PSA: To max out battery life: make it a habit of setting per-game "Thermal Power (TDP) Limit" alongside the usual Refresh Rate + Resolution limitd. For example: Armored Core 6 went from 1.5 -> ...

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The original was posted on /r/steamdeck by /u/that_90s_guy on 2023-09-02 04:10:32.

Original Title: PSA: To max out battery life: make it a habit of setting per-game "Thermal Power (TDP) Limit" alongside the usual Refresh Rate + Resolution limitd. For example: Armored Core 6 went from 1.5 -> 3 hours of battery life.

Just sharing a habit I've started to practice with impressive results. Basically, I've always practiced lowering either resolution or framerates to acceptable levels to save battery life. With these being no lower than 600p (with FSR) or 30fps to maintain sharpness or fluidity.

However, lately, I've been shocked that some games still don't save as much battery life as they should. Regardless of how much I lower graphical settings, resolution or framerate.

Turns out setting a hard "Thermal Power (TDP) Limit" was the missing piece for me yielding fantastic results. I've made it a habit to try to set low power limits for old games in the 5-8 watt range. And on demanding games, tweak setting enough to be in the 10-12 watt range. Which usually results in less heat, less throttling due to overheating, and less fan noise.

The best example for me are Forza Horizon 4 and Armored Core. I was able to get Forza Horizon 4 running at native resolution and 30fps at just 8 watts, and Armored Core 6 running at near native resolution and 30fps at just 10 watts. Best part is I didn't even need to set every graphical to low, and actually set a mix of low, medium and even high.

How I arrived to those numbers is usually trial and error. With me lowering the TDP watt limit 1-by-1 from 15 until I start to see stuttering. I then raise it slowly until stutters are no longer present or infrequent or unnoticeable enough to be enjoyable.

Sorry if what I'm sharing is common knowledge. It wasn't for me until recently.