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Comment by bagels | Hacker News Reader

Is this just for mobile devices? Not sure why the diver should command low power states when plugged in and playing a game other than for thermals.

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Sometimes you want to conserve every bit of power so the SoC can boost hard when it really needs to. And you dont want the CPU/GPU running faster than they have to, otherwise you sap TDP the rest of the chip could use.

That being said, Intel IGPs arent (yet) fast enough to be throttling down in games :P

It's for Intel's integrated graphics, which are most prevalent on laptops.

I imagine NUCs/tiny-form-factor desktops and business computers in general also make a significant fraction of the install base

Why not? Desktop CPUs and other components do it all the time. Why waste energy?

Maybe there is an argument that games are a waste of energy, but I would prefer maximum performance for my games, makes them more enjoyable, or on the margin, playable in the first place. Low power states make sense when you're not actually trying to use all the performance.

Not all games or applications will use up all your resources so lower power states make sense to save energy and reduce thermals as well.

Alternatively , a game/app might trigger boosts that can’t be sustained, or some instructions like AVX that are intensive that require dropping thermals to sustain.

Power state switching is very common and a very interesting space to dial in.

If I’m actively using my desktop, I’d prefer it to be running at full performance. If it’s just sitting idling while I’m out to lunch, sure, power down as much as possible. Different situation to a laptop where you have a tiny battery and thermals to worry about.

The actual overall energy usage while I’m using it is negligible compared to just about anything else. I would use more energy in the day running my stove.

What about climate change? Don't you care about saving the planet?

If you can use your GPU at full power, why do I have to drink out of a paper straw?

I don’t drive a car, have kids, or travel much. Those things matter more than the power state of my GPU by orders of magnitude.

A single commute to an office by car likely uses more energy than a lifetime of PC gaming.

Is this serious? Paper straws were partly about moral panic about ocean plastic getting in to animals, and don't seem directly related to climate change.

I no longer use paper straws. Instead, I carry around a reusable metal straw that I wash after every use with copious amounts of water.

I live near a McDonalds and I'm fucking glad I don't see plastic straws in the bushes next to the sidewalk any more.

It's not about wasting energy, it's about using it when demanded. Games are about the most demanding thing you can do with a gpu, if it's throttled for games, I don't know when it wouldn't be.

Electricity is clearly far too cheap in their area! :)

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