Power management - How do the different utilities relate?

[thoughtdifferent]

There are several ways to alter power settings

1. BIOS
2. Windows Settings
3. Battery Maximizer
4. CHC

Is there a best one to use? So far they don't seem to be very consistent. Reason I ask is that I have a t42 with a fan that's always on. I've been poking around trying to eliminate that, with minimal success. But anyways, How do you guys adjust your power settings?

[GomJabbar]

Usually Windows overrides BIOS settings. Battery Maximizer is more configurable than Windows, so by many it is preferred. Haven't tried CHC.

[boofoo]

CHC plays nice with battery maximizer: it recognizes its changes and adjust accordingly (with a balloon popup, unfortunately).

[kaplanfx]

I agree, CHC + Battery Maximizer works quite well. CHC will let you undervolt and change the harddrive and video card speed settings to save power. Battery Maximizer lets you create profiles for display brightness and cpu speed and such. Together they can save quite a bit of power and help you extend battery life nicely.