[Q] Does lowering ram usage actually increase battery life? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket SGH-I727

I've notice that ram usage on ics seems to be a bit higher than on gb, and battery life is just a tad bit worse, but not by too much. I have debloated as much as I could and kept minimal syncing, and running on mhx's super lite rom ATM. I still get more ram usage than on gb doing simple tasks. I'm just curious if lower ram usage actually contributes to battery battery life. Thanks!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA

from what I understand about destop power usage, it doesnt matter how much you are using, but how many dimms you have. im sure our phone only has one 1gb dimm, using like 1-1.5v ish. which is pretty low on the power drain meter.

I would think with the LCD screen being by far the largest contributor to battery use, ram use would not be a very large contributing factor to battery savings. It will depend on how you use your phone though.

slotstik04 said:
I've notice that ram usage on ics seems to be a bit higher than on gb, and battery life is just a tad bit worse, but not by too much. I have debloated as much as I could and kept minimal syncing, and running on mhx's super lite rom ATM. I still get more ram usage than on gb doing simple tasks. I'm just curious if lower ram usage actually contributes to battery battery life. Thanks!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ram usage absolutely does not negatively impact your battery life. If anything increased ram usage will help battery life. If you reload an app that is in your ram, it takes much less computing power than to reload it from scratch, which is why task killers are worthless because not only do they deprive you of this ability, they also use extra processing power to remove the task from ram. You have ram for a reason right? This is the reason you want your system to use your ram as efficiently as possible, which means you want it full.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend trying the 2100 mah extended battery for the Galaxy Nexus. I put it in my Skyrocket, and it works great.
Picked it up on sale for around $25 if memory serves about 2 weeks ago. Edit: removed portion of post regarding label removal and battery case sizing adjustment due to safety concerns from fellow members.

pls4ms said:
If you haven't already, I'd recommend trying the 2100 mah extended battery for the Galaxy Nexus. I put it in my Skyrocket, and it works great.
Picked it up on sale for around $25 if memory serves about 2 weeks ago. Took home, heated up label with a hairdrier and removed, then used dremel tool to grind down a little of the plastic corners. This helped the battery cover fit. Some folks had it fit fine without modification, but I did this before the instal (as folks talked about in another thread), just to be safe. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to be safe?? It's not safe at all to dremel a battery

if you want your phone to run smoothly, give it as much ram as you can! Android does an excellent job of managing ram.
Think about it like this. Android thinks of unused ram as "wasted ram". That's why task killers are no good my suggestion is to not worry about ram and leave it be. What I do to that really helps to save battery is to underclock the processor to about 1200mhz or 1000. My phone runs just as smooth as it did at 1500 no lag at all even when playing games like angry birds. And while you may not be able to overclock a stock kernal you can always underclock it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

cdshepherd said:
if you want your phone to run smoothly, give it as much ram as you can! Android does an excellent job of managing ram.
Think about it like this. Android thinks of unused ram as "wasted ram". That's why task killers are no good my suggestion is to not worry about ram and leave it be. What I do to that really helps to save battery is to underclock the processor to about 1200mhz or 1000. My phone runs just as smooth as it did at 1500 no lag at all even when playing games like angry birds. And while you may not be able to overclock a stock kernal you can always underclock it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
I always UC and UV and don't kill anything

Related

App to reduce cpu speed when phone is idle?

I remember there was an app like this for the HTC Touch, when the phone is idle the app will reduce the cpu speed thus save the battery - I noticed a huge increase in battery life with the touch back then and thought it was an essential app. Is there anything like this for the HD2? I think we all can save some battery life for our HD2's
freakflow said:
I remember there was an app like this for the HTC Touch, when the phone is idle the app will reduce the cpu speed thus save the battery - I noticed a huge increase in battery life with the touch back then and thought it was an essential app. Is there anything like this for the HD2? I think we all can save some battery life for our HD2's
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without an app to increase cpu speed and disable dynamic speed it already does this ...
LeoCpuSpeed3 will allow you to change the settings ...
first of all, the hd2 does run at 998Ghz at optimized speeds at heavy load, otherwise at idle its 700Ghz, unused. it already has this feature built in. increasing speeds arent safe especially where theres no coolant system or heatsink on these arm cpu. peeps can do whatever with their $500 dollar investment
aoakes said:
first of all, the hd2 does run at 998Ghz at optimized speeds at heavy load, otherwise at idle its 700Ghz, unused. it already has this feature built in. increasing speeds arent safe especially where theres no coolant system or heatsink on these arm cpu. peeps can do whatever with their $500 dollar investment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True I would not recommend overclocking the phone, but many many people, including myself, use it locked at 998 with no problems, it gets warmer using wifi than it does at 998 ...
Also really I do not get much more battery life out of it set to dynamic ...
any app can reduce cpu below 700Mhz?
thanks.
Guys, NetRipper created an app that provides all of this. It covers all your LEO CPU manipulation needs - underclocking/overclocking even static & dynamic speed setting. Conveniently, its called Leo CPU Speed! You really have NO EXCUSE for not finding it - just type the damn words in a search box "leo cpu speed".
Please, don't act like morons!
Devs invest their precious time to create apps for you, give them intuitive names, write up tutorials, answer your questions .... it is not their job to run a search query for you - use the SEARCH box BEFORE you start hogging attention UNNECESSARILY; it'll take you less time finding it than posting up new questions!
It would be good if there was an app that reduces cpu speed to under 700mhz when the phone is locked and as soon as the phone is unlocked it takes it right back up to the full 998mhz.
Would save more battery than using autoscaling cause it would reduce it to less and you'd get full speed when the phone is unlocked since it would be at 998mhz. Something like that would be quite good providing it actually would save any battery
aLlamaWithARifle said:
It would be good if there was an app that reduces cpu speed to under 700mhz when the phone is locked and as soon as the phone is unlocked it takes it right back up to the full 998mhz.
Would save more battery than using autoscaling cause it would reduce it to less and you'd get full speed when the phone is unlocked since it would be at 998mhz. Something like that would be quite good providing it actually would save any battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i totally agree...
aLlamaWithARifle said:
It would be good if there was an app that reduces cpu speed to under 700mhz when the phone is locked and as soon as the phone is unlocked it takes it right back up to the full 998mhz.
Would save more battery than using autoscaling cause it would reduce it to less and you'd get full speed when the phone is unlocked since it would be at 998mhz. Something like that would be quite good providing it actually would save any battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on my Leo - when locked - the battery current is around 4mA,
if its typical, then not much is to be gained by underclocking this particular state
p107r0 said:
on my Leo - when locked - the battery current is around 4mA,
if its typical, then not much is to be gained by underclocking this particular state
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, mine is at 4mA as well..
isn't it like when in standby/locked the hd2 automatically underclocks to somewhat around 200mhz??
so, no need for an additional app.
hebbe said:
isn't it like when in standby/locked the hd2 automatically underclocks to somewhat around 200mhz??
so, no need for an additional app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're actually right! Moreover, the instant you interact with the phone again the CPU will popup to 700+, and then if you push it a little, it'll go all the way to 998. All of this is OEM behaviour! So, these guys REALLY need to move on

Explain this outcome of Advanced Task Killer

I've a buddy of mine that found ATK on his own, installed it, and says he sees a "noticeable" improvement in speed on his Captivate (And he's got the lag fix already). I tried to reason that it's placebo but he does swear, it was a large improvement in speed. I can look online and find other reports of this.
And before you go down that route, he had nothing much more than stock installed (Facebook, etc... Nothing that I don't have).
I've also seen someone go from 8 hours of battery life to 12 hours just by installing ATK.
Explain these.
If Android TRULY managed memory so well, how does someone gain such performance boost from killing the processes?
If ATK was actually detrimental to battery life, why does someone gain more by using it?
I've seen both sides. I haven't noticed any speed differences running ATK compared to not running it.
I have also seen another side that says ATK hurt their battery life.
Seems there's too much conflicting info out there. You can argue til you're blue in the face that "it is negative"... But you cannot deny results some people are saying. So I'm just asking those of you that argue from that perspective... To explain these situations?
TexUs said:
Explain these.
If Android TRULY managed memory so well, how does someone gain such performance boost from killing the processes?
If ATK was actually detrimental to battery life, why does someone gain more by using it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A quick question, does your buddy kill the processes and then let the phone sit? Sure this is going to increase the battery life but so does pulling it from the phone all together.
Bottom line is there is no definitive answer as to the merits of ATK. If you like it, use it.
Most results tend to be anecdotal in nature. Those that get better battery life out of using ATK probably don't realize it's due to ATK killing off bad apps, and not due to freed-up RAM. If Android needs more RAM, it will shut down programs by itself. That 3MB of RAM you freed up with ATK isn't nearly as useful as the fact that same app you just killed was also hogging your CPU. Cause/effect, correlation/causation, etc.
People also get what's ive heard as the "new phone syndrome" where the phone is used constantly the first couple days, and the battery life is then thought to be horrible.
Also tell your buddy to look up settings > about phone> battery usage as the battery is largely affected by voice calls and the screen. A 5 min call uses more than you think.(thus the reasoning behind why I don't use atk)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
To a large extent battery life, phone, and app performance will always be somewhat subjective. No two people are going to use their phones in the exact same manner. depending on how a person uses their phone and what they have installed on their phone ATK may very well improve their phone's performance - especially if they have a bad acting app on their phone.
As for my personal testing, my phone does better without ATK. However I was a little biased against ATK from the beginning and this could have affected my results. I have used a half dozen different linux distros over the past eight years and while I have many times had to kill or force close an application, I have never needed to manually manage memory. Linux generally does a good job at managing memory and multitasking.
I can't say for your friend, but I was using a task killer for the first month I had the phone, and now I do not. So far performance, and battery life are the same with and without. I finally removed my old task killer and installed watchdog all I have it set to do now is simply alert me if an app is using excessive cpu, which would likely be due to poor app quality anyway. Other than that I've had no issues.
Mercath said:
That 3MB of RAM you freed up with ATK isn't nearly as useful as the fact that same app you just killed was also hogging your CPU. Cause/effect, correlation/causation, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess this is true. I've never seen claims that Android manages CPU, etc effectively, I've just seen claims about the RAM usage.
ageros said:
I can't say for your friend, but I was using a task killer for the first month I had the phone, and now I do not. So far performance, and battery life are the same with and without.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I've done as well, and yea... Can't tell a difference with and without (of course I also go "back" out of apps when I'm done).
i dont think it works that well

Best battery Saver

Idk if this goes in Q/A or not I never had a Q/A section as I came from the amaze but anyway. What battery savers do you guys find best? I Use Batter Defender but doesn't seem to really extend it. Would i be better of not using one at all?
I use 3 programs to help me maximize my battery life.
1) Badass Battery Monitor to figure out what's sucking juice, how long I've left, and how long until I'm full.
2) 2x Battery to manage background data. This probably saves me the most battery by disabling that data transfer a lot of the time.
3) Lux Auto Brightness to tweak my screen brightness. It's pretty much on "dark" now all the time aside for when I'm in really bright light.
JuiceDefender
I use the free version and it's very good!
I think the most effective battery saver is to flash a kernel that has become voltage control features and undervolt the cpu.
Sent using Tapatalk
klin1344 said:
I think the most effective battery saver is to flash a kernel that has become voltage control features and undervolt the cpu.
Sent using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a fan of under volting the CPU. Mainly because if my understanding of Ohms Law is correct, it's pointless. And my personal experience with it seems to corroborate my feelings.
Under volting the CPU in my experience just introduces stability and reliability issues. I've personally never seen any battery savings from it, especially since the CPU should, theoretically, just draw more current (I) to compensate for the lower voltage (E). It's watts (P = ExI) that matter, and the CPU, if I understand correctly, is going to demand the necessary P for the frequency requested. So under volting either starves the CPU (it can't get enough P), or over currents it (it draws more I to compensate for less E). There are slight variations in each CPU, obviously, which may allow for a margin of under volting to be possible without issue, but the battery savings of this, I feel, are so small, any you notice are most likely a placebo effect. Your screen, and apps constantly polling the CPU or network are your biggest source of battery drain to worry about IMHO.
Sent from my H1S using XDA Premium.
I use Power Controls widget.
Unless I'm actively using internet, I make sure to turn 4G data to 2G. That alone saves so much battery. If I want further battery saved, I disable internet completely with a touch of a widget. Now my phone will last a week just by what phones do best: Making phonecalls and texting.
I'm on 2.1 GHz overclock processor and when battery goes below 30% it goes to 1ghz I can see the battery being saved
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
k1llacanon said:
I'm on 2.1 GHz overclock processor and when battery goes below 30% it goes to 1ghz I can see the battery being saved
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With an higher frequency the phone will use more power, like a pc processor when you overclock it so this is natural, but overclocking/downclocking has nothing to do with undervolting, MadJoe is right.
With JuiceDefender for example you can set your 3g/4g to shut off when you don't use the phone, it activates 3g/4g when you use your phone and at regular intervals in backgroud so it can fetch emails etc.
All automatic so you don't have to switch off and back on network connection every time.
As network connection is one of the services that consumes the battery a lot this is really effective and really improves battery life!
I've read a lot of complaints about these PowerManagement Apps using more battery life then they safe.
I don't know if this is right.
At the moment I'm running CM9 with modified auto-brightness options, auto-sync and 2G/3G/WIFI always on.
I'm really happy with the battery life I get, so I don't see why you would need a Battery Saver app with this phone.
rickyoon.vegas said:
I use Power Controls widget.
Unless I'm actively using internet, I make sure to turn 4G data to 2G. That alone saves so much battery. If I want further battery saved, I disable internet completely with a touch of a widget. Now my phone will last a week just by what phones do best: Making phonecalls and texting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, so why did you get a smart phone. Some older nokia's that can only talk and text can last for weeks on one charge, if you want a model # I can look it up 4 u.

[Q] Background Apps and RAM

My Charge is routinely running 275 - 300 MB of RAM even when "idle" and I receive a LOT of warnings that my memory is running low when I'm using Tasker or Evernote. While I use Linux at home on my personal computer, I'm by no means a professional in any real sense of the word. But my layperson's understanding of RAM is that, generally speaking, more is better and allows for a machine to run, boot, etc... faster and more reliably. I've read that the Charge is a RAM wannabe and I know there are phones with much more than is available with this device but does that mean anything for this phone? Should I be using something that will clear more RAM for me or is that just a pipe dream and I have to deal with the lack of RAM by buying a new phone at some later time?
I'm using Tweaked 3.1 and have to say that Dwitheral has made this phone one I'm happy with - my fiancee has the Charge as well and is paranoid about rooting / ROMing, so she is totally stock. Needless to say, her phone sucks eggs and mine doesn't. I'm looking for a replacement but will not do so until Black Friday next year - then I can get a device that's a little "older" for less than $50 that will be a huge improvement over the Charge. In the meantime, with Tweaked 3.1, a Hyperion 3500 mha extended life battery and Tasker, this phone is serviceable. But the high RAM usage nags at me and I'm wondering if this is really an issue and, if so, is there anything to do about it? When I look at running applications in task manager, it is usually none or one, maybe, on occasion, two running applications.
Can someone clarify this for me? Do I need to be concerned and, if so, is there a solution that doesn't start with "Upon entering the Verizon store, ask where the new DNA is located...."
Thanks in advance!
Forget what you know about RAM in Windows, because this isn't Windows. In Linux (and by extension in Android), unused RAM is generally considered to be wasted. The Android low memory killer (LMK) will take care of killing apps and freeing when it needs to make space for other things, and artificially killing stuff is going to make your phone perform worse and use more battery. You need enough free for apps to have room to start without waiting, but not so much that it kills background apps that you want there. You can tweak the LMK, but 275-300MB used (75-100MB free) is pretty close to the sweet spot for this phone.
I guess it is from since of the tweaks I am running, but I usually have an extra 50-80 MB from what you described.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Xparent Red Tapatalk 2

Gain performance and free ram rootless

Is there a way to have more performance, more free ram and better battery without root? Actually I achieve 4.5hrs of sot. Thanks!
Vipery said:
Is there a way to have more performance, more free ram and better battery without root? Actually I achieve 4.5hrs of sot. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a different phone?
Android intentionally keeps apps in memory for faster opening so less free ram isn't exactly a bad thing.
Exactly. I tried disabling/uninstalling stuff (and pretty much!) from my Android phones so many times and NEVER saw any performance improvement. It is all imho placebo effect. Every custom ROM MUST be slower than stock, if for nothing else, because it is deodexed. The thing is that people flash new ROM on empty phone and go woooow, how fast... yea, wait a couple of months S8+ is fast enough, and keeping more free RAM will only decrease performance, because as mjones73 stated, it keeps apps in RAM in order to run them faster. Better battery? Probably by disabling or not installing some stuff that runs in the background, but better yet - get a power bank or just... charge! The wall outlets are everywhere. I don't get this tuff with more battery. Just plug it in and charge. New batteries can be charged as soon as they fall below ~ 80%.... and it won't affect battery life etc.

Categories

Resources