{
  "id": 91544,
  "title": "This free Linux tool makes it easy to check your PC battery and disk usage - here's how",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/this-free-linux-tool-makes-it-easy-to-check-your-pc-battery-and-disk",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-03T15:53:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ZDNet",
    "slug": "zdnet",
    "url": "https://www.zdnet.com/article/mission-center-makes-it-even-easier-for-you-to-check-battery-and-disk-usage/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mission Center, a system monitoring application for Linux, has recently released an update that includes three new features to enhance its functionality. These features cater to laptop users and provide more detailed information about system components.\n\nThe first addition is the Battery page, which offers comprehensive data on battery health, voltage, power, time to full, charge cycles, and physical battery details such as serial number, type, energy when full, and minimum voltage. This level of information surpasses what is typically provided by typical desktop environments. For example, while KDE Plasma's battery icon displays only Time To Full and Battery Health, Mission Center provides a more in-depth analysis.\n\nAnother useful feature is Memory compression stats. This feature is particularly beneficial for users who utilize zRAM or zswap. By setting up zRAM to use a specific amount of memory for compression, the Memory page in Mission Center will now display this information under the \"Swap available\" category. This allows users to monitor the impact of compression on their system's memory usage more effectively.\n\nThe third new feature is GPU Power Draw, clock speeds, and temperature stats. This is advantageous for users who heavily rely on their GPU for tasks such as gaming or AI processing. With these stats, users can better track GPU usage and ensure optimal performance. Additionally, a Video encode/decode utilization graph has been added to the same page, which can help users identify when encode/decode processes are in use. This can be especially helpful for users with AMD GPUs, as it allows them to monitor GPU usage when working with local AI applications that often rely on Nvidia hardware for processing offload.",
  "summary": "The Mission Center system monitor for Linux adds some new features that will appeal to a broader user base, especially those with laptops.",
  "key_points": [
    "Mission Center updates include Battery, Memory compression stats, and GPU Power Draw features",
    "Battery page provides detailed battery health, voltage, power, and physical battery information",
    "GPU stats help monitor GPU usage for gaming, AI processing, and optimal performance"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The update to Mission Center gives Linux laptop users more detailed insights into their system's battery, memory, and GPU performance, surpassing the information typically provided by standard desktop environments.",
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/91544.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "TechSpot",
        "title": "Linux just cracked 10% desktop usage in North America, but no one's sure why",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/linux-just-cracked-10-desktop-usage-in-north-america-but-no-ones-sure",
        "published": "2026-08-03T18:28:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}