An apparatus for regulating power allocated to components within a
computer system includes a sensor to sense power drawn by a first device
within a computer system, the first device having device resources needed
to satisfy functional demand required of the first device. A second
sensor is provided to sense power drawn by a second device within the
computer system, the second device having device resources needed to
satisfy functional demand required of the second device. A
power-monitoring module is provided to monitor the power drawn and the
functional demand required of the first and second devices. A system
control module, operably connected to the power-monitoring modules, is
provided to regulate power allocated to the first and second devices by
optimizing use of the device resources in accordance with the
temperature, power drawn, and respective functional demands of the
devices.