Power off discrete GPU while not in use?
Power off discrete GPU while not in use?
Hi guys!
I purchased a few months ago a new AMD PC, with a 7700 CPU, 32GB of RAM and a 7800XT GPU. I've noticed since, that my electric bill has been increased (compared to when I used an Intel i7 6700 with a 1070 GPU), I was wondering, is it possible to use a hybrid GPU setup kinda like laptops, where the iGPU from the CPU is activated for normal tasks, and the discrete GPU is only activated on demand? Would the GPU be unpowered/sleeping in the meantime?
....all this from a Linux perspective, I'm running Nobara 40.
Thanks!
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I don't think that's your PC. I actually measured how much power my PC and my monitors consumed in a week and used that to calculate how much that would be for the year and compared to the total used energy for that year. My PC setup was only a small fraction of the yearly usage. The vast majority of your energy is gonna be consumed by things like fridges, ovens, heating, water pumps, etc.
Well I used to turn off the monitors and leave it running...And the last month I started actively suspending it, and the bill went down. I'm waiting to setup some sockets with smart power measuring features, and I'll have more reliable data on power consumption...but I'm afraid I might need to wait a few days on these.
dont turn off your monitors.
The power on/off cycles significantly reduce their lifespan vs just leaving them on.
The pennies you save on the power bill aint gonna add up to enough to replace the monitor more often.
Good call. Though, if you use natural gas for heating and water heating and don't own any AC... It'll be a lot less energy in total and you'll notice a new gaming PC. Especially if it coincides with a new game you've been playing nonstop for a few weeks. But I agree, there are a lot of electrical devices in a regular home. And my usage changes with the seasons. For example I watch a lot more TV when it's rainy and cold outside, and the TV is like 100W. And I turn on the lights hours before I'd need them in summer. And it's difficult to tell apart the things in a home just by looking at an electricity bill.
You should have a look at your computer, though. Have you had a look at
powertop? And I suppose there is a tool for AMD graphics cards to tell you if it's running at full speed all the time or clocking down as it's supposed to. Or you could get a power meter to plug your PC in to. And do a measurement with GPU and one with the thing ripped out entirely.I did the power measurement using a power meter. We also use natural gas for heating and don't have any AC.
I mainly meant to address OP with the recommendations. (And make a general statement that it depends on circumstances.) But sure. It's the same for me. My PC makes a small share of total electricity. Each time I take a shower adds more to the electricity bill than having the computer running a full day. And all the household appliances add up, like doing laundry, cooking something or baking a cake in the oven. And the fridge etc is running 24/4 and I measured that, too and it's like 260kWh a year. I forgot the numbers for the computer. But I don't really play games so my numbers don't translate to this situation anyways.