A method and apparatus for reducing net power consumption in a computer system includes identifying a plurality of processing states operable to execute a task. A processing state and current drain pattern is selected that is most power efficient. A selected processing state may include one or more processing elements of the computer system such as one or more processors or accelerators and indicates the manner in which one or more portions of the received task may be distributed among the processing elements of the computer system. The current drain pattern selected may be a constant current drain pattern or a pulsed current drain pattern and may be selected to optimize power consumption when executing the task among the one or more processing elements.