ErP stands for Energy-related Products and it has to do with a bunch of regulations set by the European Union for electronics. In line with this ErP mode in your BIOS is related to power consumption. When you enable ErP mode, it highly limits power flow to your hardware components when the PC is off or on standby, dropping power consumption to less than 1 watt.
I used to be very annoyed by some of the RGB lights in my computer that would refuse to go off even after shutdown. I'd have to turn the computer off at the socket to fix this, which was annoying. Luckily for me though, I remembered that a system setting in the BIOS called ErP Mode could fix this.
But what is ErP in BIOS and what use can it be for you and your setup? This guide will answer your questions, so let's get right into it.
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ErP Mode in BIOS, which is listed in some BIOS settings as "ErP Ready", is a power management function that drops how much energy your system components use when the computer is switched off or on standby.
It's a common assumption that your computer doesn't use any power when you turn it off, but it does.
Having this enabled will prevent all the components of your PC from using power when the system is off. Think of this as an extremely low-power state.
ErP mode will make your system consume less than 1 watt of power when it is switched off or in standby mode.
Now that you know what this ErP setting is used for on your computer, there's likely another question on your mind: should you disable ErP or have it turned on?
Well, what you do with ErP mode depends on your needs.
Having ErP switched on is a great move if you want to drop your environmental footprint. Your PC will use less power, even when off, which is a net positive for the environment.
It can also help out if you want to cut down on your electricity bill a bit since your PC won't have much demand for power in its shutdown state.
Having it on can also help out if you notice some weird issues with some of your computer's components when it is switched off.
For instance, some motherboard lighting still stays on as long as your power supply unit is on and connected to power, even if the PC is in a shutdown state.
Having ErP enabled is one cool way to turn any connected devices off without having to turn the computer off at the wall socket or the power supply unit.
When is it a better idea for you to disable ErP Mode?
The major reasons why you should keep ErP off in the BIOS are related to some of the functionality that you take advantage of the most.
If you use any PME Event Wake functions enabled on your computer, like Power On By Mouse, you'll need to keep ErP Ready disabled.
This is because having it enabled won't let your computer automatically power on when required. You also won't be able to charge via USB ports when the system is off.
If you use any of the following four functions, you should keep ErP Ready disabled in the BIOS:
If you want to turn on ErP Mode, you'll need to gain access to your BIOS settings.
Pressing (or repeatedly tapping, like I prefer to do) the right button as soon as your computer switches on will take you to the BIOS instead of the operating system.
However, the button choice depends on the manufacturer of your motherboard. For instance, how you enter a Gigabyte BIOS might be different from an HP system.
The most common buttons are either Delete (DEL) or F2 though. In fact, if you have an ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, or Zotac board, it is likely to be either of these two (and in some cases, both will work!)
There may be a text prompt right as your computer turns on that will tell you what to access the BIOS.
Different manufacturers have different BIOS settings, so there's no one-size-fits-all way to find ErP Mode.
However, you generally want to get into your Advanced settings first and then look for something like a BIOS Power Management section.
You will usually find this power-save setting somewhere here, where you can have it enabled or disabled.
If you absolutely need features like Wake on LAN for your system, then you can't afford to have ErP switched on in the BIOS.
But what if you still want to reduce the amount of power that you consume? What can you do?
The Power Mode that your PC is set to can have a big impact on your power usage. You can change these from the user setting menu.
You can also keep an eye out for the kind of hardware you buy for your PC. The 80 Plus Certification can be used to get an idea of your PSU's efficiency.
The higher the 80 Plus rating, the less energy your PSU wastes, even at lower loads.
ErP Mode in your BIOS is used if you want to save energy. Having it on will severely limit power to all system components when the PC is switched off.
However, note that having this BIOS setting disabled will stop certain functions on your PC from working. For instance, Power On by Keyboard, Mouse, LAN, and so on. You also won't be able to use USB ports to charge.
Was this article able to show you what ErP Ready is for in your PC, and how it can be used? If so, take a look at our related articles to learn more.
