Per-Process CPU Power Meter

A PowerShell-based tool for monitoring power consumption of individual processes on Windows systems with support for Intel RAPL (CPU-only) and system-wide power measurements.

Features

• Real-time interactive monitoring: Auto-refreshing display with continuous background data collection
• Dual measurement modes: Intel RAPL (CPU package) + System-wide power
• Energy accumulation: Track total energy consumed by each process since monitoring started
• Multiple views: Top X processes list or detailed single-process focus view
• Power history graphs: ASCII-based visualization of power consumption over time
• Dynamic configuration: Adjust measurement interval on the fly (1-60 seconds)
• System statistics: Runtime, total energy, current CPU/system power at a glance
• CPU utilization-based power allocation: Proportional distribution to processes
• Color-coded output: Enhanced readability
• Admin privilege detection: Automatic verification

Versions

Combined/run.ps1 (⭐ Recommended)

• Interactive CLI: Similar to top/htop with auto-refreshing display
• Commands: list X, focus X, interval X, help, quit
• Continuous monitoring: Energy accumulates from program start
• Background data collection: Updates every 2 seconds (configurable)
• Non-blocking input: Smooth typing while display refreshes
• Power graphs: Visual history for focused processes
• Requires administrator privileges for RAPL access
• Best for: Extended monitoring sessions, energy consumption analysis over time

Requirements

• Intel CPU with RAPL support (Sandy Bridge or newer, 2011+)
  • Check with: wmic cpu get name
  • i3/i5/i7/i9 from 2011 onwards
• Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later (pre-installed on Windows 10/11)
• Administrator privileges required (for RAPL MSR access)
• LibreHardwareMonitorLib.dll (included in repository)
• Windows Power Meter counters (optional, for system-wide measurement)

How It Works

All versions use the same core formula to calculate per-process power:

Process Energy = Time × Power × (Process CPU / Total CPU)

Power Measurement Approach

CPU-Only (RAPL via LibreHardwareMonitor):

1. Reads CPU package power directly from Intel MSR registers
2. Allocates CPU power to processes based on their CPU utilization ratio
3. Measures only CPU cores + cache (excludes GPU, display, RAM, etc.)
4. Typical range: 5-50W depending on workload

System-Wide (Windows Power Meter):

1. Reads total system power from Windows Performance Counters
2. Allocates total power to processes based on CPU utilization ratio
3. Includes all system components (CPU + GPU + display + RAM + etc.)
4. Typical range: 10-100W depending on system
5. Often unavailable on desktop systems, more common on laptops

Energy Accumulation

The Interactive version continuously tracks energy consumption:

• Updates every 2 seconds (configurable 1-60s)
• Accumulates energy for each process from program start
• Ranks processes by total accumulated energy, not instantaneous power
• Maintains power history for graphing (last 100 measurements)

Usage

Quick Start (Interactive CLI - Recommended)

# Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator
.\ProcessPowerMeter-Interactive.ps1

The script will:

1. Check for administrator privileges and LibreHardwareMonitorLib.dll
2. Initialize hardware monitoring and detect CPU
3. Collect initial baseline data (6 seconds)
4. Start with list 20 view showing top 20 processes
5. Auto-refresh every 2 seconds while accepting commands

Available Commands:

• list X - Show top X processes by accumulated energy (e.g., list 10)
• focus X - Detailed view of process #X with power graph
• interval X - Change measurement frequency (1-60 seconds)
• help - Show command reference
• quit or exit - Exit program

Quick Start (Other Versions)

# Run as Administrator
.\ProcessPowerMeter-CPU.ps1       # Dual measurement (RAPL + System)

# Prototype versions (in prototypes folder)
.\prototypes\ProcessPowerMeter-Advanced.ps1  # Memory-weighted allocation
.\prototypes\ProcessPowerMeter-Top5.ps1      # Continuous top 5 monitor
.\prototypes\ProcessPowerMeter-Multi.ps1     # Choose power source

Quick Start (Basic Version)

# No admin required
.\ProcessPowerMeter.ps1

Interactive Menu

The Interactive CLI provides commands to:

• List top X processes by accumulated energy consumption
• Focus on individual processes with detailed metrics and power graphs
• Adjust measurement frequency in real-time
• View comprehensive system statistics
• Type 'help' for full command reference

Prototype versions in prototypes/ folder offer different features:

• Multi-source power measurement selection
• Memory-weighted power allocation algorithms
• Various monitoring approaches for comparison

Example Output (Interactive CLI)

========================================================
   Process Power Monitor - Top 20
========================================================

System Statistics:
  Runtime:              00:15:32
  Measurements:         465
  Measurement Interval: 2s
  Tracked Processes:    147

  Total CPU Usage:      23.5%
  CPU Power Now:        8.45 W
  System Power Now:     N/A
  Total CPU Energy:     7.89 kJ

Top 20 Processes:
#     Process                        CPU Energy   CPU %      Power Now
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1     chrome.exe                      2.15 kJ    8.50%      1.234 W
2     Code.exe                        1.87 kJ    4.20%      0.876 W
3     firefox.exe                     1.23 kJ    3.10%      0.654 W
4     Discord.exe                     0.98 kJ    2.35%      0.432 W
...

Commands: list X | focus X | interval X | help | quit
Command>

Setup Guide

For ProcessPowerMeter-Multi.ps1

Option 1: Intel PCM (Recommended for comprehensive metrics)

1. Download Intel PCM:

   • Windows: Get from https://github.com/intel/pcm/releases or https://ci.appveyor.com/project/opcm/pcm/history
   • Linux: sudo apt install pcm or sudo yum install pcm

2. Start PCM sensor server:

   Windows (Run PowerShell as Administrator):

   cd C:\path\to\pcm
   .\pcm-sensor-server.exe -p 9738

   Linux:

   sudo ./pcm-sensor-server -p 9738

3. Run the script:

   .\prototypes\ProcessPowerMeter-Multi.ps1
   # Select "Intel PCM" from the menu

Option 2: LibreHardwareMonitor (For RAPL)

1. Download LibreHardwareMonitor:

   • Get from https://github.com/LibreHardwareMonitor/LibreHardwareMonitor/releases
   • Extract LibreHardwareMonitorLib.dll to the script directory

2. Run the script:

   # Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator
   .\prototypes\ProcessPowerMeter-Multi.ps1
   # Select "LibreHardwareMonitor (RAPL)" from the menu

Option 3: Windows Power Meter (No setup)

Just run the script - Power Meter is built into Windows.

For ProcessPowerMeter-Interactive.ps1

1. Download LibreHardwareMonitor (if you don't have the DLL):

   • Get from https://github.com/LibreHardwareMonitor/LibreHardwareMonitor/releases
   • Extract LibreHardwareMonitorLib.dll to the script directory
   • Note: DLL is already included in this repository

2. Run as Administrator:

   # Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator
   cd "<path-to-script-directory>"
   .\ProcessPowerMeter-Interactive.ps1

3. Start monitoring:

   • Script auto-starts with list 20 view
   • Type commands to change views or settings
   • Energy accumulates continuously until you quit

See RAPL-Setup-Guide.md for detailed RAPL setup and troubleshooting.

For ProcessPowerMeter.ps1

No special setup required - just run the script.

Troubleshooting

"RAPL sensor not found"

• Ensure you have an Intel CPU (Sandy Bridge or newer)
• Make sure OpenHardwareMonitor is running
• Run PowerShell as Administrator

"Not running as Administrator"

• ProcessPowerMeter-CPU.ps1 requires admin privileges
• Right-click PowerShell and select "Run as Administrator"

"Power Meter counter not available"

• Your system may not support Power Meter counters
• Try on a different device (usually works on laptops)

"LibreHardwareMonitorLib.dll not found"

• Download from https://github.com/LibreHardwareMonitor/LibreHardwareMonitor/releases
• Place the DLL in the same directory as the script

Technical Details

CPU Package Power (RAPL)

• Measured via Intel RAPL MSR registers (0x611)
• Includes CPU cores and cache power
• Does NOT include GPU, memory controller, or other components
• Typical range: 5-50W depending on workload

System Total Power

• Measured via Windows Power Meter counters
• Includes ALL system components
• CPU + GPU + Display + RAM + Storage + Peripherals
• Typical range: 10-100W depending on system

Comparison

CPU-only power is typically 30-60% of total system power on modern laptops.

Files

Main Scripts

• ProcessPowerMeter-Interactive.ps1 - Interactive CLI with continuous monitoring (⭐ recommended)
• ProcessPowerMeter-CPU.ps1 - Dual measurement (RAPL + System side-by-side)

Libraries & Tools

• LibreHardwareMonitorLib.dll - Hardware monitoring library for RAPL access

Prototypes

• prototypes/ - Older prototype versions and utilities:
  • ProcessPowerMeter-Multi.ps1 - Multi-source version (RAPL/PCM/PowerMeter)
  • ProcessPowerMeter-Advanced.ps1 - Memory-weighted power allocation
  • ProcessPowerMeter-Top5.ps1 - Continuous top 5 process monitor
  • ProcessPowerMeter.ps1 - Basic version, system-wide only
  • Test-LibreHardwareMonitor.ps1 - Diagnostic script to verify RAPL
  • Install-PCM-Driver.ps1 - Helper for Intel PCM driver installation

Documentation

• README.md - This file
• RAPL-Setup-Guide.md - Detailed RAPL setup and troubleshooting
• Intel-PCM-Setup-Guide.md - Intel PCM installation guide
• .gitignore - Git ignore file

License

This project is open source and available for educational and research purposes.

Credits

• Uses LibreHardwareMonitor for RAPL access
• Windows Performance Counters for system power measurement