What are power usage and power trends in task manager?

👤 Prashant Raj Bista 🕒 11 Mar 2023 📁 TECH

Have you ever been in a situation where you want to know which application consumes how much power? This information helps you to save the power of the device. Also, this information can help to increase the life of the device. Using this information you can prolong battery life till you complete your task. You can view information about power usage and power trends in the Task manager.

Power usage
Power trends
Tabular Form : Power Usage vs Power Trends
How to enable power usage and power trends?
Why Manage Power?
Limitations of Power Usage and Power Trends
Ways to manage power
Conclusion

Power usage

Power usage refers to the amount of power that a device is currently using in real-time. Power usage is typically measured in watts. In the Task Manager, power usage is displayed as a percentage of the device’s total power capacity.

Power trends

Power trends refer to how power usage has been trending over time. Power trends help to understand how power usage varies over time. It does so based on the application’s activities and power usage. Power trends help to identify the application that consumes more power excess than required. Identifying such applications can help manage power efficiently. Power trends can also help to identify performance or hardware issues.

Tabular Form : Power Usage vs Power Trends

	Power Usage	Power Trends
Definition	This indicates the amount of power currently used by the application or process	This shows the change in power consumption over time as a positive or negative trend.
Measures	Utilizing the Modern Standby Power Model's precise metrics, which account for things like CPU load and network activity, we can get a more accurate picture of power utilization.	Based on historical data, this is determined by determining the slope of the power consumption curve over a given time frame.
When it is useful?	It helps when finding applications and processes that are hogging too much power and possibly affecting performance or battery life.	It aids in monitoring power consumption over time, which aids in the detection of trends and problems.
Adjustments	Clicking the Processes tab's Power Usage Information link allows you to make changes to your system's power consumption.	This cannot be used for adjusting power.
Limitations	Not guaranteed to work properly, especially on machines with non-typical hardware or software.	Historical patterns of energy utilization are used as a basis for projections about the future, but these forecasts are not always reliable.

How to enable power usage and power trends?

Power usage and power trends can be found on the processes tab of the Task Manager. If not available follow the following steps

Open task manager by any of the methods you prefer. I prefer to press the shortcut as ctrl + shift + esc.

fig. Opening Task Manager
Click on More details. There on the process tab, you can see various parameters such as CPU, Memory.

fig. More details option and view the parameters
Scroll to the end, there you will see Power Usage and Power Trends.
If it is not available, then right-click on the CPU. You can see options that are available and can be shown in the process tab.
Check the parameters you wish to see.

fig. Check the parameters you wish to see in task manager

Why Manage Power?

Power usage impacts the performance of the device significantly. When a device consumes more power, it puts a greater strain on the battery. It also reduces the time that the device can run on a single charge. As the battery drains, the device’s performance also suffers as the processor and other components may slow down. This can also result in slower application load time. If the loading time decreases then responsiveness and other performance issues.

Overusing the power in the device can cause it to run hotter. which can lead to wear and tear on the components of the device. Overusing the power of the device can also reduce the lifespan of the device.

If devices are more energy efficient then they can be used for longer on a single charge. By managing the power of the device, we can extend the battery life of the device.

By managing power, we also ensure that the device operates within its desired limits. When devices operate within their desired limits then, it reduces the risk of components failure. This will also increase the device's life in the long run.

Also read: Why are apps suspended in Windows Task Manager?

Limitations of Power Usage and Power Trends

Here are some limitations of Power Usage and Power Trends in Task manager:

Power Usage may be inaccurate on devices with non-standard software and hardware configurations.
Second, power trends may not correctly predict future power consumption because this trends is based on past usage.
Task Manager's power usage and power trends only show software power consumption, not hardware or other factors that impact battery life.

Ways to manage power

Here are some of the ways to manage power in your system.

Close the unnecessary application that consumes excess power. You can analyze it using the task manager.
Manage your display setting. Keep the brightness to low as possible.
Use power management settings to enable power-saving mode.
Use software that is designed to be energy efficient.
Turn off or keep your device in sleep mode when not in use.
Use energy-efficient hardware.
Always unplug unnecessary devices that are connected to your device.
Also turn off WiFi, and Bluetooth when not in use.

Read more about turning on and off Bluetooth using PowerShell.

Q: Can Task Manager track device component power consumption?

A: Task Manager does not show CPU, GPU, or hard drive power usage. Third-party software or hardware monitoring tools can track component power usage.

Q: How can I optimize my computer's efficiency using Task Manager's power usage and trends?

A: Task Manager's power usage and power trends can help you find apps and programs that drain your computer's battery or slow it down. Adjusting the app's settings or closing it can improve performance or power usage.

Q: Does Task Manager power usage vary by device?

A. A high-end gaming laptop uses more power than a low-end netbook, and a device running resource-intensive software uses more than one running lesser software.

Q: Can Task Manager change my computer power settings?

A: Task Manager's Power Usage Details link in the Processes tab lets you change device power options. You can optimize battery life and performance by changing the power plan and other options in Power Options.

Conclusion

In conclusion, power usage and power trends are important metrics to monitor. These metrics help to optimize device performance and battery life. Task Manager provides a convenient way to access this information in real time. By understanding how to use these tools, users can better manage their energy consumption.