energy saver |introducing the options
Graphics switching
1 Higher end MacBook Pro models have two graphics processors. One is for simple tasks, such as email or web browsing, and the other for intensive processes, such as gaming or Photoshop work. OS X is smart enough to toggle between the two processors, so it uses the less powerhungry hardware, but, when required, switches on the high-powered card (but only for as long as it is needed).
Choose your setup
2 OS X can be set to work differently on mains power and battery power. When on mains, you don’t need to worry as much about CPU usage, screen brightness and display sleeping. Under the Battery option, you should have different settings, such as a faster screen dimming or sleep, to preserve power.
Display sleep
3 When you’re on mains power, you may well have your display set to go to sleep after a longer period. On battery power, it’s wise to have the screen sleep after a shorter time – we’d suggest five minutes. Remember the screen only sleeps when there’s no user input.
Power save options
4 The ‘put hard disks to sleep when possible’ option is more applicable to older, spinning hard drives than new SSDs, since the latter have no moving parts and so use far less battery power. However, if you do have a hard drive, switching this option on is advisable, because over time it saves a decent amount of charge. The option to slightly dim the display, while on battery power is also useful, because with every notch the brightness lowers, some battery power is saved.
Power Nap options
5 Newer Mac laptops are able to check for email, iCloud, calendar and other updates even while asleep. As you might imagine, this requires the use of some power since the computer isn’t technically fully asleep. It’s fine to use on mains power, but it’s probably a good idea to check this is switched off for battery power unless you really want those updates during sleep, at the expense of battery life.
Energy usage monitor
6 If you click on the battery icon in the menu bar in OS X 10.9 Mavericks, you see a menu item that displays which (if any) apps are using significant energy at that given moment. ‘Energy’ can refer to CPU, disk access and RAM usage, all of which use up battery power to various extents. If, during everyday Mac use, you notice your battery life getting worse, click on this option to see if there’s a specific app that’s using more than its fair share of resources, and quit it if necessary.