Auto-tune with powertop
From this Q&A: PowerTop showing BAD status in SATA Link and PCI Device:
Whether the Good (lower power usage) or Bad (maybe higher performance)
settings or a specific combination of those are more suitable for you
depends on whether you need long battery life or high performance
more. The decision is up to you.
To force all powerTOP settings to "good" when on battery you can use:
sudo powertop --auto-tune
tlp by design slows down system on battery power
You have tlp installed which automatically manages many system features. In this case look in your file /etc/default/tlp and locate this section:
# Set Intel P-state performance: 0..100 (%)
# Limit the max/min P-state to control the power dissipation of the CPU.
# Values are stated as a percentage of the available performance.
# Requires an Intel Core i processor with intel_pstate driver.
#CPU_MIN_PERF_ON_AC=0
#CPU_MAX_PERF_ON_AC=100
#CPU_MIN_PERF_ON_BAT=0
#CPU_MAX_PERF_ON_BAT=30
# Set the CPU "turbo boost" feature: 0=disable, 1=allow
# Requires an Intel Core i processor.
# Important:
# - This may conflict with your distribution's governor settings
# - A value of 1 does *not* activate boosting, it just allows it
#CPU_BOOST_ON_AC=1
#CPU_BOOST_ON_BAT=0
When you are on AC (plugged into wall) your pstate max percentage is 100 but on Battery it is only 30%.
When you are on AC turbo boost is enabled, when on battery it is disabled.
When following the instructions in the link, you may get an error using:
gksudo gedit /etc/default/tlp
if so use this instead:
sudo -H gedit /etc/default/tlp
- Change the line
#CPU_MAX_PERF_ON_BAT=30 to CPU_MAX_PERF_ON_BAT=100
- Change the line
#CPU_BOOST_ON_BAT=0 to CPU_BOOST_ON_BAT=1
Save the file and reboot. To save reboot time use sudo tlp start instead.
NOTE: Changing these settings will improve performance but reduce battery life.
