AMD's FreeSync Panel Replay can bring 2x battery life on Ryzen Laptops!

AMD is going to introduce a new software update to its Linux driver called FreeSync Panel Replay which will increase the battery life of Ryzen laptops.

Photo from AMD

AMD FreeSync Panel Replay will bring 2x battery on laptops!

The context is that the FreeSync Panel Replay will help to lessen the power draw when the screen contents remain unchanged. 

This works by saving a copy of the most recently shown frame on the display. The GPU can simply replay the stored frame rather than produce a new one when the contents of the screen do not change. This can lessen the amount of work required of the GPU, hence reducing power consumption.

ASUS Zenbook S13 OLED powered by AMD

The feature is quite identical to the Panel Self Refresh (PSR), another power-saving feature present on some machines. However, the FreeSync Panel Replay has numerous perks versus the PSR. As an example, the FreeSync Panel Replay keeps the source and sink synchronized, which aids to reduce latencies. Another is that the feature is much more versatile than the PSR and lastly, it is easier to control as well.

For now, it's too soon to tell how much energy this feature can save. AMD, on the other hand, believes it will be a major improvement over PSR. AMD is also currently testing the FreeSync Panel Replay as of now, which they intend to add in a future version of its Linux driver.

Source: via: Phoronix