick, or the last viewed channel that won't start again. Anyway...

What other options do we have to save energy, and still being able to automatically record scheduled TV?

* Sleep mode? I understand that Windows has a sleep mode as opposed to hibernate mode. Not sure what it means or whether it can be used with MP to save power(?).

* Lowering the voltage or clock speed (undervolting / underclocking) automatically, based on CPU load? I have read a little bit about this, but I have not yet seen any option for my Phenom X3 processor.

* What else can we do?

By the way, I'm running the TV Server and MP on the same physical machine. I hope that's supposed to work.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Try using TVServer Powerscheduler, MP config Powerscheduler client plugin, MPStandbHandler (search forum).

The last one runs as a service, set to stop TVServer\MP prior to standby\hibernate, after resume restart TVServer.

In powerscheduler do not use reinitiliase tuner setting.

TVServer config\general delay detecting cards for 15-20seconds, depending on how fast your system can resume.

Sleep is a term that can be used for either standby (saved to memory S3) or hibernate (saved to hard disk S4).

There are other things you can do, like if you have slow network startup, install the M$ loopback device (xp), this will stop MP from thinking it has a failed network connection, and give sql related errors.

In terms of htpc use, most people generally use standby, its just so much quicker.

 

[lubbe75]

Thanks for the tips! I will try one or two more rounds with this information.

Oh, and if anyone has successfully tried undervolting or underclocking their Phenom X3 processors, please let me know

 

[Peter2]

lubbe75, 'all' AMD cpu's support C&Q (Cool 'n Quiet) for which you have to install a driver that goes with your motherboard.
Aside from installing that driver, you have to put your power scheme into 'Minimal Power Management' which dynamically adjusts the cpu speed - my X2 4450E (2,3Ghz) mostly runs @ 1Ghz.

This is the least/most easy what you can do while your system is running.
My system is always in hibernate when not running.

 

[lubbe75]

Peter2, that sounds good enough to me. I suppose I have C&Q installed since I installed the motherboard and applications from the Gigabyte CD that came with the Motherboard.

Where exactly do I set Minimal Power Management? Is that in one of the included applications, in the BIOS settings or a Windows setting?

Suppose my processor is running at 1 GHz and I start an application that requires more CPU power, does it automatically go back to 2.3 GHz and then down to 1 GHz again? That would be great.

 

[Peter2]

First, you have to enable cool n quiet in your bios, it's there where you can do cpu settings if I'm not wrong.
Then, in control panel under software you would see something like AMD cpu driver and to enable it in windows you go to 'Power options' in control panel and there under the first tab 'Power Schemes' you can select 'Miniamal Power Management'.

If correctly installed & configured, you get to see the actual speed by opening the 'System' applet in control panel.
It doesn't auto-refresh there so if your system is busy, the speed might be at it's max so by re-opening, you get the current speed.
There is also a neat utility from your mobo manufacturer that shows the cpu speed in a digital display but that's again something extra and I avoid installing those 'unnecessary' tools and try to use what I get with the system.

Yes, it adjusts the speed dynamically based on the requirements.

If you type /cool quiet/ in google, you get more info on it.