Code: Select all
Debian is a distro where you have to do things like this your self. That is install and configure laptop and power saving pavkages
That's half true. If you install any of the bigger desktops -- Gnome, KDE, Mate, Xfce or Cinnamon -- you get a lot of the power management out of the box. The Debian installer even detects if you have a laptop and suggests installing the "laptop" tasksel. But it's true that, with a bit of tinkering and installing a few packages or outside sources, one can squeeze a bit more out of the system.
Generally, I'll agree that Windows has better power saving due to the drivers mostly being tailored to the system. Linux drivers are very often programmed by volunteers, not by the companies that make the hardware.
These are some things I would try, also in this order:
1. If the hardware is rather new, I'd try installing a newer kernel from the Backports repositories and/or even newer video card drivers. If the hardware is older than the default kernel in Debian Stable, then an upgrade usually doesn't bring improvements.
2. Then I'd try the laptop-mode-tools package
3. Then, if that makes no difference, I'd try TLP (But please don't mix laptop-mode-tools and TLP).