Windows Vista will be an operating system with high requirements and the computer’s graphics circuit will have to do a lot more work than it had in previous versions of Windows. The Vista Aero interface puts with its tasteful(?) 3D effects whole different level of load on the graphics card and this led to debates about higher power consumption, which is certainly not appreciated, especially on the mobile market. At TechReport they decided to investigate this and did some tests to see the difference between Windows XP and Windows Vista’s different user interfaces. Contrary to other reports about increased power consumption this does not seem to be the case according to TechReport’s, although spartan, tests.
During idle there was basically no difference at all between the two interfaces, which perhaps isn’t all that surprising. No matter if they had any windows open or not the difference was always negligible. What did make a difference was the Aero interface’s 3D window switching. When using this feature the power consumption went up with considerable 10-15W (from 105W during idle), but only for a mere second. In other words, the Vista Aero interface doesn’t seem to be the power hog many has claimed, I.e. if you don’t happen to have a fetisch for chaning windows in 3D constantly. It’s nice to see some results in black and white and we hope to see some more detailed tests further up ahead when the launch of Vista comes closer.
